Chemo #12 Last Taxol Infusion!!

Today Rachel took me for my last infusion of Taxol.  I was really excited. Everything went really smoothly.  This marks the end of phase 1 of the Chemotherapy part of treatment. This phase was 12 weeks. Phase 11 will start Aug 5th and last 8 weeks, so I'm "halfway through chemo technically"  but timewise I am a little more than halfway.  10 weeks to September 16th which is my very very last chemotherapy.  Yeah!!!!




Me, John and Rachel at the infusion center CHH, OHSU



I have to say I had a really symbolic moment when I was sitting in my infusion chair with MY LAST dose beginning, and the patient in the chair next to me came in and they started HER FIRST dose of Taxol. I looked over at her with a compassion that only experience can detail.  I had a lot of advise for her, and it felt good to be able to help in ways I knew only I could.  She was all ears..............how well I remember.  I wish her well.

The nurses (and they are different nurses every week) were clear about the fact that they believe my second round is going to be a lot harder. I kept thinking I wish they'd quit telling me that.  On the other hand.............I really appreciate the honesty.  We will just have to see how it goes.  Right now I'm focused on 2 weeks off of Chemo with time to recover physically, mentally, and spiritually.  I'm excited to get the results on Thursday from the tests I'm going to have on Monday.

Deirdre was really clear today on how positive it is to show shrinkage, because then we KNOW the chemo is working, not just on the tumor, but on the cancer cells that are roaming around my body just wanting to metastasize............but we won't let them!!  When surgery is performed first, they don't have that advantage, and they just have to wait and see. So, for me, the neoadjuvant therapy (having chemo first) was mandated because of the aggressiveness of my cancer, which of course is not good, but it is wonderful to KNOW that is it working.

 As I've been told in this medical analogy "if you have a mild pneumonia but you throw the wrong antibiotic at it.......you can end with disastrous results, if you have a fulminating near death pneumonia and then you throw the right antibiotic at it you can have a complete cure with return to normal health".  This I'm told is the same with my cancer, though it is aggressive with the HER2 positive oncogene, and of course the Estrogen positive receptor, with the right treatment (which they believe I'm receiving) I can have a complete cure.  So, though the road is long and sometimes tough, I can not complain.  I am grateful.

Rachel and I went to Gustav's to celebrate afterwards.  Here are a couple pictures:



Not bad looking eh?

Well, my thoughts now turn to the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is true! It is a song of joy, a blessing of hope and joy, despite pitfalls we know that all will be well.  Joy and laughter come with the Holy Spirit. I think of the Lillie's of the field, and take not thought for material things.........the Lord knows my needs.  Keeping my eyes on the spiritual  will help me to be  blessed with what I need now in this life, and with what I  most dearly prize.........eternal life with my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and my family.

 The greatest wisdom truly comes with experience, and a lot of that experience comes from bad as well as good decisions, and hard as well as joyous times.  I'm staying focused on the one and only thing I have learned I can ALWAYS depend on and that is Jesus Christ. I may not be able to see and understand clearly what and why things are happening, and where they are heading, but I can feel His presence near me always.  I'll close with one of my favorite scriptures........think about it:

John 3:8
"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,  but canst not tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the spirit."