We Did It! Chemo Is Done!

I can't even describe how awesome it felt to have my last chemo day! And I have positive thoughts that it's my last chemo day ever! I was like a little kid on Christmas, I had been waiting for that day for a long time and it was amazing! Woohoo!

I was especially excited to complete the last day because for a few weeks it was a little unsure if we'd be able to finish without delays. The last 3 weeks my white blood cells were dropping, enough that on my second to last treatment we were really worried that I would be too low the next week for my final treatment.

Thankfully when I showed up on September 23rd for my last treatment, my counts were actually slightly up from the week before! Apparently taking the week off crossfit and just laying low helped my body recover. Anyone going through chemo, plan something big for your last day. You may think it's not a big deal or necessary but I promise, you feel on top of the world and I wanted to do something to match that feeling. I even called the local skydiving place but they were booked up for another week....which my nurse said was probably good that I wasn't going to jump out of a plane that day, I still needed to stay healthy and recover from this last treatment. So instead Lubby and I went for a hike and then I went and worked out!

Valley View Hospital makes it a special day though. Everyone was very happy, excited and all smiles. They also have this bell that sits outside your door so anytime someone walks by they ring it. Happiness and a positive attitude is contagious.And my best supporter- Tony, surprised me at the hospital. He took an hour off work weeks ago to come on my last chemo day!

The last 4 weeks of Taxol were more challenging than the first 8 weeks. I think the previous months of cancer treatment were starting to take a toll, some of the symptoms increased just slightly, and apparently when your white blood cells are low you feel it.

Despite this though I still had a fun four weeks.

We went to a friend's wedding in Steamboat:

We had a fun visit from a really good old friend, Mike Maini. Him and I saw a moose and a mama bear and her cub in Aspen!

We did lots of little hikes:

I played a tourist in Denver with Jodi. We went to Rocky Mountain National Park to see the elk, then we went to Garden of the Gods and drove to the top of Pike's Peak.

Another chill weekend in Denver, where I caught up with friends and tried to enjoy the city. :)

Even though I had to take the last 1-2 weeks off from hard exercise and activities, I did hit some big accomplishments the other weeks. During that time I went pretty hard at crossfit. I did some big workouts, including Fat Grace- which was 30 clean and jerks at 135#. I deadlifted and pressed only 10 pounds under my 1 rep. I hit 205 backsquat, which was still 55 pounds under my max, but that's okay.

I also hiked a 14er. We try to do at least one every year and I was sad to think we wouldn't be able to do one in 2015, but I just assumed it was the way it needed to be, especially since 14ers usually crush me (Kelli's body doesn't handle 14,000 feet very well). But one day I realized that didn't have to be the case. I could just take it really really slow, plan for the easiest one, and turn back if needed. Thankfully I didn't have to turn back though! We hiked Mt. Sherman on Labor Day and it was something I was really proud of doing during my chemo treatment. I felt determined to get to the top (safely) to show other cancer patients that you can still live your life while fighting cancer. You can still do big things, hard things, it doesn't have to completely ruin and change your life. I know everyone has different treatments and I definitely know my Taxol treatment was an easier one, but you can still push yourself and hit goals and accomplishments that matter to you.

And on September 30th we had an ice cream social at the gym to celebrate!

Moving Forward: 
Now that chemo is over, I can't help but think about the changes my body will go back through.I can't wait to have functioning and nice looking fingernails. I can't wait to have eyelashes back, they really do protect your eyes from stuff flying in them. I can't wait to have nose hairs! My nose runs all the time and I think those contribute to my bloody noses, so be grateful for your nose hairs! :) I can't wait to have my hair in a messy bun on my head. Sorry mom, I know you dread the day I have my messy hair back.

I'm beyond thrilled to be able to start working out hard again. To see some gains. To feel my body move towards health and strength. I know I still have surgery and will be out for that recovery, but it will be fun to workout hard the next few weeks.

October 19th is surgery day. I will be having a full mastectomy and reconstruction. So until then you'll find me in the gym or in the mountains!

And already 10 days after my last treatment I have been living it up! I even took Tuesday morning off work to go for a hike with Ryan. This was big for me to do this. I LOVE my job and I've always been a very hard worker. Well that hasn't changed, but I have definitely realized that it's okay to not work 40 hours every week. As long as my clients and team are taken care of it's okay for me to take 3-4 hours off one morning to go outside. It seems silly to me because I know I get to play every weekend. But I'm trying to be better about doing things during the week. The fall leaves are dropping quick and I really wanted to get outside and see them before they were gone. So Tuesday morning Ryan and I did a hike I have been wanting to do for a long time, Cathedral Lake near Aspen. I admit, I felt guilty about work and worried that when we got back to cell service I would have chaos happening. It was silly for me to worry. I knew I had done everything the night before and that morning to make sure everything would be okay for a few hours and it was. And despite feeling guilty, the hike was gorgeous! And we had some very happy puppies too, which is of utmost importance to me. So lesson learned: If you have an amazing boss and job that allows you to have the autonomy to do things like this, then do it, it's important and will make you happier!

Thankful: 
Thank you to Valley View Hospital and the amazing staff there. I am not going to miss chemo but I am going to miss seeing the familiar faces of all the great people there.  From Jeff that takes my vitals and brings me my favorite drink (ice chips and a little water) and drew me this sweet picture.

To Diane, my actual nurse who not only takes great care of me each treatment but she is super rad too. She loves the outdoors and hiking, so I love talking with her about trails in the area.

To Kristin, she wasn't my specific nurse, but she was a nurse there that I loved chatting with and getting to know.  Thank you to Terry, the nurse for Rovira's team who could answer all my weird questions. And of course thank you to Dr. Rovira and Amy, his PA. They oversaw my treatment, knew when to push me, when to encourage me, and were always helpful. And they were both crossfitters, so there's that. :) I also am so thankful for all the other amazing people. From the integrated therapists, the admin teams, and all the amazing volunteers. Thank you so much for your care these past 20 weeks of treatment!