It's over!!!!!!

I actually did it; my last chemo. I am so thrilled beyond belief. I would be jumping for joy if I had the energy. I have an appointment February 7 to see the radiation oncologist. I will need 6 weeks at 5 per week. I'm going to see if I can set them up for after school so I don't have to miss any more work. They made arrangements for me to go to Integris Southwest Medical Center instead of Baptist so I won't have to drive so far.

The wonderful nurses at the chemo center gave me a small bottle of sparking cider as a congratulations. They even signed their names to a card. It was very touching. Amy told me that it is really good if you can get a massage the day of or the day after chemo. I tried to set up an appointment, but everybody is booked because of the holidays. So, the man at Praxis said that even a massage from a family member is better than no massage at all. He said to just go buy some massage oil and have him give me a 20-30 minutes massage and it would do wonders. So, we're going to try it tonight. It is supposed to cut down on side effects and help the chemo to circulate, killing the cells better.

I called Chemaid today to find out when I should start putting on the hair stuff again. She said to start it tonight. When you get chemo, your body begins to repair itself and concentrates on the areas that really need it. Apparently, the hair comes in last place. The Chemaid gives your follicles what they need to begin to grow. She said I should have at least 1/2"-1" of solid, strong hair in 2 months. I could handle that. So, I'm going to begin putting it on tonight. I can't wait to quit wearing bandanas.

I had Tim take pics today of the procedure during chemo. When I found out I was going to have to do it, I searched the internet high and low to find images of what to expect and couldn't find any. So, I'm supplying some. They're not graphic or anything. Just informative.

Glenda 4, chemo 0

Here, they are santizing my port area.

Now, they are spraying a deadener on. I'm a wimp with needles.

Woohoo! The needle. Yuk. It goes straight into my port.

The needle is in. Whew! It's kinda blurry. Sorry.

It is in and covered with tape.

This is not the port I have, but some they have at the clinic to show patients. Mine is a Power Port. It's purple.

This is the room they do chemo in. In my space, there are 4 recliners. Yes, ever the OCD maniac, I sat in the same chair every time. Here, I'm trying to advance my teaching skills by reading a howto book.

3 down, 1 to go

I had my 3rd round of chemo on December 26. Once again, it was better than the time before. However, I get tired quicker too. Still have the diarrhea, nausea, numbness, no taste buds, etc. Pretty much sucks. But, a little over a week after treatment and I was feeling a lot better. Today, I feel really good. Of course, I have my last round of chemo next Thursday, so, naturally I feel good.

One good thing is that the Monday following treatment is Martin Luther King Jr. day. So, I won't have to take the day off if I'm sick. Pretty sorry that I look forward to having a holiday so I can be sick without taking off work to do it. Oh well, such is life.

My doctor told me that I will start radiation therapy 3 weeks after my chemo is finished. I will go 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Woo hoo! More fun. I don't know if I can take much more of the happy happy joy joy. Crispy boob. At least I will finally get a tattoo. They will tattoo a small dot on my breast to show where the beam of radiation is sent.

Now come on, I know what you're thinking. "I want a tattoo too!" I'm wondering if they would consider putting a nice flower around the dot to make it look spiffy. Something to cover up the beautiful scar I already have on that breast. I will say this though. That scar is the most attractive one I have now. The one under my arm and the one from my port are pretty hideous. But the one on my breast has healed nicely.

One thing I can't tolerate is not being able to feel cold right after chemo. I mean in my mouth. Anything I drink that is supposed to be cold, is lukewarm. Pretty nasty when you're drinking a soda. So, I have to stay away from soda for about a week after treatment. Hot stuff is great. Tastes hot. I can tolerate milk and orange juice.

About a week after my last treatment I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I needed some ice cold water. When I took a drink I started crying. I could feel the cold! Tim couldn't understand why I was crying. But, the frustration level just gets so high. I feel so helpless to help myself. You're nauseous so you can't eat much of anything even though you're hungry. You crave an ice cold pop or water and can't drink it because it's flat disgusting when it hits your mouth. You sit on the couch and watch "What Not to Wear" and cry because you want nothing more than a makeover, but you haven't got any damn hair to make over.

I totally understand why people have to go on anti-depressants during treatment. Especially if they are doing more than 4. At least I know I've only got one more and I'll be done. It make me sick to think about having 4-5 more. That's the only thing that's kept me from taking an anti-depressant.

Here's a funny story though. That same day I was on the couch crying while watching "What Not to Wear," Tim had went to pick Kati up from work because of the ice. T.J. heard me crying and came flying into the living room. He asked why I was crying and I cried some more and told him I was ugly. He told me I wasn't and fell quiet. After a few minutes of listening to me blubber, he said, "Well, I think dad can handle this when he gets home." Then he promptly went back in his room. If I hadn't been so busy blubbering, I would have died laughing. And, yes, dad came home and fixed it. He changed the channel.

So, anyway, next Thursday, January 17, is my last chemo treatment. I won't be sorry to say goodbye to the wonderful nurses who take care of me there. Hopefully, I will never see them again.