Bad Medicine

And I ain't talkin bout yer love either. But what I AM talkin bout is the fact that I am now officially DONE with taking Tamoxifen.  My bc was ER- / PR WEAKLY + at only 9%.  Pretty sure the HER2+ was the thing with mine.  I took the Tamoxifen for just over 2 years. (Normal course of treatment with Tamoxifen is 5 years.) In the last several months it has made me a complete basket case, paranoid freak. (Ok, more so than I already am.) And it also was affecting other stuff too, physically, not just makin me totally fucked up in the head. (Again, even more so...lol) I mean, I was havin all kinds of weirdo symptoms "count em 1 - 2 - 3" ...*throws the "horns" in the air, bangs head & slings hair around*  

I'm also pretty sure that my Onc, Dr W, now dreads havin to deal with me after the way the last appointment went.  But in that last appointment he made "an executive decision" to have me stop the Tamoxifen for 30 days & then check back in with him.  So I did, & Dr W, through his nurse B, said it was OK for me to stop the Tamoxifen permanently.  I realize that it will probably take a bit longer for all the Tamoxifen to get out of my system, but I can definitely tell I'm more my old self lately. 

 

So that's it.  O & I decided to celebrate.  Went to my favorite steak joint, but they've changed the way they prepare the steaks, so it is no longer my favorite steak place.  O had a lovely chicken fried steak that was very good.  My little sirloin? NotSoMuch.  But O & I split a wonderful Grey Goose martini ("shake it up..." lol) & toasted to the official end of all treatments & gettin on with life....& the fact that Halloween is in just a few days!!!

Can ya tell we love Halloween? 

YAY!

What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been

Now hear this:  The mediport is out.  I repeat: The mediport it O U T!!!  And I have it in a ziplock baggie in my purse.  HA!  Some of O's students wanted to see it, & I just wanted it.  Removing the port is, to me, symbolic of The End...all will be well.

Anyway, backin up a bit.  Mediport removal was scheduled for Tuesday, December 7.  And I just felt the need to express my appreciation to my awesome surgeon, Dr V, in some way.  So when I saw the pink poinsettia at the store, I thought, how perfect!  So I wrote a little Thank You note & put it in the plant & brought it to give to Dr V.

And we got there & Dr V got right down to business.  Didn't even give me a chance to start the whole freak out - panic - cryfest I thought would happen.  Yeah, I was a bit nervous waiting for him to come in, but, he came in, gave me a gown, & then when he came back, it was ON....or...out.  He numbed up the area & then just got to work. And O & Dr V & I were all chitty chattin away while he worked.  And yes, he says it would be expected to see a touch of lymphedma with that many lymph nodes removed.  He said he's seen it with 1 node removed.  So, good thing I got my sleeve & learned the "self massage" treatment. #notlikethat

And about 15 minutes after Dr V began, we were leavin with my "Little Alien Buddy" in my purse.  Of course I'd want to keep it.  I kind of think of it as my "shield" in this battle I've been through.  So I have it.  (I also still have the irrigation syringe from my wisdom tooth removal, so, yeah, I'm just weird I guess!)

Say hallo to mah lil' friend!

So, that's it.  The End.  "End of treatment" So, X-rays in February & every so often...& 4 3/4 years of Tamoxifen to go.  What a long, strange trip it's been!  Thanks to my awesome medical team, looks like I get to just keep truckin on.

Posted Sep 7, 2010 Good To The Last Drop

Good To The Last Drop

Posted Sep 7, 2010 12:44am

Sooooooooo on Thursday, August 26, I had my LAST Herceptin treatment. YAY! And the chemo nurses and staff all applauded & blew bubbles around me and gave me a certificate.

Last Herceptin Aug 26 2010

Mediport has to stay put for another 6 months. So now we do port flushes every 6 weeks & see Dr W in 3 months. Wow. This means I will not have to go to the center at all in the month of September. And 6 weeks between port pokes (was hopin last week was the last, but, no...). For a year, been gettin poked every 3 weeks. Things seem to slow down a bit while we watch and see...Shew...I'm not gonna know how to act with so much less medical crapola goin on!

Next up, mammogram on September 14. Both boobies this time. Gonna have to mammo around the port. This should be interesting.

Oh...Tamoxifen. To take it, or not to take it. Got my prescription all filled & ready. But haven't taken it yet. Still very nervous about it. But I figure, I'll give it a try. If the side effects are just too much, I'll just stop takin it. That's what Dr W says he tells patients. So within a week I'll start it. Promise.


And finally, a word about the hair. Got my first real haircut on Friday, in an attempt to get it to look less fuzzy. But it seems it's turning into an afro. Brillo pad. Too damn curly. And short. Short, short, short. And I'm seriously thinking about wearin the wigs again. I just don't love how I look with this super short hair. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm SO happy to see hair growing. But this is a hairdo I see on ladies much older than me. And I feel like it's just not ME. And I can't do anything with it. It just is what it is. Just not likin how I look...I like it better than bird-head fer sure...but still missin my hair SO much. Hopin I can get extensions or something once it grows more...

Ok, so yeah...nothin really to report. Finished treatment. Flushes, mammos and follow ups. That's about it for now. Much less. Much better.
=)