Breaking Up with the Vampires

Breaking Up with the Vampires

🌼 Date: Saturday, February 7, 2026

⚡ Energy: Thin… but still holding.

💗 Status: Drained, tested, and somehow still standing.

🧪 Outlook: Cleared for the final stretch.

Today I paid my final visit to the vampires at the lab.

In order for the pharmacists to prepare the correct cocktail of radioactivity for my next infusion, I have to get blood work done 24–48 hours beforehand. Rules are rules, even when you’re already running on fumes.

This kind of blood draw isn’t just a quick poke and go. They usually take three to four vials, which to a normal person probably doesn’t sound like much. But when your body is already working with next to nothing, every little bit feels precious.

Each time they clicked another vial onto the end of the hose, I swear I could feel the life draining out of me. Dramatic? Maybe. Accurate? Absolutely.

Still—this was the last time for this particular type of draw, and I am deeply grateful for that.

As the results started trickling in, I braced myself. And honestly? It could have been worse. I was only severely low in a couple of spots. One of them, of course, being my white blood cell count.

Which explains why, on days 3–7 after chemo, I get the pleasure of giving myself Granix shots.

Ah yes. The super fun growth hormone injections that tell my bone marrow, “Hey buddy, wake up—time to make some white blood cells.” Which it does… loudly… and painfully… by triggering some pretty intense bone pain.

Good times ahead.

But here’s the thing—I’m still cleared. Still moving forward. Still on track for the final round. My body may be tired, depleted, and slightly annoyed at me, but it’s showing up.

And so am I.

One more lab visit crossed off. One more step closer to the end of this chapter. And one less appointment where someone literally siphons off what little I have left.

Worth celebrating.

💗 Tina –
One Badass Day at a Time