Pretty good day for Monday, expecially after a 4 day weekend. I was a bit tired today but got thru the day and didn't even take a nap when I got home. We watched a movie and then ate dinner. Just hung out. Two days into the new medicine and feeling ok so far. Still healiing and hoping it will clear up soon. Counting down the days to our vacation. Looking forward to it. Right now feeling pretty good and getting some strength back. Need to start walking again. Just hoping to get thru the week. December here we come.

Another great day. Sorry that the time off has to come to an end. We slept in, then we went to St. Francis Wildlife, which is a non-profit agency to help injured wildlife. My son is considering doing something for them as his Eagle project. We had to negate the animal shelter idea as it was getting too involved and complicated. It looks like he may be making some cages for some of the animals. Then I dropped him off at the park to help some of the scouts with orienteering. I took a nap in between watching the Dolphin game. Both my teams lost this weekend. When my son came home, he started dinner. What a great kid. He cooked a couple mini hamburgers and a few small steaks we had. I made some asparagus (for me). We watched some football and a movie on tv. I started my new medication today and so far, no problems. I know it is only the first day. I was telling Nick that there may be times I get hot flashes and mood swings, which I explained what those were - he thought that was cool. I told him one minute I could be cold, then next sweating. And one minute I could be laughing, the next crying. I told him when that happens, he better say - mom I am going to my room. I hope I don't have to deal with too much. But - it is what it is and I guess I will just have to deal with whatever. The area of healing on my chest has really gone down quite a bit. Glad to see it is healing, I just wish it was quicker. I guess when I look back at it I will say, gee that wasn't very long. Ha. Anyway, the work week starts tomorrow. Only 23 more days till we leave for Utah so I hope the next 3 weeks come and go quickly. I am so thankful for my son and am very proud on how he has matured. I'll take credit for that.

Great day, with one major exception. The Gators beat the Noles. I knew it would be tough but I thought it would at least be a fight. Not even close. Other than that, we slept in, got up around 11 or so. My son made me breakfast, scrambled eggs. Hung out watching tv until close to game time, then went to my brother's. Came home and my son helped make dinner. He made the chicken and I made the rice. He is turning into quite the cook and a big helper. And I didn't even have to ask. We watched G.I. Joe tonight. Had a good evening. My chest is getting quite a bit better. It is really just the very center area where my incision is. I am really hoping it clears up completely in the next few weeks. Only 3 weeks left of work, then vacation.

Happy Friday. It was nice having the day off. My black friday started at 9:00am. Well I was awake at 2 and then 6 when my son woke up and I let the dog out. He wanted to go shopping but we both fell back asleep. Didn't get up and going until 9. We went to the shoe store where he found a pair of shoes the other day, then stopped and had a bagel for breakfast. Off to one of the malls to return a pair of shoes I got the other day and to look for another pair. Got things accomplished with little aggrivation however some people are just rude. They walk in front of you with saying excuse me, they are just rude. No manners. We made tacos and cookies and watched Transformers. Had a good day and evening. I did take a little nap today which was nice. It was a really nice day spent with my son.

Happy Thanksgiving. I have a lot to be thankful for. My son, family, friends, health, employment, our service men and women; I could go on but I think it would take up most of my blog. It was a great day. Got up to make sure my son was up and ready to go run this morning. Went back to bed until 11. Started on the stuffing. My son came home and made brownies. We went to my sister-in-law's family for lunch. Had a great meal and shared time with family. I really needed a nap but when we got home we watched tv and just relaxed. We snacked a little for dinner. I was feeling pretty good and not really hurting. Things are still healing. I am hoping it will be much better over the next 3 weeks when we leave for Utah. My son wants to go out shopping early tomorrow morning, but I am not sure I am up to the crowds and people fighting over things. I guess we'll see if I can make it up in the morning. I am usually up with the dog anyway. I hope everyone had a nice thanksgiving with family and friends. There is a lot to be thankful for.

