packing it in

i'm thrilled to finally be packing it in and am preparing to head back to 'normal life' (aka, work) on the 28th. i'm cleaning house of all the 'cancer gear' we've accumulated over the past seven months. i was originally excited at the thought of trashing it all, however the looming three year recurrence risk period caused me to opt for packing it up and storing it (for now). so, i've happily collected prescription bottles, wigs, scarfs, hats, surgical masks, a plethora of nausea aids, and a massive three-ring binder containing my 500+ page medical record and packed up a large storage container to reside in my basement... hopefully never to be reopened! on day seven of a vegetable detox, i'm also working on cleaning myself up and putting all this toxicity in my past, even if only mentally drawing a line in the sand.

my last day of radiation was as eventful as it could have been. everything from parking to traffic went terribly wrong. the radiation machine broke, causing us to wait several hours until another dana farber radiation department could fit me in. with a migraine, i curled up on the waiting room couch with my eyes closed until my name was called. on top of not feeling so hot, i found myself to be an emotional wreck that day. as i laid on the radiation table, it seemed as though the past seven months flashed before my eyes. the first day of this crusade felt like ages ago and the thought of really being at the end seemed so surreal. after 15 of 16 radiation radiation fields were complete, the therapist came in to move the heavy, metal plate aligned to zap the lymph node at the base of my heart for the last step of this final treatment. she left the room to return to her monitor saying, 'last one and the rest of your life will be perfect.' talk about a tear-inducing literal and proverbial shot to the heart... and what a promise, huh? :) i came home late that night to flowers and an applauding standing ovation from my husband when i opened the door. from his front row seat, this probably has been quite a show... and one on which i'm elated to see the final curtain fall!