Crossing the finish line

Well at least one was crossed this morning, that being my last infusion of chemo.  Of course it was Gemzar which meant it took the better part of an hour to get into my body but the wait was well worth it.

The attending staff were all there to see me through my last round.  My primary nurse Ann Marie asked that I come back to visit and let them all see how well I was doing.  I gave her a hug, said that I would and I meant it.  Even though all the needle sticks and drugs weren’t the most pleasant thing to go through the staff there was always cheerful and pleasant.  I actually looked forward to seeing them and if being happy and walking out of the infusion room with a bounce in my step is what the other patients need to see then count me in.  I will be back so that all my fellow cancer fighters can see that we really can get through this.

I remember my first day there.  Everyone there seemed so gloomy and down.  Sure, there still are those but I saw something today that warmed my heart.  A man brought his teenage daughter in for a treatment.  She was wearing a hat to cover her bald head but soon had it off and was beaming a gorgeous smile that lit up the whole room.  THAT is the spirit!  She was radiant.  Had I had my camera with me I might have tried to sneak a photo of her, blow it up, frame it and give it to her so that she could see how beautiful she is even without hair.  That smile will melt some guy’s heart in the future and forever capture him to her.

Prior to me getting my infusion we met with Jeremy, my Oncologist.  We are now shifting into what he refers to as a very conservative remission period.  I have a CT scan scheduled for next week.  It’s actually on Marvina’s birthday.  Jeremy thinks we will either see a very small lymph node reflecting the positive effects the chemo had on the cancer or we won’t see anything at all.  It may be that I will need another round of chemo therapy just to finish things off but we will have to wait and see what the pictures show us.  A week after the CT scan is an appointment with Jeremy.  Knowing him though I’m sure I will get a call from him to let me know what the CT does or does not show.  That’s something I really love about Jeremy.  He actually takes time to personally call me with test results and such.  You don’t find many doctors that will do that today.  Most leave those calls to an assistant or nurse or even a computer.  Not Jeremy, he prefers to make those calls himself.

Of course I’m going to ask for a CD of my CT scan to add to my collection.  It’s amazing what I’ve learned to see on those.  I use both a standard X-Ray as well as a CT machine where I work.  While I’m looking for explosives I’ve learned to quickly recognize objects on the images for what they really are.  A hair blow dryer, for example, in an X-Ray or CT looks nothing like what it looks like when you’re holding it in your hand.  So too are the parts of our anatomy.  But once you begin recognizing the parts of you it is easy to zip through the CT slices and see for yourself what is going on inside your body.

We had a slight scheduling overlap, Marvina and I, that prevented her from being there when they unplugged me from what I hope really was the final infusion.  That’s okay though as I suspect she will go with me when I return to visit in the future.  I’m guessing she has her own round of hugs to give out to the staff.

So folks, if you are diagnosed with cancer and live in the Kansas City area I without reservation highly recommend the “Kansas City Cancer Center.”  They have locations all over the city so there is likely one very near to you.  The facilities are modern, bright and cheerful as are the staff.