It was scheduled for 11:30 am. Because I'm only allowed one guest to sit with me and that was Paul, I was to call my Mom when they took me in so she could gauge her time to get there to see me ring the bell that signifies my last treatment. They were running late so I was taken in closer to 12:45. Paul "made the call".
Surprisingly it took only one poke to find a vein today! Otherwise the hour went as usual...frozen mittens and slippers, warm blankets and chatting with Paul and the nurses as they came by.
When I was all done, Patrick (one of the nurses) had me take his arm and we walked out to the reception area and he called all the other nurses out to see me ring the bell. As we got out to reception I was looking for my Mom....I saw her immediately and was very happy...then I saw that my Big Brother made the trip in to see me too!!! Immediately my tears were not jut my tear ducts in overdrive...they were happy tears! I didn't think I'd get so emotional about this....I thought wrong!
So when I said Paul "made the call" it was actually a text to my Brother, not a call to my Mother....the three of them had it all planned out to surprise me! When I had called Mom to tell her at 11:40 that I was still waiting she actually (almost) gave it away... I said "I'm still waiting" and she said "Okay, we're just sitting here waiting for the call!" I thought only for a second..."what did she mean by "we"?" Then I forgot about it and didn't think about it again until tonight when Paul told me that Steve mentioned it to him! Funny how those things can just slip by with little to no notice!
Anyway.....My first attempt at ringing the bell....I missed it!!! Everyone laughed, it was really funny. I got it on the second attempt and I rang it loud!!!! Everyone applauded, big hugs from the nurses and lots of "congratulations" from others in the waiting area! 18 weeks I waited to do that....it felt awesome!!
It was the last day for lots of people today, I was the fourth one to ring the bell today and there were more lined up after me. I asked Paul later on if he had ever seen the nurses gather that way....no he hadn't, neither had I! I guess I must be special!
To celebrate, the four of us, Mom, Steve, Paul and I headed over to East Side Marios for a drink where Momma surprised me with Roses!! Thanks Mom! I love you!
I had asked at the clinic if it was okay for me to have a beer if I wanted....Patrick's response "oh hell yes! Have more than one if you want!" I always thought I should wait at least 24 hours, but Patrick said it was okay and I took him at his word! One Bud Light Lime please!
We got home, I put my beautiful roses in a vase and laid down for an hour or so. Soon it was off to a celebration dinner at Moxies with my sister-in-law (Paul's sister) and brother-in-law, Kim & Andy! Another great visit! AND another beer...Miller Chill this time. I was able to find foods that still tasted good to me which made the celebration that much better....although the company was enough to make it a great night! Thank you! I love you guys!
Now...it's getting past my bed time and I have to work in the morning! I don't expect that this week will be any different than the last two...full energy on Tuesday, 3/4 energy on Wednesday...fading fast Wednesday night and down on Thursday and Friday unable to concentrate on anything but the inside of my eyelids. By Sunday I'll be getting my energy back and will be able to concentrate on reading a book which means that by Tuesday (after the holiday Monday) I'll be back in the office and will hopefully be able to make it through the rest of the week. They said the tiredness should start to wear off over the next couple of weeks after Chemo is over and I'm hoping that's true. I'm very tired of seeing the same four walls on my down days.....although last Friday I did spend my down time on the hammock in the back yard, that was a nice change of pace.
I'll keep you posted! And I'll post some pictures from today as soon as I get a chance to unload the camera!
Finally...pictures!
A smiley face on my frozen slipper!
Ringing the bell!! Ding DING!! All done!
Patrick!
Happy Happy tears! There was never a doubt that you would kick ass!
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