It is finished...

I finished my radiation this week! I actually feel pretty good...check that...REALLY good (which is to say, normal). After the radiation was over, my body spent a couple days purging it. I was still very nauseous and had some "intestinal issues", but all in all, the transition has been easy. Also, I noticed the front of my abdomen didn't have any signs of radiation, but my back got a little burned.

Next Steps
Now I begin ten years of tests and follow up. Most protocols seem to indicate five years as a massive indincator of success, but people who work with testicular cancer say ten years is the REAL cutoff for total success. Either way, I'm just glad to be through with radiation.

Welcome to the Club
I had lunch, which I set up via networking and a cold call, with a prospective client. I had never seen him before, and when I met him, I saw he had lost the use of one side of his face. He sat down and explained he had cancer, and they had to take out the muscle controlling the side of his face because it had cancer in it.
"Yeah, I have cancer, too."
I felt bonded to him. We talked about our respective cancers for a while, and then moved on to business, but it was always there. We concluded by wishing each other well with continued recovery and good health.

I remember when I was looking for help when I first got diagnosed, and I turned to a very health conscious person who had cancer for his advice. Before he told me what I wanted to know, he started out with: "It sucks. But, welcome to the club."