Wow. This is my 200th post. I can't believe it. I am amazed that I have had that much to talk about. (no comments from my brothers.) Today was a long day at work. Most of us thought we would get off early - will that didn't happen. I was tired most of the day and have been ready to go to bed for the past hour. Problem is, I was talking with a friend of mine and next think you know it's almost 11. Time for bed. We went to the shoe store shortly after I got home then got some pizza. Nick went to bed shortly after we got home. He has to be up early tomorrow to do the Turkey Trot. It is a 1 mile walk, 5k, 10k or 15k run to benefit local charities. My brother and most of my sister in law's family is going. I don't think I am ready to take that on yet. Maybe next year. Anyway, I get to sleep in and then I will need to make some stuffing for Turkey dinner tomorrow. I hope everyone has a great turkey day and makes new memories with family and friends. I am very thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful for my job, my doctors and having the strength to share the holiday spirit. On a side note, my thoughts go to my mom today. Today, 11/25, Wed before thanksgiving, 17 years ago, we had to say good-bye to our mom. I really miss her. I know she watches over us and I feel at times that I have turned into mom, but for the most part, that is not such a bad thing. Love you mom.

A Tuesday that feels like a Thursday. Two reasons. 1) Tomorrow is like a Friday at work since I am off Thursday and Friday. 2) I have been really tired today since driving to work to the time I got home. Thursday is typically the day I start to get tired. I had to take a short rest before going to a meeting tonight. The meeting lasted way to long. If I had not already said I was going I would have stayed home and slept. I had some business to tend to when I got home (after 9:00), which is why I am still up now. With any luck we may be able to go home early tomorrow. My chest was hurting a little bit today. Although I think it is getting better. I guess I can sleep in a little bit tomorrow since I don't have to get Nick to school. It's way past bedtime so off I go.

Happy Monday. Not too bad of a day for Monday. Not a bad day at work. Other than our system was down this afternoon, so we had to find something else to do this afternoon. I didn't seem to be as tired today, no nap when I got home. Seem to be doing ok right now and chest is feeling good. Glad only 2 days left in the work week. It's been a relatively quite evening.

No surprise for a Sunday. Slept in. Went and got a bagel, dropped Nick off to help a fellow scout with an Eagle project, back home and tried to keep busy so I wouldn't go to sleep. That lasted until about 2:00. Football was boring so of course I fell asleep. Only for about an hour though. Nick came home around 3 or so. Went to a friend's house to drop off some scout popcorn and visited a bit. Been watching the AMA's. Great entertainment. But I really hate when big stars lip sing at award shows. Come on people - show that you can really sing. Felt pretty good today. Not too tired and chest is looking better. It doesn't hurt as much and not as much moisture. I'm looking forward to a 3 day work week. Counting down the days to vacation. It's almost time for a haircut, well actually a shaping. Trying to let it go as long as I can before I leave.

What a wasted day. I had to get up early to get Nick to school to work the FSU game. Came home and tried to stay up. After about 30 minutes I decided I needed to just go back to bed. So at 9:30 I went back to bed - did not get up until 1:30. Yes, 1:30. I didn't think the FSU game was on but when I got up, I found it. So I at least got to watch the last 1/2 of the game. Good game it was. Noles won in the last few minutes of the game. That makes us Bowl eligible for the 36th consecutive year. Go Noles. So I picked up Nick, we went to eat, went shopping a little then back home. I felt pretty good most of the day. I guess you can't feel bad when you have slept most of the day. My chest looks a little better today. Each day it should get better and better. The swelling has gone down a lot and the redness area is minimal. Still have to wear gauze but not as much. There is hope that by the end of the month the soreness and red areas will be almost gone. I hope tomorrow I can be a little more productive than today.

Yay, it's Friday. 2 days of nothing but rest. Today was ok. Didn't get much sleep so I was a little tired this morning. Long day at work, but not too bad. Had lunch with my friend from work, then we had November birthday celebration. After work, fell asleep on the couch, AGAIN. My body still gets tired and needs it's rest. I can see a little change in my chest, that the sore area is shrinking a little. I guess it is slowly healing and possibly by next week it will be soooo much better. I am sure eventually it will get back to normal. Well, post surgery normal. Anyway, hoping to have a restful weekend.

It was a very long day. I got up okay but by 10:00 I was ready to fall asleep at my desk. I had to snap myself out of it a few times. I felt okay other than that. I had lunch today with 2 of my girlfriends. It was nice to visit but it was too short. Was a slow afternoon as I was still trying to fight the zzzzz's. Finally left at 5 and tried not to take a nap when I got home. I relaxed a little but I was trying to fight the desire to close my eyes so I wouldn't be up late tonight or at least when I finally went to bed I would be tired and could fall asleep easily. I hope I am not coming down with a cold or something as I am feeling a little something coming on. Sneezing, not quite a sore throat but an odd feeling. Hoping I can just talk myself out of it because I really don't want to have to deal with that. Anyway, chest did okay today. It is still a little uncomfortable but not anything like my underarm was. I'm just taking it day by day. Glad tomorrow is Friday and hope I can make it thru the day.

