My treatment ended as abruptly as it started. I finished chemo and radiation and now there was nothing left except a 5 year regimen of a daily dose of Tamoxifen.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the minor depression that was settling in. From October through June I had something to focus on. There were surgeries, treatment dates, and doctor visits. Something always to look forward to and know that I was DOING something to beat the cancer.

Now that all of these things were done, there was nothing to  concentrate on, nothing to look at and think “Here you go cancer, get out of my body.”

It took me a few months to realize that depression was setting in. I started to notice I was tired constantly. But that was because I just finished radiation. I started to notice that I had a lack of focus, that could be because of the drugs that I had poured into my body, or even the new one that I was taking daily.

I began to go back to a normal life, one that did not include daily radiation visits, or infusions of chemicals into my body every few weeks. There were follow up visits to the doctor, but that was all they were.

It wasn’t until I broached the subject with my doctor I found out how common it is for cancer patients to be depressed when treatmCancer came, I kicked it's A$$, and life was mine again.ent ends. As doctor’s are prone to do, the answer was another drug. I agreed to take the medication. I took the medication for the depression for a few months. It helped and I was able to wean off and get back to what life had to offer.

Soon we were back to life. My hair grew back. I continued to work. I helped my kids with homework. I watched soccer games and went to swim meets.

At some point during the 5 year daily regimen of taking Tamoxifen I began to feel like the Cancer was in the past. I had done everything the doctor had asked of me. And even started to believe that first voice again that maybe there had been a mistake. Maybe I didn’t really ever have Cancer. But if I did…Cancer came, I kicked it’s A$$ and life was mine again.

There was no need to worry about it coming back. Or was there?