If I Can Do it, You Can Do it - Yeah, I Did It!

Just wanted to let everyone know I just finished my 12 weeks of chemo Wednesday. I had to crawl across the finish line but I did it. It's been rough and I have to admit it there were times I did think about quitting but I knew quitting was not really an option. I dreaded chemo from the time I was dxed almost a year ago in Sept. 09. Some of you know my history but I'll repeat it for all you new ones who are facing chemo and other treatments at this time. I was dxed with IDC, 3 tumors and lymph node involvment and put on Femara to reduce the tumors. Scheduled to have a masectomy in Feb. but I was found to have 2 severely blocked arteries and had to have rotoblation and balloon angioplasty in one artery, enough to get a good blood flow thru. Finally had my masectomy on April 15, had 17 lymph nodes removed, 11 with cancer, and started chemo the first week of May. I also have a lot of other health issues including diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, fibromyalgia, glaucoma and take a lot of medication. Because of the heart problems, my onc decided to give me a reduced dosage of Cytoxan and Taxotere, but I had to have weekly treatments which really didn't give me a chance to recover between treatments. Along the way I developed some serious side effects including a skin infection that caused my hands to burn and blister and peel. They looked like I had dipped them in acid and skin was hanging off everywhere. Was put on steriods 3 days a week and that has helped. Then I came down with a sinus infection that has went on for weeks and hasn't cleared up even with antibiotics. My white blood cells went down and had to have Neupogen shots and my red blood count has went down to the point I'm anemic (but thankfully blood transfusions are not needed). I'm weak, exhausted, still fighting the infections, had to increase my insulin injections because of high blood sugars. My onc says now that chemo is over, all these things should get better over the next several weeks and I'm really looking forward to getting my taste buds back. In a couple of weeks, I'll be starting my 30 radiation treatments, every day for 5 days, 6 weeks. Sorry that this is so lengthy and I'm kind of a mess at this point, but I wanted to assure all of you new ones that you can get thru this part of your treatment. Don't give up and just keep on taking one step at a time. Did I mention that on top of all my health issues I'm 71 years old, one of the older ones here. And along with celebrating my last chemo treatment, I'll be celebrating another birthday this Sunday, Aug. 8. Birthdays are wonderful and I hope to be celebrating many more healthy ones in the years to come, along with all of you. I want to thank all of you beautiful pink ladies and gentlemen who have encouraged me along the way, always there for me, listened to my complaints and just stayed the course with me. It's not always a piece of cake, but now I'll be eating cake, ice cream this weekend and enjoying it. My margherita will have to wait a little longer but I'm raising my glass anyway. Here's to all of us!