My doctor said the tumor has shrunk more, down to 1.8 cm. That's great news, except that it still feels the same to me, so I'm not sure really..... SHE isn't really sure what she's measuring anymore. (I always had trouble with it..... which is why I'm where I'm at now!!!) She said she feels the fibrocystic band underneath it.... course I could never tell them apart, before.
What follows is a little digression about how to maybe detect cancer, if it presents like mine, which is different enough that it's missable if you just do what most of us are told to do. (The mammogram didn't see it either, or the ultrasound.) Skip if you know already. SOme of it's probably even in an earlier post. It's all going to be purple.
The cancer was completely undistinguishable from the fibrocyst before my first chemo. However, for all you cancer free people, the thing that was noticeable was that it was larger. What I took to be the same old fibrocyst that has lived there for decades was a bit larger than it used to be. It was the larger fibrocyst anyway -- there is another one on the left side of the left breast, which is small -- and has always been smaller. Both were almost gone for some years after I had finished nursing the kids for 8 years. Then they started getting sore again, during the 2 weeks before my period. That seemed reasonable, so I didn't worry.
However, the right one seemed to be larger than it used to be. It was only larger during the PMS two weeks, though, and it was sore like a fibrocyst. I did check it, and did not worry about it for those reasons -- no one ever told me that cancer could hurt and be larger only sometimes, like a fibrocyst. It's hard to tell about size changes, nothing to compare it to since the other fibrocyst was smaller anyway .... but I did start sleeping with a small rag under that breast (I sleep face down) during those PMS weeks. Still, it seemed to be smaller again (nothing needed under it when I slept) for the 2 weeks starting with my period. The only other retrospective symptom that might be useful to all you guys is, Alan said that the right breast (cancerous) tasted stronger, at PMS time, than the OTHER breast. He didn't know that was anything to worry about either. So now you guys all know; learn from our ignorance!!
Anyway that was my doctor visit today -- smaller cancer, maybe. Hopefully. Still no more nodes that she can feel, but sometimes they are not palpable. I would love to have NO MORE NODES, though..... maybe if we all chant it or pray it or something.... and how about a nice 90% prognosis? (not likely, but so what?)
Also I have to figure out whether it's better to take tamoxifen for a few years (that starts after radiation) or just have my ovaries removed. Tamoxifen has some possible risks (can't remember whether it's endometrial cancer or ovarian or cervical -- I need to find out because those are very different.) However, it blocks the estrogen receptors, so that might be better than killing the ovaries, since there's estrogen in food too -- and even though I'm doing my best to avoid it I'm sure I get some. Course flax blocks them too..... My doctor wanted to table that discussion since tamoxifen is later -- but I would want the ovaries removed at the Mayo when I go for surgery if I'm having them removed, and that's soon. She is not sure they will do it at the same time, though, so I'll have to ask anyway.
She also said there is likely to be an issue with having a local doctor remove the drains the Mayo surgeon will leave in. I hadn't realized. The Mayo doctor said it would be simple to have a local doctor remove the drains. However, apparently doctors don't want to clean up other doctors' work. We will see what I can do about this...... I don't want to return to MN if I don't have to, 2 weeks later. (Unless maybe I get those free cancer miles.... I have to look into that.)
OKay, enough serious stuff. today Joan decided we needed pictures of me having chemo. SO she took some! I posted two. (Next time we will get someone to take a picture with HER in it TOO.) Thanks to Rebecca for the loan of the great scarf. I got compliments on it all day -- one woman at the cancer center (a worker, not a patient) said she wears wraps on her head sometimes just anyway -- probably every time she sees a patient with one she likes!.
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