Officially 75% done

There is a light at the end of my chemo journey. It is faint, but it is shining brighter every single day.

Infusion #3 side effects so far have been really similar to infusion #1 and infusion #2 side effects. The only difference was that I had a super low grade fever over the weekend. I actually bore myself talking about it, but just as a reminder, mostly to myself, Sunday and Monday post-infusion suck. I know that Sunday and Monday will be my bad days, but somehow seem surprised each time when the fatigue sets in and food tastes like cardboard. So far, I seem to have bounced back nicely and have once again been enjoying life.

The weather has been drop-dead gorgeous in Salt Lake and I got out this morning for a perfect ride.

A beautiful day in Salt Lake City

I really wanted to ride up Millcreek Canyon to Pipeline and Rattlesnake Gulch, but since this is my low immunity week there are two things I'm trying to avoid: rattlesnakes and bees. Actually there are a million things that I'm trying to avoid, but for my ride's sake I stuck to rattlesnakes and bees. Since there are frequent rattlesnake sightings on Rattlesnake Gulch (hence the name), I opted for a more chemo 'safe' ride on the Shoreline. I'm usually bored to death by the Shoreline this time of year, but since chemo has restricted me to the road every third week, it was a treat to ride some dirt.

It was warm enough to sweat a little today

At the bottom of the 'grassy climb' on Shoreline.

As for the light at the end of the tunnel, my final infusion is scheduled for June 17th. I won't consider myself officially 'done' with chemo until the first weekend post-infusion when I start to feel more like myself. After that, I have my final reconstruction surgery (date to be determined). There will be a few weeks of restrictions after this surgery, so unfortunately more downtime. This may be a good thing, though, so I don't go too crazy and overdo it as soon as I am done with chemo. I know my body will need time to recover from chemo; I hope I have the willpower to give my body that time. As for final reconstruction, I am still in the process of deciding what I am going to do, and since it is an elective procedure I am not in a huge hurry. There are lots of options, options are good, but make the decision a bit harder, especially for a person who has a tough time making decisions. I will do an entire post on my decision making process when I am ready.

As for post-chemo plans, I am ready to start making some. We have not traveled since the weekend before my mastectomy in March. I think that is a record for consecutive weeks spent in Salt Lake City. I am ready for some trips! We are planning a trip to Steamboat in July and Wyoming in August. Perfect timing to get a break from Salt Lake's high desert summer heat! In the meantime, I hope to spend the next two weeks enjoying our mild weather and rippin' some trails.