Last Chemo

On the one hand, it feels good to finished with the harsh chemo drugs, but on the other hand, I am not looking forward to fighting the side effects. I am already more tired than I remember being on Thursday, even with the steroids. As soon as I got home, I dozed on the couch. waking up when Walt and Ben came through to walk Sugar, then when they returned and Nathan got ready for soccer. Sometime in there, Becca returned from her horseback riding lesson. I was thankful for Walt and my friends Pam and Wendy who did all the running around today. I was too tired to contribute anything today. I can't imagine how  bad it'll be on Saturday, my first day without the steroids. I go in tomorrow for the g-shot to boost my white blood cells. I don't have to go in on Saturday this time as the doctor can give me my 2nd booster on Monday with my fluids and my third one on Thursday with more fluids and Herceptin. I'm also scheduled to go back in for fluids on Tuesday, which I can cancel if I feel better. Last time I felt better, but the extra fluids helped give me  a better Wednesday. Unless by some miracle I wake up with no nausea on Tuesday, I'll just plan on going in. Walt took Monday through Wednesday off from work next week so I don't have to coordinate rides to the hospital. I did have to coordinate  rides for my kids' co-op classes on Monday, but between a couple of my friends, I think I have their schedules covered. Ben's not crazy about the extra time he'll be at school on Monday, but I'm sure he'll get through it.

My blood work today revealed my white blood count was pretty good but my red blood count is low. This means I'm anemic and my hematcrit is below normal. Fortunately, it's high enough to not require a blood transfusion, so the prayer request is it recovers so that doesn't happen. Dr. Kohn explained that the side effect is manifesting in my sore muscles which are not receiving the oxygen they require. So instead of pushing through the pain during my walks, she wants me to ease up.  Since its my last round of chemo, I am not too worried about not walking as much as I have been. I am confident I'll recover soon and can get back to an exercise program. I've also had a headache the past few days, which is also a side effect to the anemia.. My plan is to rest often during the day and try to get a good night's sleep to help with the recovery.

I asked her about what happens next. I'm scheduled for a diagnostic mammogram on my left breast on the 18th, then I'll have a bilateral screening in April. In a couple of weeks when I recover from this cycle, I'll meet Dr. Hunter again, my radiation oncologist, to begin learning about my radiation treatments. I also need to fit in a followup with my surgeon, Dr. Clinch, which I'll try to schedule for that week as well. I asked her about scheduling a dental cleaning and she said  I could  do that a month out from recovery and gave me a prescription for an antibiotic  to prevent bacteria from entering my bloodstream. On my to-do list also is a followup with my naturopath who will recommend supplements to build up my immune system and strengthen my heart. Even though I'm winding down this part of my treatment, there are a lot of appointments and new things to coordinate. I'll try to make some calls tomorrow, but mostly I'll wait for the running around until after my hard week is over.

As I sat in my chair this morning, I read this verse from Deuteronomy 33:27:  The eternal God  is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will  drive out your enemy before you, saying "Destroy him!" 

I used these words to rest in wonderful peace in His everlasting arms, picturing Him using this last round of chemo drugs to destroy any remaining enemy cancer cells in my body. We don't know for sure what happened during this chemo. It's a tricky thing to trust the cancer drugs to destroy cells that can't be seen. When I asked about other screenings, to see if there was evidence of rogue cells present in my body, Dr. Kohn said there is no evidence that screening for the sake of screening will improve my prognosis. She said the best indicator will be things I notice and to call in for questions. Of course, we needed to discuss how to determine if it's a normal ache or pain that'll go away or if it might be more serious. I'm already praying for wisdom from God because I don't want to add undue stress on my day-to-day life, but I also want to be aware of things that might be happening in my body. For  someone who is used to being healthy and never before had to suffer anything serious like this, for someone with a high pain tolerance and a desire to not make unnecessary waves, I will rely fully on God giving me a nudge to check things out, as He did  when He wouldn't let me forget about the mammogram I needed to schedule which started this cancer journey. I'll need to develop a good balance between trusting God to guide my step and being aware of things that don't feel right. It'll be a good journey of walking closer to God because I am trusting in Him and His wisdom and not my own. A good place to be.

Now off to get some rest before we are up and headed out the door in traffic for my shot tomorrow.