We met yesterday with the Medical Oncologist! To say I was stressed is putting it mildly. But I dressed nicely, put on my make up, fixed my hair and we took off. One blessing has been the 2 mile away location of MD Anderson. Both surgeries were downtown but everything else has been at this newest facility.
First up was the nurse who took my vitals, then the PA who said they were going to discuss chemo and treatment and I should listen to the pathology report. I told her I read the pathology report and the Tumor Board recommendation was Endocrine Therapy, not chemo, and I had no intention of taking it without an explanation to trump that recommendation. The Zoom Oncologist (Kara’s employee benefit) from Tennessee had agreed with the Tumor Board. That made three against and I wondered what the doctor’s reason would be to be for chemo.
The doctor came in and right off the bat said she wanted to discuss Arimidex, the pill she was recommending. I did not need chemo and Herceptin without chemo had no benefit. Either she looked again at my file or the PA looked at my first visit, the only time I had been there, with the original pathology and the possible recommendation for treatment after surgery. Either way, I was tremendously relieved we all were on the same page and I was not bucking the establishment.
She discussed that the very scary pathology was limited to that 1.3 mm tumor and it was excised by the biopsy. The rest of the 5 cm lump removed was DCIS, ductal carcinoma in situ, which is cancer cells in a milk duct. The jury is still out medically on whether if it has remained enclosed in the tube if it is “cancer” or pre-cancer. A margin was left behind in the lumpectomy but with the mastectomy all of that precancerous stuff was removed. Since 4 lymph nodes were removed during the lumpectomy and 2 were found in the mastectomy and were all clear, and there was no cancer at all in the balance of that breast. the chance that any cells had escaped were CLOSE to zero, a number they will not use. It all sounded good to me.
We talked about exercise, eating, bone density loss from the pill, next mammogram and a follow up appointment, etc. While doing this she was setting up a blood draw for Vitamin D and a bone scan to determine the amount of calcium I should take and did I need to take Prolia. We left and went upstairs for the blood draw and then downstairs for the bone scan. It is so convenient with everything in one building. After that, we went to Denny’s for a late breakfast.
My Vitamin D test showed me mid range on the Sufficient scale. Not too little, not too much. She recommended I double the amount of Vitamin D I had been taking in case the pill affected that. My bone density showed my spine as being fine. They could not do my hips because they have both been replaced. So they did my forearm and it showed osteoporosis! I had to decide (I hate all these decisions!) but grateful for the info available to me from MDA. Did I want to take Prolia or double my calcium and check next year. I chose to try just the doubled calcium while I settle in with this new pill that is so important.
I took the first pill this morning and so far nothing has happened. They all have side effects and it is up to me to recognize them, do what I can to live with them, and yell ‘uncle” if I can’t. There are other pills to try if need be.
I received so many messages and prayers on FB, 133 at last count. Also there were meals brought, flower arrangements sent and gift cards to restaurants that were put to good use by the girls while they juggled their lives, jobs, nursing duties and cooking. The greeting cards came in everyday until I had to make a stack because I ran out of display area.
Thank you all for all these wonderful gestures. They lifted my spirits and certainly got results that only God has control over. May he bless you all!
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