Day 244

It’s official…
I’m officially on the schedule for radiation next week. Yah! Right? I guess I should be happy that my treatment is nearing the finish line but come on can you see why I’m not jumping up and down? I’m sure you can.

I talked to my doctor today about finishing up and man it was a tough phone call. My skin is just starting to look good and I just told her I wanted to do all of my remaining 5 treatments! What was I thinking! I know what it was…I want to come out of this situation being able to say I did everything possible for the sake of my longevity. My doctor said that she would be comfortable only doing two more treatments, but I am not going to let an additional three treatments hold me back from keeping my head held high to cross the finish line. Dr. Kim reassured me that my skin that has now started to heal will not get as bad as it was. It will be disappointing for me to see any setback in my skin’s recovery, but I only have 5 treatments left and I am determined to finish them. Kirk and I will be staying down Seattle to make it as easy as possible for me to get through my remaining treatments. Having a hotel practically on the SCCA campus will allow me to get to all of my appointments without having to be stuck in traffic, if I have any setbacks in my health I will be right there for my doctor’s to get me immediate help, and it will also allow me to relax during this last week of radiation treatments.

We are at the infusion clinic now and like always they had a bit of trouble getting an IV started. They mentioned that I should get my chest port put back in, but with my luck as soon as I do that magically I won’t need to come to the infusion clinic anymore. However a nurse from the emergency department came up to try her hand at starting an IV. She decided to try a needle that is used in pediatrics. I guess the needle and catheter are half as long. Immediately she achieved success! I will now be asking for that type of needle whenever I have to have an IV. I joked to my nurse about this being our date night, but technically…it kind of is. We’re in a nice quiet room in the corner, there is low light, and we brought dinner. The warm blankets and ice chips are just an added bonus. It is funny how your perspective changes when you have had to spend so much time in the hospital. You really know where the “nice” places are. For example, the infusion clinic is like a five star hotel compared to the emergency room which is like a “No Tell Motel” complete with “the horror story.”

I am hoping that this next week will not be more than I can handle, but instead will be a great finishing touch on my cancer story. Thanks for journeying with me on this road of breast cancer! I could not have done it and will not be able to continue without your support.

Love Always,
Sarah