One big hurdle is down. My last chemo treatment is complete! I’ve been through 16 rounds of chemo over 30 weeks. Usually this is over 24 weeks but I had 5 weeks off to welcome our little miracle, Bryce. I also had to skip one week when my white count was too low and I was in the hospital. I started the Monday after Thanksgiving and now on June 1st am finally done.
It hasn’t been easy. While I had the tougher part of chemo first due to the pregnancy (once every 3 weeks), the weekly treatments these last 12 weeks have been a lot and have been exhausting. I am so glad this will be over.
I can’t wait until the energy comes back. Chemo is exhausting and with 5 young kids including a 3 month old it’s really exhausting! Instead of feeling refreshed after a nap I often wake up still feeling exhausted. I will have bursts of energy and can get a decent amount of things done but then need a nap and/or feel wiped out. I also have trouble sleeping at night, adding to the fatigue.
I look forward to the end of the nausea which is on/off throughout most days. Thankfully the anti-nausea meds worked great, I just needed a lot of them.
I look forward to the end of the muscle aches. The second round of chemo brought this on. I am so sore every day, not helped by some workouts I do and the constant picking up of young children. It feels like it’s been arms and legs day every day and the backaches are constant.
The hair is finally coming back but that was one of the most noticeable side effects of chemo. There’s also the weight gain which will hopefully start to come off once the steroids end.
With the chemo it’s like you get hit with a blow, start to recover and then get hit again. With the upcoming mastectomy, I’ll be hit with one big blow followed by a long recovery. The constant blows with the chemo are rough and I’m so glad it’s over.
It hasn’t been easy especially starting during a pregnancy but I made it. One big hurdle is done and one more awaits. While I’m growing more and more anxious about the surgery, I need to focus on this milestone and small victory. My chemo is done. I made it. I’m doing well. If I got through this, I can get through the surgery. One step at a time. This is a process and the goal is remission and removal of the cancer. I’m almost there. One big, difficult step is done.
