End of Treatments and Final Blog

Last week was my final radiation treatment and what a journey it has been.  I was scheduled for 30 treatments which took 6 weeks plus one day to complete.  The extra day was due to an equipment problem that caused a day of delay.  The first 25 treatments consisted of radiation from 4 different directions.  The treatments themselves only took about 10 minutes and of course the radiation techs were so professional and accommodating. 

The last 5 treatments were a booster that targeted the surgery area specifically. The process to make the metal plate for the radiation was interesting. The plate blocked the radiation to everywhere except the surgery area which was selected from a detailed mammogram.  The plate was actually made twice because I was concerned that it did not include the area from my second surgery when the surgeon went in to make sure that the margins were clear from cancer cells. 

The radiation plate goes on the end of the extension and is lowered to within an inch or two of the area to be radiated.

I had a big surprise on my final treatment day (Monday, Sept 28). Rick came with me and was taking me out to lunch to celebrate. When I came into the waiting area, Jackie, Errol, and Steph were waiting for me with a finish line banner to break through.  It really brought back lots of treatment memories and of course made me cry.  It really has been a journey from finding the mass, having surgery to remove it, two types of chemo treatments, and finally radiation.  I believe that the biggest miracle has been how well my body handled radiation. I was able to exercise almost every day without ever feeling the exhaustion that so many others have described. I definitely think that exercise has been the key for me.   It was extremely hard to start exercising again about half way through chemo but I hung in there with walking until I could walk my usual 3 to 4 miles and then add some Yoga  and Pilates classes. 

Rick and I went for a wonderful bike ride to Inkom and back this past weekend. It was great to be out on a ride again but I definitely have a ways to go before I have all of my endurance back. I do feel healthy and energized. My final step to beat cancer is to take an anti-estrogen drug for the next 5 years. Rick and I fasted this past week about the drug because we have concerns about possible side effects such as hair loss, bone aches, digestion issues, bone loss, etc, etc, etc. My hair is currently about 1/4 inch long but it is coming quite thick.  I also have my eyelashes back which is amazing because about 6 weeks ago I had zero eyelashes. 

Life really is great and I am looking forward to spending retirement with my husband starting October 2014.