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.