Tamoxifen

At the end of December, my oncologist started me on Tamoxifen.  I take a daily dose of this drug, which is a hormone therapy formulated to help prevent a recurring cancer.  Tamoxifen has the potential to cause a number of side effects, but so far I've only experienced one:  night sweats.

It's funny because during the day I pretty much always feel cold.  It doesn't matter how many layers I dress in, I'm still feeling a chill.  Even when I go to bed, I feel cold until I fall asleep.  If I'm lucky I get five or six hours of good rest before I wake, hot, uncomfortable, and covered in sweat, unable to get back to sleep.   Walker tells me I throw all the covers off as soon as I fall asleep.  We have a ceiling fan in the bedroom, but it isn't helping.

My doctor tells me that my body should adjust to the Tamoxifen in a couple months, if I can tough it out.  If this is as bad as it gets, no problem!  But the lack of sleep concerns me.  At first it was kinda nice to have the extra hours in the day; now I'm just tired.  I can get through the day (thank God for caffeine!) but I would really like a good night's sleep.

Radiation Therapy 101

On Wednesday, I had my first appointment with a radiation oncologist.  The appointment consisted of a review of my breast cancer history, as well as an overview of the upcoming radiation treatments.  I've been reading my "How Not to Die of Breast Cancer" book so nothing came as a big surprise.  About the only thing I didn't know was that I would get my first tattoo ~ a tiny dot that will serve as a reference point for the treatments.  A permanent reminder of my experience, as if I could ever forget.

The radiation oncologist was aware of the situation with my insurance, so they are prepared to hold off on my treatment until November first, when they become part of my insurance network.  And after I got the call from the Mayo Clinic business office, informing me that I would have to pay up front for any out of pocket expenses, I went in prepared to fork over the copay for the consultation, but was told that they don't collect payments at the cancer center.  Anything I owe will be added to my monthly clinic bill.  Huh.  Guess they didn't get the memo from Mayo.  Oh, well!

I know this will sound odd, but I kind of enjoy my appointments in the cancer center.  Don't get me wrong ~ I will be perfectly happy when all this is behind me, but everyone at the cancer center is friendly, informative, and encouraging.  If you have to go through cancer treatment, I hope your local facility is as great as mine.

Reprieve

Dr N just called with the results of my latest batch of tests.  All the news was good.  And the final verdict - no chemo!  Wahoo!  I can't even express how relieved I am.  Mostly I'm just grateful that I don't have to go through all that, that I don't have to be sick and I can go back to work.  I'm also grateful to know, for sure, which direction my treatment will be taking.  I still have to wait a couple weeks to start, but it helps tremendously to know what I'm up against.