No More Chemo!
My friend Val from Cordova Tn, sent me this ribbon on Wednesday to celebrate my graduation! She's the one that also sent me the lovely bracelet when I was first diagnosed. Thank you so much Val for your friendship, thoughts and prayers and your gift of love and hope.
Wednesday June 10th, I graduated from chemo treatment! Someone donated a bell wall plaque to the chemo treatment room in Little Rock where I go to the doctor. It has a neat saying on about ringing the bell three times to declare that your chemo treatment is done. I never heard anybody ring the bell since I started going although I do know that some folks have completed their treatments since I was there, I just wasn't there on the day they had their last treatment. But Wednesday I got to experience first hand being the bell ringer.
When you are finished with your treatment, one of the nurses proclaims to the room that "we have a bell ringer" and you go up to the plaque and read the inscription out loud and then ring the bell three times to proclaim your end of chemo! It's a celebration that only starts there with the ringing of that bell. There is such a relief, a feeling of freedom and triumphant victory at completing one stage in your treatment of cancer when you know that is the last treatment.
I got to move the last pink bracelet to my left wrist, leaving my right wrist, pink free! I got to ring the bell to proclaim my chemo was over. I got to celebrate by eating at the Red Lobster with Jimmie who has been such a wonderful support person and always there. I stopped to visit my longest and such a dear friend from childhood, Reba on the way home and to top it off had a strawberry shortcake from the Bulldog resturauant in Baldknob. When I got home on Wednesday I was totally exhausted but even so, I've never felt so good. It's just great to know that there is NO MORE CHEMO!!!
Have a great weekend! When I get the pictures of the plaque and bell I will post them here for you to see!
Changes
Last week at work we received a memo from our CEO informing us that our company is struggling. In order to prevent lay offs, everyone in the company, including him would be required to take one or two days leave without pay a month depending on your salary. Hopefully, he wrote, that by September everything would be good and we would return to normal. A day without pay is a sacrifice that will no doubt be harder on some of us than on others, but it's the way it has to be and I sure hate to think of anyone being layed off. Changes take place and we just learn to deal with them, roll with the punches and pray that things will be okay.
I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and all the changes that have taken place in my life have been for some reason. No matter if the changes have caused hurt, emotional, physical or in the case of the leave without pay day, financial stress, it all happens for a reason and we grow, learn and become stronger because of the changes. Having cancer brings about major changes in your life and some of them are for the better.
Since I was diagnosed with BC I've been more aware of everything around me and things that I normally take for granted are precious to me now. Each day's a blessing and regardless what I'm doing for the day, I'm glad I'm alive to do it. I have a job that I love so going in to work is something I look forward to anyway, hanging and doing things with friends is always a pleasure, being with my family is precious time spent and even just being at home sitting outside on the porch listening to and watching the birds is a wonderful experience. At anytime, any of this events could change, people come into our lives everyday and some leave. Seasons change, the birds fly south, and companies change their policies and procedures.
Life is a series of changing events and a lot of times we can't do anything to control those events so we just hang in there and do the best we can. For those of us who have been diagnosed with cancer, we hang on with both hands, our feet and every ounce of strength we have. We celebrate little things such as finishing a round or cycle of chemo or radiation and most definetly, clear scans and test results. I'm thankful that mine have all been good and I'm so excited about completing my cycle of round number six on Wednesday of chemo.
I've got 5 pink braclets on my left wrist each one represents one round of chemo, I only have to put one more on that wrist to complete my cycle. When I start my radiaton, I'll move them back to my right wrist and each week I complete of radiation, I will move one back to my left wrist. It's a visual aid that reminds me, as if I needed it, LOL that my treatments are coming to an end and the changes that they have caused within my body are all for the good! So I say let's celebrate change and enjoy life, one pink braclet at a time!
Battery Life!
About a month ago I bought a new cordless weed eater because I couldn't pull start my other one. So this cordless one has two batteries that you charge up and just plug into the weed eater and then push the button and do the job. Each battery last about 15 minutes. It's the perfect chemo weed eater because when the battery on the weed eater runs down, so does mine! You can put the other battery in for another 15 minutes work but I'm finding that I need a recharge myself before I use the other battery.
Other folks who've experienced chemo told me that the more chemo treatments you have the more exhausted you get and I really believe that now. The first couple of treatments didn't seem to bother me too much as far as a big drop in energy. I mean I've never been a mountain climber or long distance runner so I'm kinda a snail energy person anyway. LOL I do believe that having started a daily exercise program last summer did help to get me in better shape and more prepared for chemo. Lord knows how hard it might have been if I was still a couch tater!
I can really tell the drop in energy though this last chemo. My blood counts have been lower this time and I just tire so easily. Thank goodness I only have one more chemo to go. I do love to work out in my yard but this year if I can just keep the grass looking decent I'll be happy. It doesn't take too much energy to get on my little red lawn mower and cut the grass and I can weed eat one battery at a time. I'm just thankful that I have the energy to take care of my house, a large yard and work a full time job.
There are days like today though that I don't feel as well, that I don't sleep much and when the alarm goes off in the morning I'm just too tired to get up. I haven't had many of them but last night was not a good night for me, I didn't sleep well and I had some of those body aches felt sick. I turned my alarm off and instead of putting my feet on the floor, I put my head back down on the pillow and fell asleep. I woke up and it was almost 9am, feeling a bit disoriented I called in to work and told them I wouldn't be in this morning. I have felt like I've been in a daze all day but I'm beginning to liven up a bit and my battery feels like it's recharged at least some.
I'm feeling positive and excited that next Wednesday is my last chemo. I'm wondering now how long it will be until my hair grows back, how long it will be before I start feeling more energy and how the radiation is going to effect me. At least another process in my recovery will be complete and I and I will live my life for now, one battery at a time!
Other folks who've experienced chemo told me that the more chemo treatments you have the more exhausted you get and I really believe that now. The first couple of treatments didn't seem to bother me too much as far as a big drop in energy. I mean I've never been a mountain climber or long distance runner so I'm kinda a snail energy person anyway. LOL I do believe that having started a daily exercise program last summer did help to get me in better shape and more prepared for chemo. Lord knows how hard it might have been if I was still a couch tater!
I can really tell the drop in energy though this last chemo. My blood counts have been lower this time and I just tire so easily. Thank goodness I only have one more chemo to go. I do love to work out in my yard but this year if I can just keep the grass looking decent I'll be happy. It doesn't take too much energy to get on my little red lawn mower and cut the grass and I can weed eat one battery at a time. I'm just thankful that I have the energy to take care of my house, a large yard and work a full time job.
There are days like today though that I don't feel as well, that I don't sleep much and when the alarm goes off in the morning I'm just too tired to get up. I haven't had many of them but last night was not a good night for me, I didn't sleep well and I had some of those body aches felt sick. I turned my alarm off and instead of putting my feet on the floor, I put my head back down on the pillow and fell asleep. I woke up and it was almost 9am, feeling a bit disoriented I called in to work and told them I wouldn't be in this morning. I have felt like I've been in a daze all day but I'm beginning to liven up a bit and my battery feels like it's recharged at least some.
I'm feeling positive and excited that next Wednesday is my last chemo. I'm wondering now how long it will be until my hair grows back, how long it will be before I start feeling more energy and how the radiation is going to effect me. At least another process in my recovery will be complete and I and I will live my life for now, one battery at a time!
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