Why My Last Threesome Was Six Years Ago

I bet you are very curious about this headline. I’ve never had the threesome you are most likely imagining. Six years ago was my last radiation treatment. Yes, I refer to it as my last threesome since I had two male technicians manipulate my breasts daily, Monday through Friday, for 7.5 weeks. That is a long time!

Every day, these men strategically placed my breasts so the radiation beam would shoot through my cancer. It was not the most comfortable situation; however, it was necessary. I cannot take credit for the threesome moniker, as that was my sister-in-law Barbara’s idea. She had taken me to my first radiation treatment, and when I returned to her crying and saying how awful it was, she quickly responded, “I think you just had your first threesome.” This, of course, made me howl with laughter, and hence, my threesome treatments were born. Thank God for Barbara!

No Regrets Regarding My Last Threesome

The radiation did its job, as I am celebrating six years of being NED (no evidence of disease) this week. Hooray, yippee, and every other adjective one can think of! I will celebrate today with a cake as is my usual tradition. But then tomorrow will come, and I will have to live with the threat of recurrence before my seventh year NED. Breast Cancer is truly never-ending. The fear of recurrence looms, but as my brother Dan would say, I could also get hit by a truck tomorrow. You just never know!

So, I will continue my outwittinglife quest and incessant kind deeds and live as grandly as possible. All the while, I will ignore the perils of cancer since why worry about something that has yet to happen? So much easier said than done.

Recurrence is Always Lurking

There is a 30% chance of my breast cancer returning. Those are not terrible odds, but they are not good either. I do worry about this every day. Unfortunately, every weird pain, upset stomach, or digestion issue is a cause for concern. My mind always goes to cancer. It’s ridiculous, I know, but that’s how my mind works. It is also a widespread belief among other cancer survivors.

According to the chart in this article, https://www.healthline.com/health/breast-cancer/breast-cancer-recurrence#causes, I am at moderate risk for breast cancer recurrence. I do not find that particularly comforting. Also, according to this article (from Healthline), there are some things I should do.

Ensuring That Remains My Last Threesome

Everyone who has had breast cancer has some risk of recurrence. While many factors are beyond your control, there are a few steps you can take to help lower the chances of recurrence, including:

• Weight management. Some researchTrusted Source suggests that obesity is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer recurrence.
• Healthy diet. Maintain a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein. Limit red and processed meats, sugar, and alcohol. Discuss dietary supplements with a doctor.
• Adequate exercise. Get some form of exercise for at least 30 minutes 5 days weekly to maintain your overall health.
• Medication adherence. If you’re experiencing side effects, speak with your doctor so adjustments can be made.
• Symptom awareness. Be aware of changes in your body, such as new lumps or other signs of cancer.
• Proper follow-up. Keep up with recommended screening tests. Communicate with your doctor regularly and report any new symptoms, even if they don’t seem serious.

Opinions Differ Greatly on Prevention

I have to admit that it does get confusing sometimes. For every article you read regarding diet and recurrence, another article states diet is irrelevant. What do you believe? A healthy diet, weight management, and adequate exercise are recommended for everyone. Nothing can convince me that cancer is directly related to lifestyle. That would infer that something I did caused my cancer. How awful. I refuse to believe that.

Medication adherence, symptom awareness, and proper follow-up sound like common sense. I am very sensible, so no issues with these three recommendations. And life goes on. I had my cake, and my husband and son gave me flowers to recognize this milestone. It was a good day.

Survivors Choose Their Anniversary

My cancer journey commenced in September 2016 when I was initially diagnosed. However, I celebrate my anniversary on the day of my last treatment, May 25, 2017. Hence, I am six years cancer-free. God willing, I will have many more cancer-free years to come. I have learned so much about myself these past six years. The first is I am much stronger than I knew. I went into attack mode and looked my enemy smack in the face. I fought hard to beat my breast cancer, and thus far, I can claim victory.

While victory comes with the price of physical and mental side effects, I am still proud of the fight I fought. I am living an extraordinary life six years later. Huge thanks go to my family and friends for their support-I didn’t get here alone. My immediate family continues to be impacted by my journey’s ups and downs, yet they always stand by me. I feel truly blessed.

With any luck, I will write a similar post next May to celebrate another year of NED. Keep those prayers coming!