Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Day 244 - Recap

In typical 2015 fashion, we had a little bit of excitement over the weekend and into yesterday.  The state of South Carolina has been experiencing what has been deemed a 1,000 year flood.  A gigantic band of rain sat over the state beginning on Friday and lasted until yesterday.  The middle to lower part of the state were hit the hardest.

On Friday, we went up to Greenville (NW part of the state) to spend the weekend. It rained a lot in Greenville, and we were glued to the news coming from other parts of the state.  On Sunday, we saw that our route home was experiencing significant flooding and road closures so we decided to stay in Greenville for another night to be safe.

So we left Greenville at 7:00 yesterday morning, and took a very long way home so that we could avoid the worst areas entirely. We arrived home at about 1:30pm, giving us time to regroup for a few minutes and head to radiation.

I spent our time in the car yesterday working/responding to emails and reflecting.  I found myself tearing up often during the drive as I thought about all that has gone on in the last 8 months.  Time has simultaneously flown by and stood still, and I still can't believe all that we have been through.

The three of us arrived at radiation a few minutes early, and Henry was SO excited to be there and to help me ring the bell after my treatment.  The receptionists and nurses fawned over me, everyone congratulating me on my last day and everyone commenting about how they are glad that the floods didn't postpone my last day.

I got onto the table for the last time, turned my head to the right to be in the proper position, and the tears just flowed.  Neither of the techs positioning me for treatment could see that I was crying, and one reminded me to just breathe normally as he was getting me ready. It was hard, but I was able to control my breathing, but the tears still fell.  They fell as each part of the field was radiated, and they fell harder after the buzzing completely stopped.  I was finished.  My treatment had come to an end.

I made all of the techs give me a hug, went back to the lounge, got dressed, and headed to the waiting room where Mike and Henry were waiting for me with big smiles on their faces.  They were done with treatment too, and they get to celebrate this milestone as much as I do.  Henry helped me ring the bell while the receptionists, one of our neighbors who works at the cancer center, Mike, and the other people in the waiting room smiled and cheered for me.  It was perfectly simple and wonderful.  I cried more, got more hugs, and we walked out.

Just like that, we walked out.  We walked out into the great big post-treatment world.  We walked out and walked into a happy and healthy future for all of us. Yes, I'll be back for follow up appointments, but I hope and pray (and HOPE and PRAY) that I never hear the buzz of a radiation machine or see the drip of chemo coming into my body ever again.

More on those thoughts and feelings later.

We celebrated with champagne and dinner out at our local Mexican place.  We also got Henry a quick haircut since the place where we take him is right next to the Mexican restaurant (let's be practical and efficient here).

It was a perfect day - perfectly crazy, a bit stressful, joyful, funny, and not at all what I expected.  Welcome to life.

I am thinking about my last blog post but am not sure when I am going to write/post it yet (it will be within a matter of days I think). I'll leave this blog up for as long as the internet gods will let me, but I need to stop posting.  Tucking my blog away will be an important part of my healing and recovery process, but I am not ready to let it go quite yet.  I want to wrap things up as best as I can into what will probably be the longest blog post in the history of man. Until then, I'll keep posting daily.

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