Oliver: End of radiation treatments resets countdown clock to be declared cancer-free

Now comes the waiting, which is the hardest part.

Five years ago, when I completed a month of radiation treatments on my right side for breast cancer, I was hopeful. Few women with my stage of breast cancer had a recurrence of the disease during the first five years. The plan was to make it for five years, be declared cancer-free and get on with life.

That, of course, did not happen.

In February, a routine mammogram turned up something small but new on my left side that needed to be examined further. A more intense mammogram confirmed that something wasn’t quite right, so a biopsy was ordered.

A new cancer had developed in my left breast. This is the same side that had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which had been removed during a double lumpectomy procedure in June 2019. A stage 1 tumor had been removed from the right side, which is what prompted the first round of radiation.

Another lumpectomy on that left side took place at the end of March of this year. Then, because my surgeon wasn’t happy with the “margins” she got, I had another surgery at the beginning of June. This time, all the cancer was out.

Then it was a waiting game to heal before I could begin that second round of radiation treatments.

Since I’d had them before, I knew what to expect.

Unlike chemotherapy, where powerful drugs are used to kill cancer cells throughout the body, radiation treatments are much more targeted. That means that if you had seen me during the time I received my radiation treatments, you probably wouldn’t have been aware that anything was going on.

With radiation treatments, at least for breast cancer, there isn’t a loss of hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. My long, curly hair was never in danger.

What I did have to be careful about was my skin. In severe cases, radiation treatments can cause blistering of the skin, like a bad sunburn. My skin didn’t even get very pink. I’m not sure if it was because I was diligent about applying moisturizer or if it was because of a supplement that was recommended. In any event, I was thankful that my skin didn’t have any problems.

One other side effect of radiation treatments is fatigue. This time around, I was a bit more aware of my need to take naps. But I was never so tired that I didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning, or that I couldn’t get through my normal activities.

Of course, the fatigue also could have been because I was getting up a little earlier each day to have my treatments done when Tony was working with his other caregiver to get ready for the day. That turned out to be convenient for me and the least disruptive way to handle it for Tony. I’m not sure he even realized that I was gone.

I’d get up each morning, get Tony up and hand him off, and then off I’d go to the cancer center to have my treatment, which didn’t last more than 15 minutes. Then I’d get back home, usually when Tony was having his breakfast.

Each morning, I’d be among the first patients at the cancer center. I’d get a big smile from the receptionist at the front desk. Then I’d go change into a gown. When I was called to the radiation room, I’d be met by some combination of Kyle, Paige, Jennifer and Ashley. They always had a smile for me too.

The treatment room also had music playing. I sheepishly asked one morning if I could have some music that was more to my liking. They were happy to accommodate. It might seem like a small thing, but when you’re trying to get your mind off what’s going on, it really did help. Bless them for their willingness to listen to indie rock and Elvis Costello.

Now that I’ve completed my 22 treatments, I’ve got another certificate of completion to prove that I got through it. Again.

We’ll just have to see whether I can go the five years required to be declared cancer-free this time.

Here’s hoping.

• Joan Oliver is the former Northwest Herald assistant news editor. She has been associated with the Northwest Herald since 1990. She can be reached at jolivercolumn@gmail.com.