Well, yesterday I rang the bell! I’m pretty happy about that!

I had 6 rounds the first time, and was scheduled for 16 rounds in the second batch.  I kind of hit the wall with it emotionally and asked my Oncologist if there was any scenario where we quit now.  Her initial response was a very quick “nope” but then she looked back over my history and softened.  We talked about it and she asked for one more treatment and then we would talk about it again. 

So that “one more” was yesterday and she said she had no reservations about me ending with this one.  I have done a year of treatment, 18 rounds of chemo. Wow!  I am so glad to know that this is the last one!

Naturally, I will still feel all the chemo things over the next three weeks but having the end is sight is a huge boost.  Plus, my blood work looks great except some platelet yada yada thing, but the anemia is gone and the white blood cell level is higher so I’m not as susceptible to infection.  So that is also good news.  

I have another round of imaging, surgery, port removal and whatever else, I don’t think any of that will be a big deal.  We are in the home stretch!

One of my favorite nurses told me this joke: why do nurses carry red crayons? So they can draw blood. Hehehe! And so I ordered a little stash of red crayons and handed them out to the nurses on this final chemo day. I am so grateful for the way they have been so caring through this journey.

I rang the bell. It surprised me because it was So Loud, but what a solid way to mark the moment!

Yay! Sooooo grateful!

And if you’re out there in the midst of your own chemo or radiation treatments, please know I am cheering you on!

Sending love,

Carmen