Lest I Forget

When I forget to live a healthy life or when the beast comes again, this photo will remind me of my time in the chair. I don't want to go back anytime soon!

DONE!

Cycle 6 is done! No more chemo.....at least for (hopefully) a very long time! Nurses were psyched as was I. In 4 weeks I get a CT scan and then a Dr. appointment to talk about it. Later on, 4-6 months I'll get a bone marrow biopsy to see how deep the chemo went. That will be the true test. Slowly my blood counts will come back to normal and I'll feel a ton better. I can't complain too much. I've felt pretty good on the off weeks. I await the chemo hangover tomorrow which will last a few days then back to work! More to follow as the days progress.

Cycle 6, day 1 and 2

To sum up days 1 and 2..uneventful! I feel pretty good so far. They had a minor blow out on my vein today. No biggy, they just went up the line! Tomorrow will be my last for a long while...I hope. I am looking forward to it! It may be a bit anticlimatic. Can't really celebrate yet. Just knowing it's done will have to do. The fall out from the chemo usually starts on Friday but adrenaline might make me feel better than usual as I have been full of it in anticipation of the finish. I'll fill you in on tomorrow. Until then....

Head Games

I've had nightmares of going to start my last cycle and having the nurse tell me they did it wrong and will have to do it all again! Wouldn't it be great if all of this was curative? My doctors tell me that there may be a cure by the time I need treatment again. I hope so. After a month or so I'll be tested to see how the chemo did. I'm sure to be anxious, longing to hear what I fear I will not. In the end I will go back to goals. When diagnosed in 2006 @ 46 years old, my goal was to make 50 before treatment and I made it to 52. Now my goal will be 58 or beyond before the need to do something again. "That which we manifest is before us." My mantra from The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Anyway, I blather on with obvious thoughts on the future of my next watch and wait.

Cycle 6 Starts Tuesday, 9/11/12

My 6th and likely final cycle of chemotherapy for CLL starts this Tuesday and ends Thursday. I am really looking forward to getting back to some sense of normal! I'm planning on a long remission. Let's see how the cards play out. I'll let you know how things go this week and then will reveal the schedule and results of my CT scan and bone marrow biopsy. They will be a good predictor of what I'm planning. More later.