So the experiment last night at bedtime - don't laugh as it was suggested by my radiologist. I put medicine on my chest, then my gauze dressing, and then - saran wrap. Yep, I thought it was weird too. The doctor suggested it weeks ago and I thought he was crazy. So as I thought about it last night, as I had thought mini pads would work, why not try it. The plastic would keep the wetness away from my clothes. So when I woke up this morning, my shirt was soaking wet. Saran wrap - not a good solution. I really have to find something large enough to cover the whole area and be able to tape it to other areas. The tape is starting to irritate my skin even though it is skin sensitive paper tape. I wish it would just heal already so I don't have to come up with creative ways to cover my sore spots. Aside from all that, I was feeling pretty good today. I did take a nap when I got home today. I don't think it was my intention. I layed on the couch and fell asleep for about an hour. Glad there is only 2 more days in the work week.

I will have to say that my bright idea of using mini pads as gauze dressing - not such a bright idea. It seemed like the perfect solution but it didn't work quite as well as I thought it would. Back to the usual stuff. I wish it would just heal already. Been feeling ok and not quite as tired. We'll see how things go on Friday - since that is my usual exhaustion day. Since there is no treatments this week I wonder if I will be tired by the end of the week. I got my appointment for my port removal - December 11th. Wish I didn't have to wait so long but surgeon only does them on Friday. She is off this week, next week is Thanksgiving and she is in surgery the following Friday so I have to wait 3 weeks. At least it will be done before I go on vacation. So now I have to figure out how to recover my finances from all the medical bills. From surgeries, to medication, to chemo treatments. I've had some help but you just can't cover everything. I think our trip to Utah is our Christmas this year. Which is fine with me. I certainly don't need anything. Besides, my brother told me I wasn't allowed to buy anything else for the house unless I get rid of a lot more stuff. It's the simple pleasures in life that are important and the memories you make that are special. Each day becomes an opportunity for a new memory. Take advantage of each opportunity.

Different for a Monday - I seemed to have felt fine today. I had to get up early so I could make some Monkey Bread for a breakfast we were having at work today. One of the girls got married a couple of weeks ago so we had a breakfast shower for her. I didn't seem to have any trouble today, other than I was getting a little bored and wanted something else to do. I was actually able to take a full our lunch in the lunch room and read some of my book. It was different for a Monday not to leave at 1:00 for the day. I called the surgeon's office today to schedule a time to get my port out. Surgeon is out this week and with next week being Thanksgiving, looks like I'll have to wait 2 weeks. By the time I got home I was a little tired so I took a rest, never really falling asleep, just rested. I wish my chest would heal so I can stop having to wear gauze pads. Hey, I just had an idea - I wonder if a mini pad would work. Shouldn't stick to the wound and shouldn't leak. LOL. It would save me money from buying gauze. Since my chemo, one of the side effects (I consider a perk) is it could effect my monthly cycle so I haven't had to worry about it for quite a while. (ok, for some that might be TMI) but I have a bunch of them so why not try it. I guess I couldn't really put the stickie part on the top, it would stick to my clothes. Duh. Ok, well I will update you on that matter. Hoping to get a good night sleep and feel good in the morning.

I think I figured it out. Why I haven't been feeling well. It all makes sense. I go thru 6 months of chemo, surgery and radiation and feel great, most of the time. I have no problems for the most part with the majority of my treatment and surgery. And then I finish. That's when I start to feel like crap. Still not feeling up to par again today. Hung out once again on the couch, waiting to hear from Nick that he is home from camping. Had just a little bit to eat today. When I picked Nick up we went to get some dinner. I didn't eat very much and didn't feel very good. All I had was soup and salad but couldn't eat much salad. I am hoping it is just an adjustment to all the chemicals I have had going thru my body and all the radiation buring my insides. Maybe I am going thru some kind of withdrawal or something. My chest is slowly healing but it is healing. I hope the next week or so I will be energized and ready for December. It's time for me to get back on my diet - or healthy eating, so I can lose some of the weight I have gained. The doctor told me I had to feed my body and with the steroids I was taking it was contributing to my eating. I am hoping I can easily get back to where I was before all this started. I guess the stress had something to do with it too. I certainly don't want to wait for my reconstruction surgery to have to get help losing the fat, although the more fat, I guess the bigger boobs I can get. LOL. Just kidding. Well, hoping to get a good night sleep and feel better tomorrow. I'd hate to start calling in sick now, when I have made it thru all this just fine.

