All done now

Well, the next milestone has eventually been reached, and yesterday I had my final session of chemo! After all the traumas round my fifth cycle – five attempts before finally being able to have my infusion – I was very optimistic when I arrived at the hospital yesterday morning. As my bloods have been all over the place, I had had to have two blood tests this week,and the oncologist had also given me an extra week, so a four week cycle instead of three weeks. On Monday my blood was taken for the first time, and on Wednesday I had a call from the hospital to say that despite all my counts being very low, the oncologist was prepared to go ahead provided they didn’t drop any further. So Thursday my bloods were taken again, and I was very cheerful because I was convinced that at this stage of my cycle everything must be ‘on the up’. I bounced into clinic yesterday at 8.15 a.m. with a large bag containing my book, pillow and lunch, and a thank you gift for the nurses on the oncology ward. Imagine my horror when I was told that everything had dropped since my Monday to way below the cut-off levels. I was sent off for another blood test to see if my bloods had come up sufficiently overnight, but wasn’t very happy. After the blood test I came back to clinic to wait. And wait, and wait and wait. An urgent blood test should take less than an hour . . . and I was still waiting after 2 hours and getting very nervous. Eventually the receptionist telephoned the lab to find out what was happening and they said they had never received my bloods . . . Next call to the ward, where they were adamant that the bloods had been sent. I listened with vague interest to the slanging matches going on . . . just realising that my blood had been lost, I would have to have yet another needle stuck in me, and even if the bloods were OK, I probably didn’t have time to have chemo as my infusion takes 5.5 hours and the ward closes promptly at 5 p.m. I eventually got in to see the oncologist – yet another new Registrar – so talked through my treatment, got my meds, and went off to the oncology ward for another blood test. Surprise surprise, just after the needle was taken out of my arm, a call came through from the lab to say they had found the original sample. I asked the nurse to see whether my counts had come up, but she replied it would take about an hour for the sample to be analysed, so no luck there and I had to go back to clinic. And yet another surprise – as I walked back into clinic I was given my notes, told my results were there, my bloods were up, chemo had been ordered, and everything was good to go. So I wonder who was telling porkies . . . perhaps the lab technicians were miracle workers who’d been able to do all the tests on my blood in less than 5 minutes? Somehow I doubt it. When I did get back to the oncology ward I was received with somewhat less than enthusiasm by the nurses who probably saw me as unwanted overtime on a Friday night! But luckily my medication arrived quickly, for once my veins were cooperative, and I was installed and receiving chemo very quickly. Luckily the nurses explained to everyone in the waiting room I wasn’t jumping the queue – I had some filthy looks when I was called in so quickly!. So that’s it . . . quite an anticlimax really. I couldn’t help feeling it would have been easier to have eaten a branch of the yew tree we saw at Alnwick Gardens!! My buddy Maggie came to pick me up – she was with me for the first chemo so it seemed appropriate she should come to the last one too. I handed over my gift and card, said goodbye to the nurses and went home. The steroids have kicked in and I’m still as high as a kite – not to mention euphoric at the idea of having finished chemo. And even if I need more treatment, at least it won’t be paclitaxel!! Maggie and I went out for a celebration dinner, today I’ve felt great and it’s hard to remember that just because the infusion is over the chemo hasn’t finished . . . I’ve still got the side effects to get through. But hooray! At least I should be over the worst by Christmas. Sincere and heartfelt thanks to all my friends for your support – you’re all my stars!!