The End...

Wow, I'm sorry I haven't updated lately... I didn't think anyone was still reading this but I've had a few people ask me why I haven't put the most recent info on here.  So, here's the scoop:

July 9 -  I went to the oncologist to get an injection in my abdomen that shuts down my ovaries since my cancer is fed by hormones.  It hurt a lot more than I expected it to.  I think my nurse nicked a muscle or something because I was in bed in pain for the rest of the night and all the sites on the internet said it normally doesn't hurt that much.  Boo.  The picture of the right is an annoying side effect post-chemo... lovely, thick, downy facial hair.  It supposedly falls out in 2-6 months after it first appears but I just shaved it off when it got uber noticeable because I couldn't wait that long.

July 13 -  Last Radiation Treatment:  My rads technicians Matt and Andy, and my nurse Nikki.  When I finished radiation they gave me this cute graduation certificate and also paid for my name to be placed on a Tibetan prayer flag.  One of the radiation oncologists climbs mountains as a hobby and he works with the "Radiating Hope" foundation to place these prayer flags on the mountains of Tibet.  The foundation provides radiation therapy to people that don't have access to the standards of medical treatment we're used to.  Super cool.

This picture shows my healthy tissue compared to my radiated skin.  I went through rads like a pro and only got one tiny blister that appeared a couple of days after I was done.  I (and the whole radiation staff) was super happy with how well my skin reacted to treatment.  I used organic, cold pressed aloe vera gel right after each treatment and applied an organic coconut oil & shea butter mix a couple of times a day.  I also tried to stay out of the sun and take care of my skin from the inside out by eating healthy... although the closer to the end of treatment I got the more unhealthily (and deliciously - ha ha) I ate. 

My adorable visiting teachers surprised me with cake and ice cream to celebrate the end of my treatments - yay!  They have taken such good care of me. :)

July 22 - Port Removal Surgery: Dr. Morrell removed my port.  I was super nervous for this surgery but it ended up not being bad at all.  The whole taking the tube out of my jugular vein freaked me out and I was awake for the procedure but as long as I kept making conversation with everyone, I was ok.  The picture below/right, is of the port.  Obviously, the white tube is what hooked into my vein and the purple heart shaped piece is what they poked into for infusions. *shiver*

August 8 - Matt and I had an overnight getaway for my early birthday present.  For part of our date we went up to see the brick that "I Heart Peanut Butter" (the cute gal, Summer, who sells workout pants) sponsored for me.  I was excited to see it and get a picture next to it, but I was completely unprepared for the flood of emotions to come.  While I was looking for my brick, I kept noticing so many of them were "in memory" of someone.  Seeing all those that have passed because of this disease was very humbling and kind of scary.  As soon as I saw my brick I completely broke down in tears.

I thought I had things under control, so I sat down to snap a pic but the bottom left picture is the beginning of breakdown  numero two.  Everything from the past 9 months just resurfaced and it was such a cathartic, healing experience to have a good "it's hopefully over" cry.  I completely cried off my fake eyelashes (ha ha) but the experience of closure was worth it.

August 14 - Now onto the fun stuff...  I've been dying my hair pink and purple for a while but it wasn't really showing.  I just tinted on top of my normal color because I was worried about using bleach on my precious hair before it was ready.  After a month or so of growth, it was time!  My cute sister Jackie bleached it and dyed it pink (for breast cancer!) and I have to admit I'm still kind of freaking out about how bright it is, but YOLO, right?!

Tomorrow (August 19th) I go into my oncologist to start my hormone blocking drugs and everything after that will just be more of the same... injections, blood tests and drugs for the next 10 years.  This will be my last post on here because everything is going to be just fine!!!  Thank you to every one reading this for all your prayers, kind words, positive thoughts, and service.  I'm so grateful for all of your kindness to me and my family throughout this journey.