Unusual day today. I wasn't feeling very well and have been tired all day. I saw a little bit of football (Noles won), but have been sleeping a good part of the day. Managed to go to the store and get me some shrimp and fruit. Felt a little dizzy at the store. Came home and had some orange juice and some water. Shrimp turned out good. Had some cherries and made some mini chocolate chip cookies. Feel like a headache coming on so i'm headed to bed. Not sure what it is, just feel a little weird today.

What a long day. A usual Friday. Tired by 10, ready to take a nap by noon and hard to stay awake much past 2. Finally made it to 5 and it was a good thing I had dinner plans otherwise I would have come home and fallen asleep for a couple hours. I met my friend Rebecca at Carrabba's for dinner. It was nice to get out for grown up time. I even treated myself to a Margarita. Rebecca brought me a cute blue tall vase that said "Life is good" on it. Very cute - Thanks Rebecca. Nick is camping in Georgia in the cold as I get a weekend to myself to take care of me. My skin is doing ok - not healing quick enough for me. It makes a mess of my clothes. I think I have been thru a case of gauze and paper tape by now. Football and naps this weekend. Doesn't get much better than that.

I can't believe it. Today was a first. I knew it would eventually happen I just didn't think it would happen this soon. BAD HAIR DAY!!! UGH. I can't do a thing with it. It is definately growing quick and curly. Still not long enough to style so to speak. Not quite sure what to do with it. Got up this morning feeling good and ready to start the day. Decent day at work with minimal issues. A little tired near the end of the day but managed to get over it. Ran errands with my son when I got home and then we watched a couple of our shows. He had to finish packing his stuff for camping this weekend - headed to Georgia. A little sore from the radiation. It is starting to look a little like my underarm did but not near the pain. It sure doesn't look very good but I am sure in a short time it will be back to the way it was. Other than that I seem to be doing well. It was nice having a day off during the week. Friday is here tomorrow and ready for the weekend.

The day after. Up late again. I woke up this morning a few times - can't seem to sleep in fully without being woken up a few times. Of course there is the dog, and forgotten alarms. Can't I just get a full 8 hours with no interuptions. I don't think that day will ever come and I can't say I can remember when I last had a full 8 hours. Usually 6-7 is enough for me. Then again there are naps, which is good. Ok, so I woke up this morning, for the last time, and felt like I was missing something. No, not the obvious. I did not have anymore bands on my wrists. It was a pleasant change. As I was in the shower I was thinking I had to opportunity to wear a bracelet today. Then I thought, nope, it is the first day without anything on my wrists, I want to enjoy each minute of it for awhile. Plenty of time for bracelets. Nick and I actually hung around at home most of the morning. He was supposed to march in the Veteran's Day parade with ROTC but due to weather it got cancelled. Turned out that it could have gone on anyway. Sad to say we did not get to honor the Vets with the annual parade. However, I would like to say thank you to all the service men and women who have served and who currently serve our country. So, my son has been begging me for the past 2 weeks to take him to the Japanese restaurant but I have told him no, mostly due to cost and there was no special occasion to go. So this afternoon we were out and about doing a few errands and he gave me the option of 4 places to go eat. They were all in different parts of town. The closest was my usual favorite (Sonny's). One of them was the Japanese place. Funny how he gave me the choices but he ended up making the decision much to my instance of a No. Problem was, he was driving and I ended up giving in since it was kind of a celebration. So we went to the Japanese place and actually had a fun time. In my indirect kind of way - I let him feel like he gets his way. I feel great today and only have good things to look forward to. I am truely blessed with all the prayers, love and support thru all of this. Thank you so much for everyone who has in someway been a part of it all.

