chemo has come to an end

Wish I could say that my last treatment was a piece of cake and all went better than expected, BUT not really. The doctors office couldn't get the chemo medicine so I had to go over to the hospital for my treatment. Two of the nurses from the doctors office walked me down to the AMU at the hospital and explained the trouble I had with the pre-meds the last time that my treatment was done there, and I reminded the nurse again when she started dispensing them. First three pre-meds went fine but the last one (which was supposed to be the one that couldn't possibly cause any reactions!!) burned me up yet again. So far it doesn't seem to have burned my tongue like it did last time ~ fingers crossed! On a positive note, at least we now know the exact drug that caused the reaction so I can be certain to avoid any future problems. During my treatment I slept quite a bit, which I usually never do. When my treatment was finished my post blood pressure reading was low, which it never is, and I was clammy, weak, and my pupils were constricted. Nurse didn't seem to be worried so I headed home. Symptoms stayed the same for about 30-45 minutes and then I slowly got back to normal. All I can say is... Thank goodness I don't have to do that again!!

Praise report: We have been keeping an eye on my hemoglobin so that when it got too low I could get the red blood cell booster shot. Two weeks ago it was 10.3, one week ago 10.1, so we thought that yesterday it would be low enough to go ahead and get the shot. Now something to remind you, is that I really didn't want this shot! It is quite painful, and even though the benefits far outweigh the side effects I was really praying that my counts would come back up on there own so this shot could be avoided. When my blood work came back yesterday my hemoglobin was 11.2!! Still a little lower than normal but way up from the last few weeks! God does hear and answer our prayers! No RBC booster shot for me!

Speaking of shots I still have to go today and get my WBC (white blood cell) booster shot, but today is the last one!!

There are several reasons why I started this blog but two are most important. 1. To be able to keep everyone updated with my journey, and 2. To give someone who may have to follow in my footsteps something that they could read that may inspire them, inform them, and show them that they are not alone. What I realized is that as forth coming with information as I am, there is one thing that I have talked about but not really shown...
I'm about to show you what only a few select people up to this point have seen...

                                                my bald head!!

I'm actually kind of proud of it! It is a symbol to me that the inside is what matters and that our outward appearance doesn't make us who we are! BALD IS BEAUTIFUL! Thank you Aunt Sheila for taking the pictures for me!!

I have less then three weeks before surgery, and I'm a little nervous. You would think that after having a hysterectomy in 2008, and three surgeries related to the breast cancer already this year, that it would be a walk in the park by now... not so much! Please keep me in your prayers!