Released from CHEMO!

Having to wait a week for scan results SUCKED.

I was a nervous wreck by the time appointment time came at 3 on Thursday afternoon.

My blood pressure was up, and I was feeling sick and running a low fever.  I'd been unable to sleep most of the week, and was basically unable to focus.

BUT...the news was good!  Everything was STABLE.

That means what happened during the first 6 months of taking the Ibrance chemo pill did the trick, but I took the chemo for another year after that.

Dave jumped in before I could, and asked if we could stop treatment.

The doc said he could go either way.  He detailed his reasons, and then made a decision.

He said that we should continue with the Xgeva injections (that's the once a month shot that went from $3K to $11K, mentioned previously with great aggravation), and STOP THE IBRANCE!

No.
More.
Chemo.

No more chemo mouth.  No more digestive issues.  No more compromised immune system.  No more thinning hair.  Maybe my eyebrows will finally come back!  Maybe my finger nails will lose that funny look they have, and be normal again.  Maybe the dark hollows around my eyes will diminish.

I am MOST excited about the mouth issues being gone for good.

I have basically had ongoing mouth sores for the whole time (at times, they were constant, even during my week off of the drug every month), as well as that icky sort of "burned tongue" feeling that has an effect on how things taste, and causes general soreness.

The mouth issues have been the most impactful, for sure.

The bills still aren't sorted out (January's is now past due, and we just received February's), but Dave has been working on it.  The program requires detailed EOBs from the insurance.  The ones we typically have access to do not show the codes being processed.

He will get on the phone with the insurance company tomorrow to see about getting those EOBs.  Then, we can fax those to the assistance program, and they will "load" that credit card I told you about.

THEN, we can call SSM (I refer to it as Satan's Sack of Money) Health, the new overlords, and pay the fucking bills.

I explained to my doctor and his nurse what SSM is doing, and how they are getting away with billing so much more for the same treatments.   Doc realized that the modifications that they made to the office ventilation system last year was the prequel to SSM changing the office to a "facility."

In other news, we have been helping take care of our friends' pets while they've been in Japan this past week.

They have a live-in house sitter, but one of the kitties had the potential of needing some medication over the course of the week.  We are experienced with that, and the house sitter is not.

Fortunately, we only had to give her medication once.  She's been doing really well.

Today will be our last visit with her, as her mommy and daddy will be home tomorrow from their wonderful adventure.

We will work through this coming week, and then we are taking a week off to have a "staycation."

We will finally get the yard raked up, and I can start my container garden.  I also plan to do some spiritual work around my progress toward being a cancer SURVIVOR instead of a WARRIOR.

THAT right there is pretty exciting.

Oh, and this coming Tuesday, our new doors and the concrete work are happening!