CELEBRATION!!!! Post 185 - and LAST CHEMO TODAY. Wow, it is finally here. Hard to believe that 6 months has gone by. Six months ago - almost to the day I found out I had breast cancer. What a blow. What do I do now. Doctor appointment after doctor appointment, trying to understand all that was going on and all that was ahead of me - how confusing and decision after decision. It was all so overwhelming. Looking at 6 months of crap ahead of me. Too much to think about and how will I ever make it thru. People advised me to just take one thing at a time and not to look at the whole picture. I think that is probably the best advise I took. Tackle first things first. The rest will come when it's time. Looking back, it is hard to believe all that I have gone thru and all that I have conquered. The day went pretty well, other than slow this morning as I waited with anticipation of going to my treatment. I was delivered another beautiful vase of flowers from my friend Gail, her husband and son, Kevin. How thoughtful. I left at 1:00 so I could stop by the radiologist. I really like him. Very nice, funny guy. He said things are healing and look fine. He asked me about the antibiotic, which I finished this morning. He said since the chemo slows healing, it will take another week or two for things to really start getting better. He also said that it was a good choice for me to do them both together rather than waiting to do radiation last. I said to him - so I could have avoided all this buring if I had waited to do it after chemo? He smiled and said possibly, but I get a better reaction doing it this way which really lowers my risk of re-occurance, to what studies show, less than 10%. He also made a side comment, not sure how to take it, and said he would like to open a Valerie Gould cancer center. When I asked him why he just kind of blew it off. I'll take it as a positive comment. He asked if I had an appt already set up and I told him the end of December. He said he was thinking of taking the last week off, as well as the week before (my appt is the day after we get home from Utah) and he said, let's just make it the next week. Which works out good for me because I have to pick up the dog the day after we get home anyway. However, if anything comes up before then I just need to call him. So it must be good enough news that he can push me to Jan to see me again. Ok, so off to chemo. And I had to wait a bit for the doctor, but it was all good as it was going to be the last time for a while. Doctor came in and she checked things out. Things look good but heart rate was up a little (they had said that at the other doctor earlier too). She said it just be from the steroids, as they really aren't good for you. She had lowered them earlier on when I did not have any reaction to the drugs. Hopefully the heart rate will go down now that I am done. She looked at me and said she had good feelings about me. I told her thanks and started to tear up. She gave me a big hug and she said that I had really done very well. A lot of people are winers, some just have a hard time, but I came in and was positive about things and just took on what needed to be done. I told her I really didn't have much choice. She said true, but the way I have handled things has made a big difference. She gave me my prescription for Tamoxifin, which is the drug I have to take daily for the next 5 years minimum, possibly 7 to prevent possibly future growth of cancer cells. Downside - it will possibly give me hot flashes. No way to really prevent it. I am to start after Thanksgiving. So on to the chemo room. Wouldn't you know it, after just a few short minutes and moving around - my port worked. And it didn't hurt much at all when I got stuck. Soo off we go for the start of the last treatment. My sister-in-law came to share in the final hoo-rah. There was a black gentleman, probably not quite middle age, maybe my age or even a little younger who was having a bit of a time with his treatment. I felt really bad for him. I one point he got up to use the restroom, walking quite weak, and you could hear him in the bathroom getting sick - several times. All I could think of was how blessed I was to have endured what I have without having to deal with that. When he came back in you could see what a hard time he was having even just getting back to his chair. Poor thing. I finished my treatment, got a cute certificate indicating I was a star and headed home. It was a bit after 5. My son started taking of my bands one by one. A total of 19. Wow. Then we started to try to see how we could put them together and lay them out to make a ribbon. We'll work on it. My eyes were getting heavy so he watched tv while I layed on the couch. I did not wake up until 7:30. Whew, the day must have taken a lot out of me. We watched tv and somewhere around 9 realized we were hungry. Off to the store and got some chicken. What a big celebration for my last day. That's why I am posting so late. Oh, I forgot to mention - my office manager got me a gift - it was a plaque that said Miracles can happen to those who believe in them, along with a congratulations card. I have had so much love and support thru all of this which gives me the strength and courage to get past this. I got the ok from the oncologist to schedule an appt with the surgeon to remove my port. I don't have to see the oncologist again until 1/21 (after the chest x-ray/ct scan), I don't have to see the radiologist until 1/4, and I am scheduled to see the surgeon for my 3 month follow-up 12/15. So, I am on my way to healing and can just go about my daily business for a while. It has been a journey to say the least and a definate life changing event. I will still blog as I go thru the healing and keep everyone updated on my progress. I thank God for my many blessings, family and friends included. I love you guys.

