SURGERY: WALKING INTO THE UNKNOWN
The original plan after finishing my radiation and chemotherapy tablets was to begin IV chemotherapy a couple of weeks later. But when the time came, I knew I couldn't do it. By that point, I was completely exhausted. I had very little energy, my skin still hadn't fully healed, and I was still struggling to keep food down. My body had already been through so much, and deep down I knew it simply couldn't cope with any more treatment. When I spoke with my medical oncologist, she explained that if I didn't start chemotherapy within the planned timeframe, the benefits would drop significantly. As it stood, there was only about a 50% chance it would provide any additional benefit. Waiting another week would reduce that even further, to the point where it likely wouldn't be worthwhile. If that was the decision I made, we would move straight to planning surgery. It wasn't an easy decision, but I believed it was the best one for my body. I prayed, placed the outcome in ...