Last Chemo Treatment

Had my last chemo treatment today, we thought this day would never come!  It was fairly routine.  My labs were good and white blood cell count above normal meaning I would not have to go back tomorrow for the Neulasta shot.  The visit with the oncologist went well too, my echo-cardiogram from last week results were all positive, no visible issues with my heart from treatments.  I meet with the surgeon tomorrow to lay out the surgery plan, and won't meet with my oncologist again until after surgery to review the pathology report.

We made a special gift for the nurses who have been so kind and generous throughout this process.  We made a thank you poster and the boys used finger paint to paint handprints on it - thanks for giving our mom a hand!  We also took them some tasty treats.  The nurses all enjoyed the poster and the treats, and gave mom lots of hugs after finishing my treatment.

I also had a very big surprise at my treatment - a stop in from an old friend from Texas!  Erin Davis was driving from Maryland (Pax River) to Maine to pick up his girls after meeting their new baby cousin.  It's a long drive, but he went out of his way to stop in at MGH West to say hello.  His timing was great, I had ~30min left in chemo so we got to hang out for a bit, catch up, and give him a break from all the driving.  I wouldn't be able to make it through this process without all my supporters!

In the spirit of the 2016 Rio Olympics kicking off this week, this now completes the first leg of my cancer "triathlon".  Finishing chemo I have completed the hardest or "swim" portion of the triathlon, now I move into surgery the "bike" portion, then eventually radiation the "run" portion. Makes it 4 months down, ~3.5 months to go.  Reflecting back on chemo I had no idea what I was in for.  You can read about it, talk to others that have been there, but until you experience it and the side effects on your body you really don't know.  Like raising children, treating cancer takes a village.  I am incredibly thankful for my Mom giving up her summer to spend it here taking care of me and my family, my Dad and Terry for bringing meals or taking kids when we need the help, my brothers for visiting and bringing humor to any situation, and all my geographically dispersed friends and family for all the well wishes and care packages and yummy snacks that keep my house filled with positive energy and help convince me I can beat this - thank you all!  One big step down, two to go!