Oh spring I miss you

"It always seems impossible until its done." - Nelson Mandela

True. True. I still can not believe it, but I'm done with Herceptin. Her-crap-tin. Done. Goodbye! 

So you would expect me to feel happy and relieved and part of me is. I think. But I'm mostly confused. Not sure what to do now. So this is what they call... life after cancer. 

I need time to heal and I need to give myself this. I owe that to myself. I also need to accept this, which is a tough thing. A year and half I have been riding this medical roller coaster and now I'm getting off. Life just doesn't go on. Or maybe it does... but it's far from anything you're familiar with.  

I am still sad and I still have so much to process. A lot of people don't seem to understand this. It is so hard for me to talk about everything that happened. I still cry a lot (which according to my mother is a good thing).

So I was doing groceries with my mother when we ran into a guy she knew. We talked a bit and I told him I was done with Herceptin and blah blah and while I tell him I notice how sad I get. Then we run into my neighbours... again I have to tell my story. They even asked me if the Herceptin worked? I know I should not get angry for people asking stupid questions because two years ago I did know nothing about cancer and treatment either. But you can't be patient all the time. It does make me angry. Egh and I hate all these questions. To top it all, the lady behind the counter said, "Oh you're hair is growing but I really liked the short hair!" Permission to punch? 

So then I come home I am so sad and all these words and conversations go through my head over and over again. Everything is so overwhelming and I know it's part of what I have to go through to deal with everything. But you're just so damn sick and tired of everything after a year and a half. 

I want sunshine. Little beams of happiness. 

Hair diary update!

But first comes number 17

I am so glad the Holidays and all that festive crap is over. I was so not in the mood. Basically I went to bed at 10.30 p.m. on New year's eve and slept through everything. I was perfectly fine with that.

So now it is a brand new year and I have 1 more Herceptin to go. One. Only weeks ago I thought I would never make it. But really, it's happening. I am doing it!

The thing is, with the Herceptin being gone... I am not done. It's the chapter Herceptin that is closed, finished. I have noticed this is hard to understand for people but I can not simply pick up the pieces and move on.

There is so much 'stuff', unfinished business, left in my head. I am scared. Because for over a year I had my life planned out. I knew I would get sick every three weeks. Everything evolved around cancer. Now I start with a new chapter, a blank page, and it scares me so damn much. I don't even know where to begin.

Thank god for psychologists and people like that. Because they actually have 'ideas' about this issue. Phew.

I am still such an emotional person. Getting up in the morning is the HARDEST part. I feel so sad and lost usually. But sometimes I have better days where I go out and do things, even if it is just groceries, take walks or visit work... I do all of these things. Little steps.

It is so hard for me to answer people's questions though. Not only because I get so emotional and always start crying. But because it is so obvious people will never understand me and I always have to explain everything. According to my psychologist it is all part of the healing. I have to learn how to say I do not want to talk about it. Or perhaps start to talk about something else. It's all one big learning process. Slowly and with a little patience.

But first comes Herceptin number 17/17 on January 24th.