Summer of Celebration!

I had an appointment for a port flush this past week. It was kind of annoying that I had to go in for it. I found myself a little irritated that I had to go do something for cancer again now that I’ve put cancer out of my mind, for the most part. But it was quick, and the nurse was so nice, so I had to remind myself that it’s a good thing going in to keep the port that has worked so well for me for five years in good shape. I had to remind myself that my port is what delivers my lifesaving chemo and immunotherapy to me.

Did you catch that – my port has been working for FIVE YEARS?! July 1st, today, marks the five-year anniversary of my metastatic cancer journey. I made it to five years, thanks to new medicines, to all my oncologists who kept me alive, and to God, the only one who can do the impossible! I know that your chances of surviving breast cancer go up after five years of finishing treatment, and I recently heard that about metastatic breast cancer, as well – well, not that your chances of survival are better because this is a terminal diagnosis, but I guess that the odds of surviving longer go up after five years. I haven’t fact-checked that, but I hope it’s true. In any case, I really wanted to survive five years. It’s just the number I put into my head. And now I want longer. I was afraid of making plans for the future for so long, well, the past five years, but lately, being off treatment has made me think about more of a future. I know that things, my whole life, can change with one scan, again, but I am really enjoying life off of treatment and have been making plans for the future again. And I don’t know if it’s a bad attitude or a good attitude that I’m experiencing, but I don’t ever want to go back on treatment again. I have more energy than I’ve had in 10 years! I can get through my days without a nap or a strong coffee in the afternoons now. I can exercise and push myself again because I want to instead of just having to push myself to get through it.

So, just a little update to say that I am doing great and that I am feeling great. June was a great month. I celebrated my 49th birthday, last night we celebrated our 23-year anniversary, and I survived five years out of my metastatic breast cancer diagnosis! I am living one day at a time, I am not thinking about cancer – and not wanting to think about cancer – on a daily basis. I’m still paranoid about every lump and bump I get, but I don’t think that will ever go away. I have decided I will want a scan in the fall, prior to the holidays. But I’m excited that I won’t have to think about possibly having to go back on treatment before our Italy trip. I will have a doctor appt. in August, where we’ll probably put in a referral for the scan. And then, I’ll meet with my oncologist again in November to discuss the results. So, that’s the plan. In the meantime, I just need to keep getting my port flushed every six weeks. And I’ll try to have a good attitude about the little lifesaver going into my next appointment, grateful that I just have to maintain it right now and am not dependent on it for my life. Right now, life is good. 😊Happy July to you all; stay safe and healthy, everyone!

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Shannen Doherty, Rest in Peace

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🌞🔥The Sun’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades😎🧯👨‍🚒🚒