Finished Chemo (Hooray!); Now to Duke for Tests

HoooRAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!

Cowboy Billy FINISHED HIS CHEMO yesterday!

I tried to find some way to say proper thanks to the nurses, but every time I said something, it came out wrong:

Me to the nurses: Thank you all so much! It's been such a wonderful experience!

Bill (interrupting): For YOU, maybe. You weren't the one getting weapons grade plutonium injected into your hand.

Me: Oh, gosh. That came out wrong. What I meant was, you've all been so nice. We'll miss coming here!

Bill (interrupting): YOU might, maybe. You weren't the one...

Me: Alright already.

I never DID get it right. But they knew what I meant, anyway. They actually seemed very happy for Bill, and said they love seeing their patients graduate.

I said an internal goodbye to the little birds, too.

But life has a way of saying, "Knock it off," when we get too sentimental: just as I was looking out the window, a huge, malevolent-looking orange and black cat came skulking out of the bushes. Just what the chemo patients do NOT need is THAT particular combination--tiny birds and one bad cat--right outside their picture window.

GOING BACK TO DUKE
So Dr. Walther's office at Duke called today. Bill and I have to go over on Feb. 22 for a CT scan and lab tests to see what kind of success we had with the chemo. The next morning we meet with Dr. Walther, early, and get the results and, at that meeting, we will set up the surgery date. We still expect it to be in early March.

NERVES
I'm more nervous about this upcoming meeting than I was about the chemo. I feel certain that we will get good news from the new CT scan, but it still rattles your mind a little. And I have some very high hopes for the report, which hopes I do not want to let go of--hopes like: "This is incredible! The cancer has completely disappeared! You don't need surgery! Later, tater!"

I can hope, anyway, right? :)