Day 15 | Final Dose - Hitting the Home Run

And just like that the last dose is done!  And this Chemo journey has ended.  I mean I still have a week to get my blood counts up before we are really done.  But the journey itself is over.  Homerun!!!

Today was the Bleomycin again and the steroids, which were at my request.  I feel so much better with the steroids so they were nice enough to give them to me.   Just the regular dose of 4mg. White Blood Count is 3 so I am in the low stage they refer to as NDOIR I believe is what they said.  I am probably wrong with the letters, but it is totally expected and will last about 5 - 7 days.  The Chemo essentially kills the bone marrow and as a result the White Blood Cells die before they are recreated as my bone marrow heals and repairs itself.  It's a science literally and what we do.  So I just have to be careful to not get any form of infection cause the immune system is out of the office.  

Room #5 was already occupied today so I did not get the chance to finish where we started, but it was overall a short trip so I was totally okay with it.  So today was Room #3.  I also got the PICC Line removed as well so I will be able to take a bath in a couple days, and I plan to soak in my new soaker tub.  I started a bathroom remodel in June and it is almost finished so I got a new tub to try out.  

After my treatment today I had a group of people who came to support with me.  Close friends and family who were able to come.  I will go over each of them as we go through the pics today.  

First of all I have tried to keep an upbeat and positive attitude through all of this.  I cried enough, stressed enough and will have more stress and we worry about recurrence that I have decided to keep humor all around me.  I wore a shirt today to highlight our #foulball, and I made a witty sign to sport. 

So here is the larger group that were there: 

Call outs left to right:  Justin and Heather, both are Paramedics with me at EMS.  Heather and I have been there a long time together.  Random fact, but I worked with her when she was 10 Months pregnant with her first child. She was working with me her last day before delivery.  Oh the memories we have, we are part of the "old timers".  I miss the old timers so much, there are so few of us left.  The difference is the newer folks view it as a job.  We old timers viewed it as a calling and we ARE all a family.  Once your in the family you have people who share life with you till you are gone or are the last one standing.  I do not know how else to explain it, even when someone retires your still family.  The love and support I continue to get from those still in the family is priceless.  So thanks to Justin and Heather for coming today.  I got a nice message from Althea and Chris today who are also in the OT club.  Jennifer or as she will tell you My Favorite.  Jennifer and I have been friends for 10+ years.  She has by far been one of the most charitable people that I know.  She is one of those that is way more that just words,  you know Jennifer cares a lot about you because she will not only tell you but she will show you.  She drove an hour and a half from South Carolina to be there today.  We ate lunch at the house and played a quick game of cards before she left.  A true friend.  Leslie who you might recognize from the window pictures on day 2 or 3.  Leslie is also another gem.  She has been so much fun to have around the past 15 or so years.  We are normally super bowl party planners, as she was quick to remind me today that this year I apparently cheated on her and did not participate.  Mom is in the purple shift Cathy is up on the back.  She has been a great example for me, she is like a second momma to me.  She is my real estate agent, but we have just had a wonderful friendship for 20 years.  And I have learned a lot about work ethic and positivity from her.  Then ME the reason we are here for the day.  The cancer warrior !  Then Grandma Kluttz who has lived with or rather put up with me for the two weeks.  Matt the roommate, sidekick, go to, live in maid, great guy!  I have to say that having him live with me the past 7 or so months has been a Godsend.  I have grown more and more patient having him around and having someone around you when your in quarantine has been amazing.  PAM who was one of my college professors and advisors.  She is so loyal to her students and always will go out of her way to make sure the feel support well past college.  Leanna & Denise are friends I have met through my local pharmacy where they worked and we have just clicked and they have been a nice additional level of support through the process. Connie my aunt is at the end.  Dad's sister, Grandma Kluttz's daughter. 

Here is the mask free Photo, cause it is just a white count of 3 LOL.  Great job Justin and Heather for staying in check with protocol !!!!!!!!!!!!

Mollie my co-worker at ApolloMD.  She represented my work family with such excitement.  She has been the best.  She has been here almost a year and is a Solid investment for our team.  It is awesome when you get to go to work everyday and work with the best of the best!  Our success as a division is 100% team based and we all feel that way.  You know there are days where I don't really enjoy my job, and it is not always easy and the conversations are not always fun.  But I can tell you no matter how much the job itself is not fun the team make up for it 100 fold.  So at the end of the day the team makes it so worth it.  You forget about all the details at work and just really focus on the team and how we can help each out.  Remember the "old timers" and how we were family?  Well my ApolloMD team is a family 100%.  The love and support I have gotten for them has proven to me that I have the BEST JOB in the world.  I have the best leaders and mentors and peers, so I am going nowhere.  

Matt, the roomie.  He has been evicted through this process for my own protection but he will be back soon enough.  You have to forgive him he struggles with looking at things in front of him.  

The last of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lesslie who made it on time.  I told her to be there 30 minutes early, because you know I know you Leslie :)  

Jennifer

And there they are !!  My dream team chemo pushing cheerleaders.  Tina and Susanne, who I could not have done this without. They are the best of the best, the pick of the litter, the cream of the crop, the bakers dozen, the world's famous as good as it gets heros in this story.  They have been nothing but fantastic, spectacular and purpose driven.  They both say they have been doing this for 20+ years, but I didn't know they gave 10 year olds Nursing Licenses.  They have made it so easy to stay positive and keep up my with humor.  I could never do their job, emergency medicine we don't get to know our patients so when the bad happens its just part of the job.  They go through this journey with not only me but the thousands of others who have been in that chair.  So if you're looking for angels just stop by because here they are.  I would change nothing about the experience.  I am never doing this again so they will have to just take my gifts and quarterly visits.  If I could give anything to them it would be for every person they have impacted to applaud and stand for them as they retire in 30 years.  

So the Chemo inning is done.  So we will walk into the top of the 4th from here and the next 5 years we will line up and strike them out as I get clean reports and prove that this Cancer won't cause me the drama anymore.  

I will continue to keep you updated over the next couple week as I still have items I need to check of the list before we enter the next phase.  So do not go anywhere and stay around.