LAST CHEMO

sitting on the back yard,
sun on my face
so far so good...

The Final Countdown...

On the eve of the eve of my last chemo treatment,
a look back....

...and may this last one truly be the last one.

time to party

so,
we are planning a party to celebrate the end of this treatment.
we've invited a bunch of people,
but sometimes chemo-brain gets in the way,
so if you didn't get an invite and you really want to come, get in touch,
and we will send you the info.

it's going to be a hoot.

JUST ONE MORE

I am thrilled to be able to say that I have only one more treatment left
and  then a few scans and a few blood tests and then....
THIS LITTLE BLIP WILL BE NOTHING BUT REAR VIEW MIRROR!

Treatment #11 went pretty well.
Driving in to the doctor on Wednesday, my anxiety levels were pretty high. I was really not looking forward
to going through all this again.  It was all the power of negative thinking.... we had been talking a fair
amount about how hard the last few treatments have been, they were really catching up with me,
taking a lot longer to bounce back, extra days in bed, blucky blucky blucky...

well all that talk didn't help. I started to believe it, I started to out-think myself. I started to let the negative in.
BUT, once I realized I was doing that, I was able to kick all that junk out of my brain,
flex my brainial biceps, and show that negative thinking who was boss.....
oh, and I took a lot of lorazepam..... and some anti-nausea meds...

SOOOOOO.... it's a toss up really,

power of positive thinking
                 vs.
modern pharmaceuticals


....we may never know, but what IS important is that round 11 is not only OVER
but it wasn't so BAD.  It wasn't an ice cream sundae either, but it wasn't bad.....

My super friend Tracy helped out with the cup smashing ceremony this time:

if only chemo could always be this fun......

the Penultimate Peril (thanks Lemony...)

I am in the midst of the second to last treatment...phew.
and due to some mind over matter actions, things are going pretty smoothly....
granted, I'm still in bed and its 12:30.....

the last few treatments have been a bit rougher, a little longer lasting, harder to shake off.
then of course in between we keep talking about how its getting harder....
so yesterday, heading in for treatment it was a bit harder to muster the 'no problem, I got this' attitude.
I was a little more anxious, a little more nervous.
but with the help of a positive attitude readjustment (and some modern pharmaceuticals) I'm feeling okay today.

when you feel lousy, it helps to at least look good...
thus I've been waxing my mustache into dandy curls,
and this morning I tried a jaunty new tie knot...

in between, the holidays happened and they were fun and exhausting... back to school is creeping up on me. I'm glad to be finished with (at least the last half of) 2012 and looking forward to a great and healthy 2013! here's a flashback update on treatment 10, and in a couple days there will be a toast and update on number 11, hope it stays smooth.........

IT'S OFFICIAL

finally enough fell out, I couldn't take it anymore...

AS THREE QUARTERS FADES IN THE RAINY DUSK

treatment number 9 has concluded!
only 3 left,
such a tiny, manageable number...

I owe a post for number 8, also.
as that one finished up on Thanksgiving, I thought it fitting to make a list of all that I am thankful for.
as I formed the list in my mind, it grew longer and more formidable, and my great of leaving any thing or any one out grew.... I think it is important to shout your thanks into the wind, so that
list is coming....

for now I head into the busy, yet enjoyable holiday season, counting the days until this road is done for me, and I can go back to being a person, to leave being a cancer patient behind, move on to that honored club of cancer survivors, and hopefully leave that behind too.

I am a person, with a bump in his road, almost behind him,
and so much ahead.