Silver Lining

I am now at peace with the fact that I'm moving onto a new treatment (even though I'm nervous about it too) and have found many things that I WON'T miss about the old treatment. For example...(and in no particular order)

1. Inpatient hospital stays: this has a whole list of it's own. Should I name them all? Yes. I won't miss yucky hospital food, throwing up/nausea, the "dog" (pole of meds), scratchy sheets/blankets, chills and body aches, blowing up like a balloon, feeling my heart race, and most importantly, being awakened every 2 hrs to check my vitals. (I do have say though, the nurses were amazing and having my parents there with me made all the difference!)

2. Increased mucus production and bloody mucus. I know, yuck. But I've dealt with it everyday for um, 9 months now and I'm kinda sick of it! (Not to mention going through a box of kleenex every 3 days!)

3. Self injections of IL-2 each night on my stomach and legs. No more lumps and bumps!

4. The general feeling of being wiped out every day.

5. The sleeplessness/insomnia issue that comes right after treatment (we think it's because my sleep cycles are disrupted in the hospital).

6. Being gone from my family for almost a whole week every month (now I will be just gone a couple days every 3 weeks for 3 months and then after that, only every 3 months!).

7. Feeling bloated and constispated after the hospital and having to lose 15-20 lbs of water weight.

8. Super dry skin. I've tried so many moisturizers and nothing does the trick all day.

9. Lastly, getting PICC lines put into my arm every treatment. I have had 10, count them, 10 and let me tell you, it's not a cake walk getting that little procedure done! My veins have had it and arms are starting to look like I'm a herroine user!