It will be five weeks tomorrow since my operation so today I had my appointment to see my Oncologist Dr Soe.
He checked my scars to see how they were healing and decide whether or not I am able to go forward for radiotherapy yet. Last time I had chemo before radiotherapy so my surgery scars were really well healed by then.
So, I will be going forward for radiotherapy in a few weeks time. I will have a planning meeting whereby they do all their measurements etc and tatoo me then I start 3 weeks of 15 lots of radiotherapy.
In addition to this I am to have another MRI scan on my back because the last one was inconclusive so he wants to monitor the line just in case. I am also going to have some other scans as well as a bone density check.
The tumour was a stage 1 cancer which is good news! My last cancer was grade 3 - not good! It is not HER2 positive but it is oestrogen sensitive. Dr Soe said that my situation is rare and is keen to follow up the genetic link. In addition to this he explained in detail how tamoxifen works.
Ovaries produce 80% of the oestrogen in your body and 20% is produced by muscle and fat. The tamoxifen stops your body producing oestrogen leaving your ovaries fully functioning. What they are going to do now is shut my ovaries down chemically and change my drug so that I will be better protected. This means a monthly injection into my tummy and all of the joys of a forced menopause.
So that is the state of play for now.
Sara, my heart go's out to you, another battle, but so pleased its a smaller one than last time.Iam so pleased to have meet you and have you as a friend, you are special, your kind words helped me with my cancer. and you were going through such a bad time yourself. i am lucky i have come through my battle quite well, yes i have issues and a disabled leg but here to tell the tale, smiling and back at work. and a friend like you. so you dig in there keep your strong will and attitude and keep the fighting spirit going. John and I think the world of you. take care. lots of love xx Sue
ReplyDeleteI know that you are younger than I, so this might not be an option, but if you have your ovaries removed, it saves a lot of shots and going back and forth to the doctor. I knew that I would not be having more children, and so I went that route. It sounds like your doctors are very on top of things, and you are very lucky.
ReplyDeleteI was just going to suggest the same option, wouldn't it be easier to removed the ovaries rather then having them shut? I"m not sure what the side effects of one vs the other are, but if it were me, I would definately be looking into it. You can start by the shots and see how it goes until you take a decision. With that said, I'm glad to hear it is a small cancer, you beat it once, you'll beat it twice :) Take care hun xx
ReplyDelete