Lesson 8: Life Goes On
Life beyond breast cancer
Post-Treatment
When you finally complete your treatment, usually radiation or chemotherapy, you are euphoric. Then you walk out of the doctor's office for the final time on a regularly-scheduled basis (quarterly, semi-annual or annual check-ups will be with you forever) and at some point, you stop dead in your tracks. It hits you. There is no one now who is going to worry about your every move, your tiniest cough, your aching back, the state of your white cells...
While the completion of treatment is a celebratory event, it can also be unnerving. You've been in this little cocoon for a long time. Now the medical staff is turning you loose. You are officially NED (no evidence of disease) and can start enjoying life as a survivor, not a patient. It's a new role for you to adjust to.
It's also a new role for your family, friends and co-workers. The uninformed assume that since you are done, you are back to normal. Those who know what you have gone through long for you and their lives to be back to the way it was before. You, whether you want to admit it or not, are a changed woman. You are new and improved. Maybe a little battle weary, but definitely a stronger woman.
This can be a hard time in your recovery period, both physically and emotionally. You want to get your life back in order, but you are still bruised, sore, tired, bloated, hairless, etc - a combination of post-treatment side effects and your mental health is not up to par yet either.
Be patient. I know that is hard to hear. I walked out the door from my last chemo and wanted to rip my port out and be skinny, with long hair and have the energy I used to. It didn't happen that way. It took 3 months before they took out the port. Then I gained weight from Tamoxifen. It was 6 months before I had all my energy and brain cells back. It was definitely worth the wait, but the waiting is soooo hard. So hang in there! If you have made it through all the treatments, you are now a new you, a free woman! Make the most of it.
http://www.breasthealthlink.com/life_aft... http://www.cancernorth.nhs.uk/test_treat...
