Here is a good story. Last week, Dr. Princess suggested that I start using Vaseline on the raw areas. She said to put a big glob of it on a gauze pad (which she gave me a ton of) and then just stick it to my boob. Sounded good to me and I was willing to try anything to ease the pain. The next day at work, I'm standing in front of my coworker telling her about this new "boob fix" and she says, "I think you're leaking." She points to my boob...I look down...and sure enough, there is a circular grease spot. The Vaseline penetrated the gauze, my bra, my top and my sweater. Apparently, Dr. Princess's advice wasn't fashion friendly. Initially, I freaked out about my ruined clothing, but by the end of the day, I didn't care. My boob wasn't screaming at me and that was all that mattered.
I've used so much cream, aloe and Vaseline that my bras are now waterproof. They might even be flammable. Woolite doesn't seem to break down all of these substances, so I'm thinking of trying some Dawn detergent. They cleaned the oil off of the birds with Dawn when that spill happened, so it should work on my lingerie. Right? One could hope. For this weekend, I am going to be free and go without. Shh...don't tell anyone.
My final radiation was on Friday the 13th. Perfect. As I was driving into work that morning, I was reflecting back on all that has happened since September 27, 2011. I have celebrated the following holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, Super Bowl, Valentine's Day and Easter...all sick with some sort of cancer treatment. Memorial Day will be awesome...
I walked into the Club at 4pm for my final treatment. When I went into the changing area, I saw one of my new friends. I never got her name, but in my head, I call her 4pm. My standing appointment was 4:10, hers was 4:00...therefore, she is named 4pm. So, 4pm was sitting there waiting for her turn in the tanning bed when I walked in and I said, "Where are the balloons???" She laughed and asked if I was excited. Excited? I don't know if I was excited, but was for sure relieved. No more daily visits to the Club. No more being probed and prodded by techs. No more gown that doesn't close all the way in the back. Relieved to be done with this chapter. I told her all of this and she nodded. I had my treatment and as I exited the room, I smiled kindly at the techs. Big Dave and Brittany. These two were the ones that set me up for radiation 7 weeks ago...how great was it that they were the ones to send me on my way. I like it nice and tidy like that. Big Dave handed me a piece of paper. It was my Certificate of Completion. This was SO going on the refrigerator when I got home. It congratulated me for bravely completing my radiation process. Bravely. I never thought that I was brave. I guess I was.
Once I was dressed, I dumped my gown into the hamper...no need to fold it up for the next day. I told 4:20 goodbye (she was just getting started in her process) and exited the changing room. Walking down the hall, I took a deep breath and sighed with relief. Relief! I passed the front desk lady and she said, "see you next week!". I said, "NOPE!!! I'm done!" She clapped for me and then I clapped for me. I think that I skipped to my car and thought to take a picture. Here it is. I love this picture. In the background, I can see the door closing behind me. I am so happy.
