Saying Farewell to a "Mentor"

During his journey the Hero is frequently guided by numerous mentors. Some will teach him skills, while others will help him achieve specific tasks or goals. This week I said farewell to one of the key mentors responsible for my recovery.

Yesterday, I saw my oncologist for the first time since I completed chemotherapy at the end of June. She was very pleased with my recovery and upon reading the pathology report (which she had faxed to her during the appointment) she was absolutely beaming. "This is the best we could hope for," she said, "to prevent recurrence." As I've reported previously, the chemo did its job so well there were no traces of the tumors remaining.

Unless I develop another tumor I won't be seeing anyone in the oncology department again. She says all that is required at this point is monthly self-breast exams (or chest exams in my case), regular quarterly checkups with my family doctor and yearly blood work. I won't need to go for a CT because they try to limit the number of CT scans because they can cause cancer. Basically she cautioned me to listen to my body and when something doesn't seem right...go see my GP.

We also discussed a few side-effects I've had since treatment stopped. There is a persistent feeling of numbness/swelling in both my right hand and my feet. She says the D portion of FEC-D chemo can sometimes cause nerve damage and this is probably what I am experiencing. This may or may not go away. It really doesn't affect my day-to-day life in any way except as a minor irritant. I can still walk, type, paint etc. The treatment also stopped my monthly cycles, which she confirms are not likely to restart. However, I do need to protect myself against osteoporosis which means taking calcium and vitamin D and being physically active. I'm trying very hard to get into the habit of walking and so far so good this week -- Cole and I have been out twice for an hour each and Tess and I were out once for about 20 minutes (she can't go as far, nor as fast as she once did). Now I just need to keep it up. It is recommended I have a bone density scan in three or four years to gauge any bone loss.

Yesterday was my regular appointment with the radiation therapy nurse too. (Yes, I probably spent about two hours at the hospital.) I'm glad I didn't have treatment today because the skin is becoming quite sensitive. I look like I have a minor sunburn on my left side, up to my neck and under my arm. In fact the other night my arm was itching so badly I had to get up and apply more cream. I treat it with a hydro-cortisone cream provided by the doctor, and apply aloe gel to the rest of the area which is still only a little pink. The good news -- only four more treatments until I'm through.

The Hero is on his way back to his own world after a long a arduous journey. It will be good to put this all behind me and get on with the task of putting myself back together.