I’m Done!
Yahoo! I’m done! Yesterday I had my port removed. I’m a bit sore and tired but give me a few
days and I think it is going to feel great to have that out!
I’ll post a picture of the actual port at the
end of the blog, so if you’re squeamish, don’t scroll all the way down. I think it is actually pretty amazing to
see. You can see the three dots that you
could see through my skin. They would
poke the needle right into the middle of the part with the three dots and then
drip the chemo drugs right into the line.
The line (tube) ran into my artery by my heart. So, the chemo would immediately pump through
my whole body. Pretty amazing! I’m glad
I had it, but I’m even more glad to be done with it!
They gave me a choice of being put out or just having the
site numbed when I had the port removed.
I opted for less anesthesia and just had the site numbed. So, it was a bit weird as I could feel
pressure as it was being removed, but then I didn’t have to deal with the
loopiness, nausea, etc. that comes along with anesthesia. Today I just feel worn out and the actual
incision site is sore and kind of stings, but its not too bad.
The last month has been a bit of a blur. I went to Norway and Denmark, came home, went
through chemo round 6, got sick, ended up spending 5 days in the hospital, got
out, and then went through the port removal.
I’m sooooooo excited to start trying to get back to normal.
Even though I’m all done with chemo, it can take months for
my blood counts to return to normal.
Additionally, I have to stay on meds for a least another month to keep
me from getting infections, protect my organs, etc. And, they keep telling me that I need to take
it easy and not push it as I start feeling better. The time between finishing chemo and feeling
back to normal can still be months.
Dangit! I want to go run ten
miles, but in reality, I have to start from ground 0. I haven’t run in 6 months. I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me….but I’m
excited for it!
Round 6 was kind of rough!
I thought I would go in, be done and start getting better. Instead, I kept feeling worse and worse. By Sunday, Troy took my temperature and I was
at 105.1! Scary!
He called the oncologist on call and he kind
of freaked out and told Troy to get me in to the nearest hospital ASAP. We headed straight to U Med ER because I was
pretty sure I’d be checked in and I DID NOT want to go to Davis hospital. I’ve never had this happen, but we got to the
ER and they took me straight back! Like I
was patient numero uno! We went past the
people who were bleeding, etc. and they didn’t even take my information. They just immediately took me back and then hooked
me up to an IV.
Then, I was checked in
to Huntsman Cancer Hospital and stayed there from Sunday until Thursday! Why?
Well I was just finished with chemo and it was doing its job wiping out
my white blood cells and therefore, my immunity. At the same time, I had some unknown
infection and no way of fighting it on my own.
So, they put me in the immune-suppressed area of the hospital and hooked
me up to IV antibiotics. I had to be on
them until my fever was gone for a straight 24 hours. Then I had to wait until my counts started going
up instead of down. Then, I had to be
taken off all IV fluids and able to function fine for 24 hours. It seemed like forever, but at the same time,
I was in the area of the hospital where there are REALLY SICK people.
I truly was never worried about being able to
go home; it was just a matter of when. But,
many of those patients and their families are just praying that they will get
to go home. So, through it all, I still
feel very blessed and lucky!
I fell very thankful too that the chemo worked. At the moment, there are no signs of
cancer. Unfortunately, the chemo just
killed it all, but they don’t know how to stop the rogue cells from forming, so
at some point, it will come back. But,
we are hoping that is years and years.
Also, strides are being made all of the time in cancer research. With more time and more money, hopefully
researchers will figure out better treatment options, or even better…a
CURE! So, for the time being, we just
keep on living and taking advantage of every day! It really is a blessing to feel good and I’m
grateful for that clarity.
I also feel very blessed and grateful that a few years ago we
made the decision for me to stop working from home and go back to work for a
large organization full-time. We are
double insured and so that has meant we have been able to financially manage
this. If we weren’t I seriously think
that the past six months would have financially devastating. Instead, we’ve been able to survive and I’ve
also worked for the greatest people who have allowed me to keep working. I’ve had TA’s and other professors who have
helped with my classes when I couldn’t be there. I’m very appreciative.
Troy and the kids have also been amazing! They’ve done so much!!
The things that I’ve learned or that have been hard for me
are:
11)
I can’t always do everything.
22)
I have to be patient and be OK with losing
fitness, having my house a mess, letting people take over for me.
33)
Receiving service/charity is MUCH harder than
giving it.
44)
Even cancer can be a blessing.
55)
Every single day is a gift and there is no reason
to spend any day unhappy or not focused on what is most important.
My life the past 6 months has been crazy. I’ve been out of my routine, I’ve been crazy
sick, and I’ve been losing weeks of my life to chemo and then playing catch-up….just
in time to start the whole process all over again! One thing I’m sad about is I haven’t
done/given proper thank you’s to everyone who has done nice things for us. We’ve had dinners, rides for my kids,
babysitting, treats dropped off, gifts, cards, messages, and many many
prayers. Thank you, thank you! I’m not even sure in some cases who came past
or did things. So, please know that even
though you didn’t get a proper thank you, I so very much appreciate all the
kindness shown to my family and me and I promise to try my hardest to pay it
forward.
As for today, I’m on the couch with no desire to do
anything. But, I expect that after a
couple of days recovering, I’ll be back in the swing of things and am excited
to start biking, swimming, and running more regularly as my body allows. Watch out world! Here I come!
P.S. Port Picture:
Rock on….Alayna
