It’s hard for me to believe, but tonight, I will have my last radiation treatment, then it’s over. And I really cannot complain about the dreaded side effects. For me, they really didn’t happen. Was I a little more tired at night? Maybe. Since we are up between 5-6am every morning, I always got tired by 8pm and many times began to fall asleep on the couch, if I could get enough space on the couch, that is. First, one of the dogs would have to move! That did not change. Did I take a nap or two? Yes, I did take one nap on the couch in the middle of the day two Sundays ago. That has been the extent of the “fatigue” I have been dreading. It simply has not effected my daily life. As for burns, yes I did get some burns, but they are already healing nicely and did not cause a great deal of discomfort. Some poor women get blisters, oozing, and raw skin – I didn not have any of that. The nurses and doctor have told me that when I come back in four weeks for my follow up appointment, my skin will be back to its normal color and will be all healed. As for swelling, yes, I still have some but not much. That could take some time to resolve from what I’m reading. Apparently the swelling is the result of the surgery plus the radiation.
I have religiously kept up with my weekly workout: two hours on the treadmill walking and jogging, plus two hours of other exercise, which until two weeks ago was Classical Stretch Essentrics, which I love. The endorphins have relieved any significant pain, if I had any, and have acted as a great natural mood enhancer which I’m sure has helped me sail through this treatment, as the doctors, books and articles suggested. I resumed weight lifting to prepare for the next phase of treatment, which will accelerate bone loss. The articles warn that ovarian suppression can age bones by five years in the first year, so I am concentrating on maintaining or increasing bone density, which weight lifting and weight bearing exercise, like walking and running, accomplishes. And I have been taking Caltrate.
The bone building workout by Joyce Vedral http://www.joycevedral.com/bonebuild.html even exercises my wrists, a common fracture site, and works at a comfortable pace with light weights, although I now need to buy a set of 10 pound dumbells because some of the exercises are too easy. It was interesting to me, and surprising, that my chest muscles were a little sore on the surgery side after doing the workout for the first time since before the surgery in October, even though the heaviest weight I used was 7 pounds. This tells me that even though I thought I was exercising and stretching all of those muscles, I wasn’t, so adding this workout makes sense.
Weight lifting also makes sense for another reason: for women entering menopause, which I will be doing chemically, another problem that increases breast cancer risk and the rate of recurrence, is the increased body fat that accompanies menopause, so I will be fighting that battle for the rest of my life. More muscle = less body fat. According to “The Breast Cancer Survivor’s Fitness Plan” 
written by the doctor that founded the Comprehensive Breast Health Center at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, where I go, a body mass index of between 18.5-22% is the healthiest for women, so that is what I will shoot to maintain. I’m at the high end of that now at 22%, but believe me when I tell you that I still have LOTS of body fat and plan to continue to work on building muscle! Since I feel so good and have made my workout a priority every week, this will be easy.
I must admit that it’s enjoyable to watch my belly flatten, my arms get firmer and thinner, my thighs shrink, and I still cannot believe that I have ribs and abdominal muscles. My flexibility and strength is better than it’s been in probably twenty years, and I can run for long stretches without huffing and puffing. I have kept a pair of jeans that I wore comfortably in the 80s that I could not even get my legs into a year ago. Now I can zip them! I can’t wear them just yet because they will cut off the blood flow to and from the lower half of my body, but it gives me something to look forward to!
