Thursday, 20 August, 2026
Women’s College Hospital has a Transition (After Cancer Treatment) Clinic and that’s where I was headed. This date was stamped in my memory as where I’d get answers, six months after my last mammogram in February and about nine months after my last oncology clinic visit. I’m not exactly sure why some people report having their follow-ups (including routine scans) every three months, but at my hospital group it’s every six months and no routine tests other than the yearly mammogram.
Anyway, I was looking forward to this visit and, all in all, I was happy with it. Yay.
I got there a little early and went in right away. A nurse practitioner saw me for most of the time I was there, during about forty minutes of questions from both of us – duly recorded and answered. No stone left unturned. Another yay.
The doctor came in briefly – Carol Townsley. I liked her for the ten or fifteen minutes she was there.
Takeaways – I’ll have an X-Ray for my hip and thigh pain; Go ahead with my ultrasound (ordered by my doctor’s office) for the lower abdominal pain; Repeat the bone density scan to see what therapy I might need to avoid osteoporosis (my hormone blockers and cancer treatments weaken bones); Get some bloodwork to check in on my Potassium and Ferritin levels. It’s not a lot, yet a lot. I chose not to do the lab work and X-Ray that same day – because it’s a lot.
So far so good. Another mammogram in February, followed by another check-up at this same clinic. The doctor told me that any time I had concerns or questions, to call in and she’d meet with me by phone. I looked forward to this visit and was happy with it. Almost every cancer survivor you might meet will tell you that after treatment with its intense and regular scrutiny, it’s normal to feel at sea and scared. It’s a long stretch of six months now, but I don’t feel abandoned and that’s a good thing.
