Last chemo – hooray!!

Last chemo – hooray!!

I have finally arrived at my 6^th and final chemo session! It has been a journey in the true sense…I have learned so much along the way about myself and others – and I have been pleasantly surprised at how manageable (for the most part) the whole experience has been. I have found hidden reserves of resilience that I didn’t know I had…and this has been enabled by my darling, long suffering husband Harry and our wonderful family, as well as all the friends who have offered so much support and comfort along the way. I can never thank you all enough.

  

As usual, I had a downhill slump (‘flu-like’ aches and pains, extreme exhaustion) post chemo. I think that it is now taking me an extra day or two to recover… however I have been told that this is to be expected, given the cumulative effect of the chemo. Nevertheless, knowing how long it will take for the side effects to abate…and knowing that the improvement is not far away makes the ‘slump’ more tolerable.

Unfortunately I wasn't well enough to attend Josh's drumming soiree, but we had video & photos to partly fill the void. We are also so very proud of him for winning a Taekwondo award over the past few weeks.

By the Friday week after chemo, I was well enough to spend dinner with the family, joined by a Sydney friend, Keppie. It was great to catch up with her.

By the weekend, I was feeling almost back to normal…and well enough to go to the movies and dinner with friends. On the Monday, I was thrilled to be able to attend an Ikebana workshop together with Mum…the first time I have done any Ikebana since I was diagnosed in July! It was a very enjoyable workshop – with the theme of ‘two containers, one arrangement’ -  run by the tireless Elizabeth Angell. It was wonderful to catch up with the very supportive and encouraging Sogetsu Ikebana community – and to put my mind to doing something creative.

 

Harry organised a band rehearsal on Wednesday night of “The Good, The Bad & The Ungliks at our place, and as he predicted, the mostly 70’s music was great for my endorphins! 

The following day I had lunch with Mum and my sister, Netti, following which we met with my surgeon, who is very happy with my progress. That night we attended Abby’s Stage School performance, and as usual, we were blown away by the professional standard the kids achieve. 

  

After a wonderfully hectic week, we went to Daylesford for a relaxing weekend with friends…with nothing to do but eat and chat. Monday, we went to the theatre and saw the excellent “Photograph 51”. Tuesday, I had my pre-chemo appointment with my Oncologist, Linda, who gave me the go ahead for chemo this week. My haemoglobin and neutrophils are at the low end of acceptable, but this is due to the cumulative effect of the chemo which results in my bone marrow taking longer to recover. I look forward to increased energy levels as I get over the chemo.

We are missing Leon, Romy, Dash and Lulu, but fortunately we speak with them on Face Time regularly – and they send us photos to keep us in the loop with what they are up to. 

Unfortunately, most of what remained of my hair fell out over the last few days. For the next few months, this is the new ‘me’:

It was an early start today and as usual, we went in to Peter Mac by tram; by far the quickest and most convenient method. Check in was efficient and we got off to a good start. The staff were fabulous. They were so warm, welcoming and excited that it was my last chemo session. We were seated next to a large window with a magnificent view of the sunny day outside. How could I not feel happy?

The ice cap was fitted (hopefully it will help me keep my new hair growth which is starting to appear), and soon after our darling Becky arrived. This time she brought me a folder filled with messages from various friends that she had managed to contact. It was very moving for me to receive such a wonderful gift. My deepest thanks go to every one of you who participated, and to everyone who has sent me messages wishing me well over the journey. Feeling all the love and warmth so enhances my ability to breeze through the process! I then viewed a fabulous video of photos, against a background of two of my favourite Stevie Wonder songs ‘produced’ by Abby and Joshy, who also each made moving speeches to me in the middle of the video.

I was then treated to a wonderful, relaxing foot massage by the volunteer masseur, Emma. Soon after, my caring sister Netti and brother-in-law Howard arrived. It was lovely to spend time with them and to have them with me. Gary also came at lunch time. It is always a treat to have him there. Harry bought delicious sandwiches for us all, and we enjoyed lunch together.

I dozed on and off most of the afternoon, and before I knew it, I was finished at 3.30. We packed up and Becky and Netti joined us in the cab home. 

Beck cooked us a delicious Moroccan Fish dinner. After dinner, I did a gentle walk around the block in the sunshine, and now I am ready for bed. I will probably post this blog tomorrow, as I am too tired tonight to finalize it and add the photos.

The best way out is always through’, as I first quoted in my initial blog. Thankfully we have gone through, and my cancer markers (prior to this chemo) are now down from 863 to 7 – which is well within normal limits! I can now allow my body (and most particularly, my bone marrow) to heal completely and I am looking forward to building up fitness as this occurs.  

We have been told to think of ovarian cancer as a chronic disease – that will more than likely return at some point. However, the longer that I am cancer free, the more likely it is that new treatment options will be available to me if and when I need them. We now know that my cancer was caused by a mutation in the BRCA1 gene. This makes me a candidate for a new treatment using “PARP Inhibitors”. PARP is a protein in our body that helps damaged cells to mend themselves. The PARP inhibitor (Oliparb) stops PARP working. Cancer cells with altered BRCA genes depend on PARP to keep their DNA functioning. Taking Oliparb stops PARP from mending the DNA cell damage (from the chemo), which means that the cancer cells don’t survive. The aim of this is to lengthen the remission time significantly. I will start this treatment in mid-January – giving me 8 weeks of recovery time! I will be taking 2 tablets a day for 2 years. The side effects are variable and I am hopeful that mine will be minimal (if the chemo response is any indication).

I will update the blog occasionally in the coming months with regards to how the PARP inhibitor treatment is going. I am sure that with all the wonderful support we have from our family and friends, we will get ‘through’ this treatment and ‘get out’ the other side. Until next time, I wish you all well and thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

Our love and thanks to you all.

Robyn (and Harry)