Home Stretch for Part 1

I can't believe I have only one more cycle and I'm done with part 1, the chemo.  Presuming I survive the low white count next week, my off week, and my blood levels stay high for the following week, my last poison session is 4th August.  Can't say that I'm excited about it, but I am really full of anticipation about getting back to a more normal life for a few weeks and feeling good in myself.

At the onset of this in May, it seemed like an eternity -3 months, how was I going to handle this- whereas now the end is just around the corner and it does seem to have passed rather quickly.  How time flies when your having fun! Hmm!   Making the switch to the local Commack centre was the real benefit -I'm home by 1:30 most days.  Whereas in the city, I wasn't even near finished with the chemo at that time, and then we had to figure dinner and a 2 hour journey home.

So, looking forward, what's next after the chemo?  Part 2, surgery -the real treatment.  I believe sometime a week or so after the chemo is finished I'll have an appointment with the surgeon, who I reckon will want to have a little peek inside the bladder and see what effect the chemo had on the tumor, I'm sure we'll talk about reconstruction options and schedule a tentative date for surgery -I should have about 4 to 6 weeks of recovery so my guess is the week of 6th or 13th September.  I believe that's the way it goes.

Funny how perspectives vary.  Most people around me are more bothered by the chemo and it's affects, I suppose because it is so visual, and we cue off visual more than any other sense.  To me the chemo is temporary, the surgery is the life changer.

The reconstruction is quite a decision.  You look at various support groups and blogs and people have all three types and most people like the one they have for a variety of reasons.  Each option obviously has it's pros and cons and some of the inherent challenges are significant.  It's a bit like the door game where you choose door number 1, 2 or 3 and your stuck with that choice for the rest of your life.  Don't yet know where I'm going with this.

But for now, life is pretty good.  The summer is hot, just the way I like it, and the one benefit of being unemployed is we get to go to the beach during the week when it's not so crowded. 

Got to look on the bright side of life.

Be well you All,
Chris