Law Students

The 3 Month Mile Marker

Last week I had a three-month post-treatment check up with my oncologist. I can?t believe it?s been three months since my last treatment. Sometimes it feels like it was just a couple of weeks ago, but most of the time it feels like it was a long, long time ago.

I was really nervous about the appointment, and my arrival in the office parking lot didn?t help. I couldn?t help thinking about all the time I spent traversing that same lot last year. It has many bad associations for me?of pain and nausea and fear and discomfort. As I sat in the waiting room before my appointment, I thought about all the women who are just now finding out that they have breast cancer?200,000 women this year?1 every 3 minutes. I thought about the fear of hearing those words and about the uncertainty of those first weeks and months after a breast cancer diagnosis. It is scary to think about going through it all again and as I sat there and waited to be called in for my appointment I fervently hoped that I would never have to.

My appointment went well, however, and I had nothing to worry about. The doctor asked how I was doing, performed a quick check up, and pronounced me ?healthy.? I sat in a green vinyl chair in the treatment room, but only for a few moments as Patty flushed my port while I caught up with her and the other nurses in the office.

I have to go back again in six weeks to have my port flushed (which I have to have done every six weeks as long as I have it to prevent infection) and then again in three months for another check up. So far, so good.

Full post as published by The Merits of the Case on February 17, 2008 (boomark / email).