I've already documented my experience with radiation for breast cancer, including a scrapbook layout, treatment information, and the final bill. However, I left out one important thing: the ceremonial burning of my hospital bracelet after my final session of radiation therapy. My skin was raw, swollen, and very painful and I was extremely fatigued, but you'd never know it from the huge smile on my face as I watched the bracelet disappear into ash. There aren't a lot of happy moments during a breast cancer journey, so I'm glad to have captured this one.
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Done with Radiation (affiliate link)
I hesitated in using the title "done!" for this layout because it has become a trigger word for me. It is extremely upsetting when people ask me if I'm done with breast cancer, because I am not and never will be. I'm dealing with adhesive capulitis (frozen shoulder syndrome) and lymphedema, both caused by the breast surgery. I'm on month four of ten years of endocrine therapy (and all its unpleasant side effects). After ten years, the best I can hope for is not "done" or "cancer free" or "in remission" but rather NED (No Evidence of Disease). I am forever changed by breast cancer - physically, mentally, and emotionally.
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