I finished my last Herceptin treatment on February 24th, and had the port removed on the following day. Port removal turned out to be every bit as irritating as port insertion: I had to be there at 8:00am, couldn't eat or drink anything, and then sat around until 2:30 before the procedure because they had some type of emergency. And then I didn't even get any sedation so the IV insertion and the starvation were all for nothing. Next time I'm supposed to have "surgery" I'm going to risk death and drink some freaking coffee beforehand. Anyway, I was very mildly sore for about a day and a half and that was it. Definitely not as painful as when it went in.
The next day we drove to Charleston for a little weekend celebration! We stayed at the Andrew Pinckney Inn, which was great. We were actually in the building across the street from this one, but you could go in the lobby and get cookies whenever you wanted.
I sprung for the junior suite.
Look at all this coffee! I have never stayed anywhere so generous with the in-room coffee.
This picture over the couch was alarming, though, once I noticed that it looks like a creepy alien eye is peering from behind the plant. I feel sure this is not intentional but once you see it, it cannot be un-seen.
Our main goals on this trip were to wander aimlessly and eat a lot and relax. As part of the relaxation portion, Ben brought this library book for some light reading.
The first night we went to Husk, which was my top restaurant priority upon booking the trip. It was fantastic! This picture of my entree is the only one I took, but rest assured everything was equally beautiful and delicious. Highlights included our appetizer of fried chicken skins, which was a huge portion, and the beverages. The wine was excellent and they had a big selection of non-alcoholic drinks, too, so Benjamin got to try some fun stuff.
On Saturday we toured the Aiken-Rhett House, which does not allow photography inside but was very interesting. It's preserved but not restored, so has a slight air of creepiness throughout.
This is the park next to the house.
We met up for lunch with my friend Emily and her boyfriend, who were coincidentally in town at the same time, but sadly did not take any pictures. Then we just walked around town for a long time. The weather was perfect. These houses are on the waterfront.
Saturday night we ate at Blossom, which I think was the best meal of the trip. Unfortunately we overestimated what we were actually capable of eating and got way, way too full. Ben couldn't bend at the waist to take off his shoes. It was rough!
Sunday we did some more walking.
And then we went out to Middleton Place plantation to look around. It has the largest gardens in America (I think? or at least they were the largest at one time) and they take really great care of it. I was initially kind of horrified at what it cost to get in ($43 per person for gardens & house!) but after wandering around there for a few hours it was obvious how costly it has to be to keep up.
The original house burned after the Civil War. This was a small side-house used as a business office but they have all sorts of family treasures in there now.
This is the oldest tree in South Carolina.
There are lots of animals at Middleton Place!
For our last meal we went to Slightly North of Broad, which was also our last meal the last time we were in Charleston. We need to stop going here last because we're always too full from the weekend by the third day. Still, we managed dessert.
I also saw a lady there with super short hair sitting at an adjoining table and eavesdropped enough to determine she was also a breast cancer person. I later saw her in the bathroom and said that I noticed her short hair and she said, "I noticed yours too!" and then we hugged and talked about our treatment plans and stuff. What a fun secret club! Just kidding, it sucks.
It's been over a month now since I finished treatment and I'm kind of alarmed at how little I think about it (aside from being annoyed with my short curly hair and repeating to myself, "if it comes and goes, it's not cancer," regarding my occasionally achy right hip). I had a followup with my radiation oncologist's nurse practitioner last week and I kept getting the feeling she expected me to be more freaked out than I was. Most people do have a difficult time with the end of treatment, but I wonder if having the Herceptin for nine months following chemo helped me feel like it was tapering off rather than just ending abruptly.
I don't have any appointments now until mid-June, which is the longest doctor-free stretch in over a year. It's a touch unsettling. I have to trust that they know what they're doing, though, and don't think I warrant any more treatment. I do sort of wish I could keep having some, though. Like just a chemo booster once a year or a little extra burst of radiation once in a while. Just in case!
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