What Do You Do When Your Oncologist Says Your Treatment Is Done

What do you do when your oncologist says, “You are completely done with treatment, and I no longer need to see you anymore”? This just happened to me.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago when I was 32 years old. I was pretty much convinced that, even if I was lucky enough to survive cancer, I’d have to see an oncologist for the rest of my life. Turns out, at least for me, that is not necessarily the case. I thought for sure that if an oncologist ever said to me that I was totally complete with treatment and I could go back with just seeing a primary care doctor, I would flip with joy. That’s not exactly how I responded to the news. Last December marked my 5 1/2-year cancerversary. At that oncology appointment, my oncologist said those very words to me. “You are all done.”

I just sat there. I looked around thinking maybe another person was sitting there with me, because surely he couldn’t mean me. When I saw that no one else was there, I still wasn’t sure it was me he was referring to. I think at one point I heard crickets chirping in the room because it was so quiet. Finally, I mustered up the words to ask if he was serious. Actually, I think I hit the floor on both knees and begged him to say otherwise. I surprised myself with my reaction. Why was I so completely freaked out that this doctor didn’t need to see me with every passing six months of time? I had had cancer for crying out loud! Shouldn’t an oncologist be a part of my life for ever and ever? I think this situation surprised me more than hearing the words that I had been diagnosed with cancer in the first place.

After I calmed myself down, we had a long discussion. He wasn’t dismissing me per se, he was helping me move forward. I was wrapping up my five years of being on an aromatase inhibitor, and that was the last of my treatment. Going forward, I could go back to seeing a doctor on a regular basis and, quite frankly, it could just be a primary care physician as my checkups would be considered those of a normal person. He openly invited me to come to see him anytime I needed, but as far as the cancer care, that was something I didn’t need anymore. So in other words, I was done with treatment.

Everyone’s treatment and story is different, so I stress that this was just part of my personal cancer story. I am excited and frankly scared to death that I technically don’t have an oncologist as part of my life anymore. Do you really know what to do when your oncologist says you are done? Not really, as I am still trying to figure it out myself. There are no books or pamphlets that tell you this stuff. I was not ready to let go completely, so we took it in strides. I stopped my aromatase inhibitor in March and then asked for another appointment so I didn’t have to rip the band aid all off at once. I had my last official appointment in June. I then spread out my other appointments with my other doctors, so I was still seeing someone every six months. That way, I took what should be the good news in strides. It has helped me to take this one step at a time towards moving forward and hopefully leaving cancer back far away in my past.