And I'm Done! CAUTION! PHOTOS

I am so excited to share that Monday was my last day of Radiation. I AM DONE WITH TREATMENT!! It has been a full year of surgeries, chemo, and radiation. I have lost another year of my life to this nasty disease. Unbelievable. But moving on!

I continue to "cook" for two weeks and it is no joke. I am extremely uncomfortable and pain management is one of my top priorities. The underarm, in particular, is extremely burned and is an open wound. It weeps and is pretty gross. I apply a special antibiotic cream several times a day. Then there is another thick ointment that cover the entire rash. You really can't apply it too much. The skin is blisters and open wounds and it must be kept as moist and supple as possible. Not only does it help with the pain, it will assist with the tightness that has already begun. This can and often does become disfiguring, similar to a burn victim. There will be physical therapy ahead and I have already started some exercises. Suffice it to say that moving my arm is extremely painful.

Finally there are the pain meds. What awful drugs they are....... They do take the edge off so I am taking them every six hours around the clock. I have to take anti nausea medication with it as they upset my stomach. I had a very good discussion with my doctor about being watchful that I do not become addicted. I know too many people who have gone down that road and had to fight and claw their way back to being clean. I have an irrational fear, perhaps, that I will become an addict.

I could go on about how nasty and unpleasant this all is but you get the point. I am sharing some updated pictures. I feel that while they really can't accurately capture the appearance of the burns, they do a better job at describing what I am experiencing. I hope I am not offending anyone. This is simply my reality.

The gooey stuff is tissue that is coming off....... Gross!