Wow, less than 24 hours to go. Today started off pretty rough. My son wouldn't get up for school and by the time I yelled at him long enough to get up, we had about 10 minutes to get him there without being late. I got to work with 2 minutes to spare. Tomorrow he'll get water in the face or I'll pull him off the bed by his legs. We also had upgrades to the computers this past weekend so of course there were glitches in the system this morning. Took a little while to get us up and running. By then it was time for lunch. Afternoon went by slow and wind and rain started a little by the time 5:00 came. A hurricane is brewing in the gulf and we are expected to get quite a bit of rain tonight thru possibly Wednesday. As long as my treatment tomorrow does not get cancelled. It has been a long time coming and I would drive thru a hurricane to make sure I got it done. Kind of like a postal worker, neither wind or snow or rain can keep them away. LOL. I guess that's an old line because they use pretty much any excuse these days to get out of delivering mail. Anyway, I seem to be healing ok. Hope the doc thinks so tomorrow. I'm ready to for bed early tonight. I will most likely be exhausted tomorrow, but ready to celebrate. Hope everyone makes it thru the rain with little disturbance. Hey, isn't rain considered a disturbance?? haha

As you can see I am blogging early tonight. I am a bit tired and ready for bed, even though I have been resting most of the day. It doesn't take much for my eyes to close and me to dose off. My skin is starting to look better, except for the very center, which is were they were doing the last bit of radiation. I am sure that will start to heal in the next week or so. But the best news is that in less than 48 hours I will have completed my last chemo treatment. I can't wait. I know I have said that many times but it is quite exciting to be so close to the final treatment. Six months have come and gone (as will the next 6 I'm sure). I have my sights set on Thanksgiving and then Christmas vacation. I hope the next two days don't go by slow. I am sure with the anticipation of Tuesday, tomorrow will seem to take forever. Till then - have a good night.

Lazy Saturday. Slept in a little bit but had to take the dog to the vet. She is not very fond of going. Funny how she only goes there once a year but as soon as we get in the parking lot she starts shaking. She has put on a little bit of weight but she is not over weight. My son just needs to stop giving her so many extra treats. Came home and watched the usual football and dosed on the couch. Had to pick up Nick from school from the Jacksonville trip. We stopped and had lunch. Ended up going to my brother's to hang out and watch the FSU game. I've been a little tired and can fall asleep if I laay on the couch. My eyes just seem to close. I'm still keeping an eye on my chest for swelling. Just when you think it's healing I'm not so sure. Doc will check it Tues and let me know. I just wish it would dry up more. Not to be gross, but it gets gooey and mosit so I have to keep it covered with gauze. Otherwise my shirts get wet and it sticks to me. I am sure eventually it will get better but the in-between stages suck. At least it doesn't hurt as bad as it did before. Oh well, one more day of rest, which I plan to do and enjoy.

Another end to another week. Had a pretty good day but I was tired. Day started off with the boss bringing breakfast. The morning went by slow. I was ready for a nap by 10 or so (as usual lately). Made it to lunch, then the afternoon took forever. By 2 I was ready to fall asleep at my desk. The other attorney got us cookies treats this afternoon. 5:00 finally got here and I came home. I fell asleep on the couch for about an hour. Watched some tv and have been ready to go to bed for the past hour. My son is in Jacksonville watching the Blue Angels show so I have had a quiet night. My arm seems to be doing ok. I'm not sure if the swelling has gone down much but at least the underarm area is starting to heal and has stopped hurting so much. It's more pink than red. I'll stop by the doctor on Tuesday for him to check things and see how it's healing. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Happy Birthday to my brother. He is a young 50 year old today. Now I have 2 brothers that are 1/2 100 in age. And I am not too far behind. It was a good day today. A little longer than usual since I didn't have a radiation appt to go to. I went to lunch with some friends for a change. This morning I got a nice surprise at work I had flowers delivered to me from the shareholders congratulating me on the completion of my treatment. They were very pretty and I was very surprised. Made it thru the day - a little tired getting close to the end of the day. Went to share a birthday dinner with my brother. My son made him brownies, which were de-lish. I am looking forward to Friday and the weekend. As I sit here typing, I find it hard to believe that I am really done with all but one treatment. On Tuesday I think a big weight will be lifted off my shoulders and I will just colapse on the couch from exhaustion and emotion. Anyway, happy birthday bro - and thanks for being there for me and giving me the strength and support I've needed to tackle this. Love you.

