Welcome to week two of my medical leave! I've decided I would do a really good job of staying home full-time with Marah in daycare. I really enjoy shopping, reading, being outside, napping. Unfortunately this is a lifestyle that is not feasible for my family, so back to work I go next week. I do love my job, but going back will be a little difficult!
Yesterday I had two appointments, and the first was my survivorship interview. I met with my care coordinator and we went over everything I need to think about now that treatment is over. The main lasting effect of chemo really could be on my heart. While problems are rare, it is something that I'll need to really be aware of. We also discussed the medication that I am currently taking and will be on for the next five years. I definitely need to see an opthamologist (the appointment is scheduled) as eye problems can be a side effect. Blood clots are also something to be concerned about, so I've started taking a baby aspirin daily (starting today). I will be more sensitive to heat and the sun (that means I need to get a cabana for my Vegas trip!). And then there are the hot flashes. I started getting hot flashes while on chemo, but they are in full effect now. I am hot pretty much all the time, but several times a day (and at night) I become overwhelmingly hot and very uncomfortable. And sweaty. It should get a little better after about six weeks, but if not there are medications I can try. The main issue is that my medication is blocking estrogen from my body. That means that I am basically forcing my body into menopause. Thus the hot flashes.
During the meeting we also discussed my tumor, and I don't think I've ever provided much information about it. My cancer was stage one, which means the tumor was small (less than 2 centimeters) and hadn't spread to any lymph nodes. The cancer was invansive, though, meaning that it had spread from my breast's milk ducts to the surrounding tissue. Technically speaking, I had invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Cancer cells are given a grade between one and three, and mine were grade three. This means that the cells looked very different from normal cells and were fast-growing. The cancer was ER (estrogen receptor)-positive and PR (progesterone receptor)-positive, and HER2-negative. Because the cancer was hormone receptor positive, I get to take Tamoxifen for a while.
My second appointment yesterday was with the plastic surgeon. Everything looks good so far, but I am really not allowed to do any lifting (or much with my arms at all) for another five weeks. I don't have much pain at all any more, but have a decent amount of swelling on my right side. I am continuing to wear a sports bra just to keep the puffy skin away from the side of my arm. Otherwise it is pretty annoying.
What else? My hair continues to grow (I got a compliment on it today!) and my head is almost entirely covered. My eyebrows are coming back but they look really funny. Eyebrow stubble really isn't very attractive. I still get tired pretty quickly and I learned yesterday that I probably won't feel "normal" again until 6-12 months after chemo ended. That's okay, though. I feel pretty darn good most of the time!
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