Almost Back to Normal

This past Monday, I took a normal shower for the first time in 4.5 months and it felt great! It felt great just to be able to stand under a shower head and not have to worry about covering parts of my body up. Last Friday I had my nephrostomy tube removed which allowed me to take normal showers again. It was a simple and quick procedure and lasted all of ten mintues. I was really happy to be rid of my tube and "pee bag". The urologist was almost recommending that we keep the catheter in and just put a cap on it in case there was a reason to put the tube back in but I was adamant about taking it out. I was all done with chemo and my "plumbing" seems to be working just fine so it was more than time to take the tube out. I was happy that it served a vital part of my chemo treatment and helped my kidney process the drugs and what not but I will not miss having the tube in my kidney. It really does feel good to not have an extra appendage and not have to worry about sleeping awkwardly on it or worry that the bag might leak (I've had a few horror stories about leakage most notably on the flight back from Cancun and I feel bad for whoever had to sit on my seat on the next flight). With the tube and bag out, it feels like everything is almost back to normal. My tumor is gone, my chemo is done, my bag is out, and my hair and eyebrows are starting to grow back out. I'm back to work full time and it feels like I haven't really left at all. I guess there's really nothing wrong at all with getting back into the routine of things. The first thing I wanted once I started treatement was for everything to be normal again and I think I'm almost there now...

I saw my neprologist today and he was pleased with my progress. The kidney is fine and I really don't have to worry about it anymore. I just need to maintain my healthy and strict diet and get plenty of exercise and I'll be fine. Just one more visit on Jan 14 for my bone marrow biopsy and that should be the last of the hospital visits and then it will be just routine check ups from there.

2015 was not the greatest year for me but despite my diagnosis and the challenging treatment I went through, I'm still thankful and grateful for everything that I have. The thing about cancer is that it makes you realize that it can take everything away from you that you hold precious and it also makes you appreciate everything so much more. I am thankful that I have good health, my family, my friends, and everyone else that has touched me on my journey. Without everyone's support, I don't think I would have fared as well as I have. Thank you everyone...and I mean that sincerely from the bottom of my heart.