Today was my last chemotherapy session - it was number 8. Well, it was number 14 if you count the original treatment too. At Northwest Cancer Specialist they have a new tradition - after your last treatment you announce your success to everyone there by ringing a handheld bell 3 glorious times. I got started late on my 5 hour treatment, so most patients had already returned home. But the ones that were there and all the wonderful treatment nurses applauded loudly, with whistles and hoots and hollers - and I felt strangely proud this time. There was a focus on a completion, instead of an obsession about whether I would have to return again for yet another series of treatments.
It was a bit of a bummer that I didn't get to spend the moment with Jessica, my chemo nurse this round of chemotherapy: she had been sent to another center to fill in for the day. Jess has done a wonderful job at saying just the right thing to help keep my spirits up - as well as administering the chemotherapy. But I rounded the corner and found Amy, my chemo nurse from the first round, who had moved to Arizona. She has returned and taken different position at this center and I selfishly forwent the explanation of why. I immediately hugged her - and she said her blessings and prayers over me while hugging me back. Amy was there in the beginning for me and I have developed a huge emotional bond with her. I don't know how to explain what these nurses do and I hope you never have to find out: but I want you to know that they are heroes in every sense of the word.
So now I am back to the neurotic roller coaster phase of watching - with my new "base scan" being scheduled for sometime in the next month and another appointment with my oncologist in exactly 4 weeks to review the results. I hate this part - I hate most of the parts concerning this journey. But there are some great parts. The people that you meet, the friendships you forge because you both have a unique sense of understanding and the professionals that restore your faith in the humanity of mankind; these are just a few. There is a silver lining, sometimes you just have to set aside the chaos of your own emotions to find it - though I struggle to keep that thought in the forefront of my mind.
Showing posts with label Successes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Successes. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
a sister's wedding
I am in Astoria, Oregon and very excitedly getting ready for my sisters wedding tomorrow. Now getting ready for a wedding is a both joyous and stressful in the final count down - but being in treatment for cancer adds its own "layer" to the event.
Take for instance the simple task of putting on make up for the blessed occasion. A little tweezing to perfect the brow, a little mascara to lengthen the appearance of the eyelashes, a bit of eyeliner and shadow to emphasis the rest of the eye area are all everyday occurrences for the majority of the western female population. But alas, when our friend Taxol (a drug in my chemo cocktail) is involved, I am required to divorce myself from the western female population and become more akin to a drag show artist. The absence of the brow makes tweezing a bad word - I mean really, leave the 6 hairs on the right brow and 13 on the left brow alone. Hell, I even thought about buying super glue and chasing down the neighborhood long haired rocker kid with a pair of scissors. Oh come on, he would never miss a snipe or two. Then there are the eyelashes - or more precisely, there are NO eyelashes. OK, I may have exaggerated - I have 7 eyelashes sporadically dispersed between the upper and lower area of BOTH eyes. I defy Covergirl to lengthen and thicken that!
So I thought, I have an "ever-so-not-lucrative" art degree, maybe I will artistically apply shadows and liners to give the appearance of lashes and brows. Who really looks that closely anyway? Brushes and shadows in hand, I spend an entire afternoon practicing to get that perfect look - almost. The next morning was not pretty. Eyes puffy and weeping from the simple ingredients that one once so easily applied, I began to rethink my strategy.
All in all it came out OK - fake eyelashes (trimmed to remove the drag queen element), a steady hand with a sharp brow pencil and my wonderful wig stylist brought together a look that no one could tell was not natural. I got my dream to blend in and look normal and my sister was a beautiful bride who more than stood out and looked fabulous. I am very proud of my sister and congratulate Katie and Brian on a wise choice and the most beautiful wedding I have been to.
Take for instance the simple task of putting on make up for the blessed occasion. A little tweezing to perfect the brow, a little mascara to lengthen the appearance of the eyelashes, a bit of eyeliner and shadow to emphasis the rest of the eye area are all everyday occurrences for the majority of the western female population. But alas, when our friend Taxol (a drug in my chemo cocktail) is involved, I am required to divorce myself from the western female population and become more akin to a drag show artist. The absence of the brow makes tweezing a bad word - I mean really, leave the 6 hairs on the right brow and 13 on the left brow alone. Hell, I even thought about buying super glue and chasing down the neighborhood long haired rocker kid with a pair of scissors. Oh come on, he would never miss a snipe or two. Then there are the eyelashes - or more precisely, there are NO eyelashes. OK, I may have exaggerated - I have 7 eyelashes sporadically dispersed between the upper and lower area of BOTH eyes. I defy Covergirl to lengthen and thicken that!
So I thought, I have an "ever-so-not-lucrative" art degree, maybe I will artistically apply shadows and liners to give the appearance of lashes and brows. Who really looks that closely anyway? Brushes and shadows in hand, I spend an entire afternoon practicing to get that perfect look - almost. The next morning was not pretty. Eyes puffy and weeping from the simple ingredients that one once so easily applied, I began to rethink my strategy.
All in all it came out OK - fake eyelashes (trimmed to remove the drag queen element), a steady hand with a sharp brow pencil and my wonderful wig stylist brought together a look that no one could tell was not natural. I got my dream to blend in and look normal and my sister was a beautiful bride who more than stood out and looked fabulous. I am very proud of my sister and congratulate Katie and Brian on a wise choice and the most beautiful wedding I have been to.
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