A Lumpy Bumpy Road

Yesterday I went to the medical oncologist. As expected,  she suggested I take hormone treatment, an aromatase inhibitor. Aromatase is an enzyme which enables estrogen to be produced in the body.  Thus no estrogen.  A daily pill, not nasty chemo, but , according to her, 60% of women who take it have unpleasant or worse side effects, mainly arthritic pains, hot flushes and an increased risk of osteoporosis and possibly brain function impairment.  I had been under the impression that the odds of me getting a secondary cancer somewhere in my body were about 5% without  further treatment.   However, according to the medonc, of  100 women who have exactly the same type and grade of tumor  and no lymph involvement, 10 to 15 of them will get secondaries, not 5. With treatment , 6 to 10 can be expected to die within 10 years of secondaries.  I had decided that for an extra 2 %  ( according to my previous information )  I would not ...

Yesterday I saw my surgeon. He was very pleased with how the wound was healing and my normal range of arm movement.  He answered my odd questions. For example, the literature on how to avoid lymphodema  ( which I have less than 5% chance of getting) says to avoid "excess" sweating.  Define "excess" please.  I like to sit in the sauna occasionally - part of my stress-reduction program - and if I jog around an orienteering course I sweat for  as long as it takes - about 50 plus minutes depending.  So, what is excess for me?   His answer boiled down to 'try it and see'  He also gave me an overview of what the medical oncologist would suggest to me. Nothing I didnot know.  He did remind me that usually the cutoff for suggesting hormone treatment is for tumors greater than 10mm.  Less than that  - nothing. Mine was 12mm.  I wait until next Tuesday for my appointment to see what she says. I did tell him that I didnot think I...

Summary :  I am doing very well. Details :  Several people have asked  how I am. Is the bumpy road now smooth? Not exactly yet. My son and his family arrived in Canberra ( as had been planned for many months ) the day I came home from hospital. I spent most of  the first 10 days or so saving my energy for the almost daily gatherings of some or all members of my family - my son from Brisbane and 2 daughters and their children in Canberra. I kept going, but, in hindsight, probably overdid it.   Though I would do the same over again - it was lovely seeing all my grandchildren playing together. For the second 10 days or so I have been more tired mentally and physically than I expected.  Though logically I do understand that 5 December, when I was told I had a malignant lump that should be removed, was just over 4 weeks ago and I have spent very little time since then just sitting , thinking and feeling.   I am vaguely OK in the morning and...