The consultants who’ve essentially been in control of my life for the past seven months have done what they needed to do in terms of treating me and are now starting to sign me off. I’m beginning to feel independent again. It’s a good feeling.
I was at the clinic this past Monday for physio but before that I hadn’t been there for a whole two weeks. A fortnight is not so long in the broader scheme of things, but I don’t think I’d had such a long period without an appointment or treatment related to my breast cancer since July last year.
I also saw the consultant breast surgeon this week for a three-month follow-up so I did in fact have two appointments this week. Nonetheless, I no longer feel I’m tied to the place.
People are warned that they may feel abandoned when their hospital-based treatment (chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy) finishes as they’ve got used to all the appointments and treatment and to having people caring for them. I haven’t any sense of abandonment – yet? – perhaps because for me there was no sudden end to things. Most people walk out of their final radiotherapy session and that’s it, but not me. I finished radiotherapy on the last Friday in February (“…3, 2, 1 and relax. Congratulations!”) but was back almost every day the following week (It’s not over ’til it’s over) as I’d had a bad skin reaction to treatment and was having the dressings changed on an almost daily basis. And there have been plenty of other appointments since then.
I’m still having physiotherapy on my operated side and there will be various other appointments over the next few weeks and months, but it’s good that things are tailing off. Feeling free again has its own challenges but, grateful as I am to everyone who’s been and who continues to be involved in my treatment and care, I can safely say I’m happy finally to feel no longer tethered to what has sometimes over the past seven months felt like a second home.
iamtheoneineight 