Tonight watched Emmerdale and while one was getting chemo she heard the bell for the the no more cancer at the hospital.
And I was thinking I didn't get this as I had a radical hysterectomy and just left hospital. I now feel like because I had mine cut out I don't get the bell to say it's no longer there.
I love the idea of the bell but I can't help feeling left out.
Am I being selfish or bad for feeling like this?
Hi Peace73
I rung the bell after radiotherapy finished, but if I had my time again I wouldn’t. I think it’s a very personal thing, and I did it so my partner could take a little video to show my daughters because they lived so far away and I couldn’t see them.
I used to think before I had cancer that you rung the bell to say you were “better” or even “cured”. But it doesn’t mean that at all-it only means your treatment is finished. It doesn’t mean the cancer is gone, and it doesn’t mean you’re fine. It really, in my opinion now, doesn’t mean anything.
When you ring the bell after radiotherapy or chemo finishes, you have no idea if the treatment has worked. You still have to wait 3 months for a scan. When you have a radical hysterectomy, the surgeon knows whether the cancer has all been removed with clear margins and is gone. That’s much more useful I think than ringing a bell.
I understand that people might find it helpful psychologically to ring a bell and my opinion is probably in the minority, but please don’t think you have missed out. I rang the bell, but still had residual cancer, and it grew again with a vengeance. Ringing the bell actually meant nothing. There was no bell to ring after my surgery, but that was the time it was actually all removed. When people saw me ring the bell after radiotherapy, they assumed I was cured, but I wasn’t. So now no-one even asks how I am. They remember the bell.
If I had to go through any treatment again, I’d walk straight past the bell without even glancing at it. Please don’t feel you have missed out on anything.
Sarah xx
Wow Sarah now I feel better 
to tell truth never really knew why people did and as seen I thought wrong to what it stands for.
Thank you for telling me and thank you for being one who always replies to my mad five mins if questions or upset.
Hope your garden is looking good now. I had gardener do mine (well cut it down the weeds)
I’m so glad you feel a bit better! I think we see the cancer adverts on tv when they ring the bell and we hear so much about ringing the bell as being so important. I certainly didn’t understand at the start what it was all about-I was completely clueless!
I had a guy come and do a run to the skip with all my rubbish in the garden and am slowly getting everything else tidied up so it’s looking much better now. I did want to get a gardener in, but they will all be so busy right now so I decided to get on with it myself. Slowly but surely I am getting there!
You just keep posting and message me any time you need to-I might not have all the answers but I’ve got broad shoulders and I can listen. Have a lovely day. 
Sarah xx