Wow. Post number 179 and my last radiation treatment today. I never thought it would get here. I am so glad that is over with. Now it is on to healing. I felt a little better today and I am hoping that another day of antibiotics kicking in will help me feel a bit better. It will be really weird tomorrow at 1:00 not having to leave work to go to an appointment. Gosh, what will I do with a full lunch hour. Maybe read a book or make up time at work. I got a certificate today that is a Certificate of Completion of Radiation Treatment. What an accomplishment. And I am down to just one band on my right arm, 18 on the left. It is really amazing to see how far I have come. It doesn't seem so at the time, you never think you will get to the end and you think it will take forever. Things just become so routine with your schedule that you don't think about it until you are done. What a great day. Maybe I can get a good night sleep tonight knowing I don't have anymore daily treatments. Bring on the weekend.

What a day. Morning went fine. I had training this morning on MS Word, as we are going to be going to using Word instead of Word Perfect. I hate Word, but after training this morning, it at least makes a little more sense. Got back in time to head to treatment. There was no one there but I sure had to wait awhile. Had my second to last treatment then met with the doctor. He said I was healing however I was a little more red then last time and I am a bit swollen, which I knew. H thinks it may be the start of an infection but didn't think it got to that yet. He put me on an antibiotic for 7 days just in case. He wants me to stop by next week for him to take a look to see how it's doing. My regular follow up will be the end of Dec, but I will be going to see him weekly for a few weeks just to keep on top of things. I would hate to think that after all this time and no side effects for all I have been thru, that I would have a problem now. Back at work for a regular day. Had a scout meeting tonight that ran a little long. Other than that -doing ok. I am really hoping that in the next day or so I will be feeling much better and I will be able to notice some healing and changes from the effects of radiation. I really hope this is the worst of things.

Well, let's see. Today we were both running late. First I couldn't get Nick to wake up, and then I had to quickly get a shower and ready for work. He was about 15 minutes late for school and me 10 minutes late for work. Great start for a Monday. I didn't sleep great. Hard time getting comfortable. Tried to catch up on as much work as I could. Left for treatment (thank goodness they didn't call to cancel). Told the tech I expected to finish on Wednesday since it was my last 2 to do. I got in and got out. It was a bit hard today trying to put my arm over my head because the skin has started to get a little tight and it hurt a bit. I got thru it. My arm had not been hurting as much today and I was able to deal with it most of the day. Parts of the entire area itches so it gets a little annoying. My neck is clearing up and starting to fade a bit. Ok, so off to chemo. The waiting room was busy but it was empty in the treatment room. Must have been a day for doctor visits. Well, it really hurt today getting the needle in my port. I think from the effects of radiation, even with the numbing cream I put on. And on top of that - of course we couldn't get the port to work after 15 minutes, so back to the arm. At least there is only left. The rest of things went fine and I was in and out without a problem. Came home and was not as tired as usual but I did just chill and not do too much. And as I get ready for bed, my dog and one of the cats are curled up together in my legs on the couch. They are such great leg warmers. Let's hope for a good night sleep and a quick Tuesday.

It's hard to believe that it is the 1st of November. I feel like I am still back in April at the start of all this. I never thought I would get this far, this quick. Well, I should say what seems like quick. Although to be honest, it didn't feel quick at each phase. To think that after tomorrow I will only have one more chemo treatment and 2 more radiation treatments. If they call to cancel another radiation treatment I will have to protest. I don't want to delay it any more. Get them done and let me move on. Wonder if they'll listen. I got to believe that I had an extra hour of sleep this morning, however dogs don't know anything about what time is on the clock. They just know they have to go out. So once I'm up it's hard to go back to bed and get comfortable - so off to the couch. Had to pick up my son then came home. Tried to take a nap but we had a party to go to. My sister-in-law's mom turns 70 tomorrow so they had quite a big party. Got tired and sore after awhile so had to come home. Other than that, it was a great celebration for a wonderful lady. Happy Birthday Sharon. I hope that next weekend will be a bit more enjoyable and I can find comfort this week with healing. I hope that in 9 days the bands will be gone and I won't have to deal with them again.