Warriors, we made it! I finished chemo on July 29th. It was a magical day. Mitch surprised me with a video featuring family and friends wishing me well and celebrating my success. It was really sweet and I’ve decided to only post it here as it’s very special to me (see below). There’s also pictures below of my outfit and the presents we gave to the nurses/Dr. Wells.
I was so excited to be done with chemo I forgot that side effects do exist and are cumulative. The last week has been a rough one. I’ve had lots of pain coupled with complete loss of energy. Doing more than one thing any day was super difficult. There was a lot of time just spent resting and doing nothing, which made me really nervous for this last Friday/Saturday as I had a bachelorette party to go to. Somehow I made it until 1 AM on Friday and 1 PM on Saturday. I was sure to pace myself, had lots of caffeine, and took it as easy as possible, while still having fun.
Coming up this month is full of pre-surgical appointments and we are going to squeeze in a little vacation to Cincinnati to see friends/escape cancer headquarters. There is a little guilt associated with going on vacation, but sometimes mental health overrides paying off non-interest building bills. I’m still so grateful I saved up last year while travel nursing, all the GoFundMe donations, and just support/love in general to make this happen. It wouldn’t be without you warriors!
CONGRATS. I ECHO THE STRENGTH YOU HAVE SHOWN. HAS BEEN AN INSPIRATION.
Congratulations, Julia. I was talking with your BNF Brittany at the cancer center this morning. We agreed that your understanding of your cancer and the ensuing blogs that shared both knowledge and emotion are rich with healing.
Moving on, we look forward to your continued healing—first TIME to let your body recover some normalcy from the chemo onslaught as well as your ID (thank you , Freud) and it’s emotional battering. Secondly, surgery to cull tissue that is diseased.
We are with you Julia, lending you the strength you need to make it, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, month by month, and year by year.
Good news
I’m so happy for you. You have been an inspiration to me. As I am just starting my journey I’m little over a month from my diagnosis. I am very grateful for the support of this group my family and my friends. Enjoy reading your blog. Celebrate your life and take that vacation and don’t feel guilty. ?
Cheers on the last chemo treatment! I have seen first hand what chemo does to the human body, and what the mind can override. Watching my Dad go through it during the beginning of the pandemic, Hodgkins Lymphoma(ABVD, then just AVD), every other week for 6 months. My mother had breast cancer and she caught it early. My sister Wendy had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and it was caught early.
My mom is a nurse (she was diagnosed 3 weeks after retirement) and it’s true…every BODY is different.
Congratulations on getting through this phase. Now it’s on to the next!
You’ll be surprised how You’ll start to feel your “new normal”. ❤?