I'VE BEEN DEPORTED!!

How I feel right now

As of about 10:00am this morning I am officially DONE with stupid cancer!!!  Port removal surgery was this morning and that damn thing is not inside me anymore!!!  It has been a part of me (literally) since November 18, 2013.  Now I can rub my neck without feeling a tube.  I can pick up my niece and when she pushes on my chest to get down (every.single.time) it will no longer hurt.  I can take a shower and wash my chest without feeling a big bump under my skin.  NO MORE NEEDLES IN MY CHEST!!! 

 

This is me so happy to be de-ported!!!
 

 

For me, today marks the official end of cancer treatment.  Yeah, I still have follow up appointments every few months for the next several years.  But I'm done with procedures.  I'm done being poked (which happened three times today:  once for labs and twice for IV line because, as the nurse put it, "Oh dang.  Can't use that.  Must have hit a valve in there or something.  Care if I poke you again?  So sorry that hurt so bad.).  I'm done being cut open (and today, I actually heard the doctor cutting me open.  It was weird.  And a little nauseating).  I'm done being injected.  I'M DONE!!!!!!!!

 

 

I told Jeremy that today I actually finally feel like celebrating.  I really feel like I've made it, I have survived cancer.  Getting that port out has made it real for me that I don't have to do anything else to get rid of stupid cancer.  It is gone and I am finally done with procedures.  FINALLY.  One year later and I can finally start making plans for the future.  One year later and I actually had a conversation with my husband about what's next.  And when he asked me that, without hesitation, I said, "Well, I'm going to register for a Spartan Race in May.  And in January I'm redoing my last challenge and starting Natalie's program again."  It felt so good to have that conversation.  It wasn't "I want to do this or I would like to do that but we have to wait and see "if."  Saying "I'm going to" feels great!  I don't have to wait and see anymore.  I can finally get back to my life.  Get back to being me!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

TODAY'S PET SCAN RESULTS

My post stem-cell PET scan happened this morning.  I met with Dr. Stephens and received the results this afternoon. 

 

 

 

In other words,

 

I'M IN COMPLETE REMISSION!!!!

 

IT WORKED!!!  THE TRANSPLANT WORKED!!!! 

 

What a year it has been!!!  But I finally did it!  I WON!!!!!!!!  I've been cut on, injected, poked, stuck, lost my hair (twice), infused with toxic chemicals, had a stem-cell transplant and a blood transfusion.  But I never gave up, even when it felt like I would never reach the finish line.  It took a year to get there, but today I reached that finish line.  Not only did I reach it, I crossed it.  In first place.  I WON!!!!