6/30/21 - Wednesday.  Last day of June.  Tomorrow begins a new month and a new chapter for me.  I had my final chemo treatment today.  David took me and we were gone 4 hours this time.  I thanked the nurses that took care of me in the chemo room the past 21 weeks and said goodbye.

I go to MD Anderson in Houston for a follow-up with my surgeon on 7/11 and have a mammogram on 7/15.  I was lucky enough to receive a call yesterday afternoon from the Ballard House in Katy (west Houston) because they had a cancellation for those dates, so David and I will be staying there.  It's close to the west campus of MD Anderson, so I won't have to drive so far.  We've toured the place, but never got to stay there.  They stay pretty full all the time.  The doctor at MD Anderson has to send in a referral for me and I sent in a 6-page admission form, to boot.  Only cancer patients are allowed in (with a caretaker).  I'm not allowed to stay alone.  They're all too familiar with 'chemo brain'.

Jessica wrote for me earlier because I just didn't have it in me to post anything.  I had a rough week.  Pretty rough.  I was very worried that my blood counts were not going to be good enough this morning for me to get my last round of chemo, and I was on pins and needles waiting for the results.  It's a good thing David took me.  I couldn't have driven today.  I have an appointment with my oncologist Friday morning and will get my remaining questions answered then.  I hope I can drive by then, but there will be someone here that can take me, if not.  I don't worry about it.

I slept nearly all day yesterday.  Just could not stay awake.  My head was so very heavy.  That was one of the reasons I thought my white count was too low.  Well, it's low, all right.  Just not low enough to cancel chemo.  Heh, heh.

My girls are coming in this weekend and we're having a party to celebrate everything.  No matter what.  I.  Need.  A.  Party.  I will probably just sit in my rocking lawn chair, but you can bet I'll be smiling all day/evening on the 4th.  Fireworks will be lighting up the sky at our house.  Big time.  I hope all the neighbors come over with their lawn chairs when darkness begins to fall, or at least sit on their own lawns and watch.  I'd rather they came to our house, tho.  A cheering crowd helps round out the atmosphere.

I'll start radiation when I return from Houston, but don't have any dates yet.  That will be the start of my next chapter.  The end is in sight now.  Chemo was soooooo very long, it felt like there was no end.  Many times, I doubted I would make it through.  I'm hanging on by my fingernails now and I still have a tough week ahead of me when this last blast of poison hits my system.  So, don't be alarmed if I'm not posting.  I expect this week to be a whopper and I've got to rest.  I do not want to go back into the hospital.  My family will be here soon, so posting will take a back seat.  Maybe I can enlist Jessica's help again, if needed.

Thank you, everyone, for all your thoughts and prayers and cards and letters and emails, etc.  They truly all helped me through some awfully rough patches.  If I can hold on another week, I'll bet it'll feel like I'm on the downhill side of things from now on.

I'm still waiting for a call to get measured for my torso pressure suit.  This lymphedema is getting worse and is quite painful, to say the least.  It's infuriating why I can't get anyone to follow through and help me.  My left arm will no longer hang down like my right.  It sticks out like a body-builder's arm, except mine's not sticking out because I have too much muscle.  I simply have too much fluid.

This picture cracked me up.  I hope you can scroll over and see the whole thing.