Yesterday kicked off the final round of chemo! I wore my snail/alien (I think it’s technically a snail, but I call it an alien) headband again and got some compliments from some of my fellow chemo patients and their families. Pro tip if you ever have to do something like chemo or you’re going to another not-fun appointment, it helps to be a little silly. I napped almost the whole time this treatment so it zoomed by for me. I woke up a little confused that my nurse was sending me off since I hadn’t realized I had already been given my final meds.

Last weekend I got to have a hangout day with my mama and we had a great time. She got me a bunch of new clothes which I was in need of. One thing I’m not sure I’ve talked a lot about is the weight loss I’d had in the past year, which was actually one of the flags that something was wrong, leading to my diagnosis. I started to notice the weight loss around summer of last year, but hadn’t done anything to make it happen. I kept losing weight - and kept getting compliments from family and friends about how great I looked. They meant well. But it didn’t feel good because my body didn’t feel good, and I couldn’t pinpoint why it was happening.

None of my clothes fit well anymore and I was dealing with a lot of body dysmorphia. My body looked different than it had in awhile and while I had people telling me they wish they could lose weight without trying, I was scared and uncomfortable in my new body.

When I finally went to the doctor in March of this year, finally someone else was as concerned as I was about my weight loss. It turned out that rapid weight loss without trying is one of the symptoms of lymphoma. One of the goals my oncologist had for me through treatment was not to lose any more weight. I’ve been grateful that rather than being super sick, my appetite has been quite strong. I am at a point where I’m feeling comfortable in my body again, and getting to the end of treatment my body is on it’s way to being healthier and happier than it’s been in a long time.

In practice of gratitude and positivity, here are some things that made me happy this week: