To all, I have a friend who I met early in her chemotherapy and have fallen for her because of her wonderful personality, understanding, and beautiful self both inside and out. She just finished her last treatment at the end of July and even before it, the doctors had indicated she is cancer free from her PET scans. I'm so happy for her and in the process of getting to know her, I really have fallen for her and even though she's not at my level because of her chemo and confused emotions, I'm still patient through it and promised her I'd always fight for us.
Her cancer was the more rarer of non-hodgkins lymphoma and so she received heavy doses of chemo and I know it affected her alot. She started chemo in Februrary and I know she has good and bad days, but a couple of days ago she indicated she just needs time to herself and was going to shut everyone out, including friends. She told me though that she doesn't want to call me up in two weeks and me tell her that I don't want to talk to her anymore. She reminded me that I had said that I'd keep fighting for us, even though sometimes it seems like she pushes me away. There's also more to this story, in that I went out of the country for three weeks before her last treatment, I had already purchased these tickets well in advance before ever meeting her, and she understood that. There's no issue there. But the problem is I haven't seen her since I've been back and it's been almost two months. I've barely talked to her because she's been going through so much. With her shutting me (and her other friends or so she says), makes it more difficult. This woman means so much to me and I submitted my feelings for her; even as I write this, it's so difficult not to become emotional.
Anyway, I read on the internet that post-chemotherapy symptoms can begin to disappear 6-12 months after the last treatment but can take years. I think the biggest items on her is her depression which I think also stems from low blood counts and pain from the neutripine shots she receives. She takes a tremendous amount of drugs and she has talked to me before very loopy from the drugs and said some really odd things, some very hurtful too. Basically, these are things that she says she feels she is upset with herself and quite honestly, it shouldn't because I totally understand what she is going through and willing to put up with it. I don't know about her other friends, but surely I endure it because I want to, because I support her, and because I feel an emotional connection with her. There is a saying of the best reward received by anyone is the one received after enduring pain to get it.
So my question to you all is what was some of your post-chemotherapy experiences and how long did it take for bring people back into your lives?