Today's Blog is Brought to You by the Number 6...

Phase I of treatment is a wrap - radiation finished up last Wednesday, and the chemo pump came off Monday. I wish I could tell you that the last few days treatment free have been blissful, but alas, no. As I had been told all along, despite the relief of being at the finish line, physically, the end is the worst. But, as I've also learned, treatment pushes you until you are teetering on the edge, and than its over and you recover - quickly.

Donovan has been learning to count - goldfish, stairs, the number of tires on the school buses we pass on our way to work. So lately I've been finding myself counting things, too.

Over 6 weeks of treatment I've had:

• 28 radiation treatments, with 3 shots of gamma rays each time
  
• 200 ml of Fluoroucil (chemo), pumped in slowly in tiny batches every 10 minutes, 6 times an hour, 144 times a day, for 28 days
  
• 6k ml of leucovorin, a reduced folic acid used in conjunction with the chemo to enhance effectiveness
  
• 9 prescriptions and 6 over the counter medications to address side effects
  
• 16 doctor appointments
  
• 6 blood tests
  
• 1 abdominal ultrasound
  
• 1 grey hair

Of course, there are also all the things I lost count of - the meals, cards and emails, and other thoughtful gestures from family and friends, the kisses and hugs from Van and Steve, the simple pleasures because I was finally too tired to over-complicate things.

So, now I have 6 glorious weeks off before phase II. Surgery and recovery will undoubtedly be a new challenge, but for now, I can just relax, heal, get back to running and skiing, and continue to count all the simple pleasures.