Good News

As you could tell from yesterday's blog, I was concerned about what I would hear today regarding my PET scan since Dr. Vijay's office was so adamant that I come in right away. Well, I did not need to worry. The PET scan showed NO CANCER!! YAY!!

She had one concern, which for me was not a concern at all. The CT scan showed the nodules in my right lung that have been there for years. In fact, when they were first picked up on a CT scan, my family doctor referred me to a lung doctor, who monitored them for two and a half years. They never changed, so she dismissed me. Dr. Vijay would like to see a radiologist's report from the previous scans, but I can get that. I might even have it in the house. We were also pleased that the nodules did NOT show up on the PET scan, which means they are not actively growing. All good!

The reason for the urgency about bringing me in today is that she wants me to start the five years of Arimidex today. She felt that it was a month after chemo, so it was time to start. I can definitely take the pills while I'm on radiation. I had not realized that because I thought I had to wait until radiation was over. I took the prescription and will start the Arimidex tonight. There are four main side effects that I must consider. One is the potential for osteoporosis, so that's why I had the bone density scan. Those results were not back yet. She will monitor for that, but I now have a baseline. In the meantime, she was pleased that I already take calcium and vitamin D regularly, so she said just continue those. Two other side effects are frequent hot flashes and joint pain. There's nothing you can do about the hot flashes except endure them. She has had a few patients who hated them so much that they refused the Arimidex and went on Tamoxifen instead, which apparently gives milder hot flashes. The joint pain can range from nothing to severe in different women. She gave me a prescription for more oxycodone, and I can take Advil. Most women's bodies adjust after six months, so then there are no pains. It sounds like it could be a lot like the Taxol pains, but I hope they are milder since they could potentially last six months. I could have chosen Tamoxifen instead, but it comes with the potential for uterine cancer. Also, the Arimidex is shown to have somewhat better results, meaning less chance for recurrence. So, I chose the Arimidex, and I hope I am OK with it. The fourth side effect is weight gain. OY! I didn't need to hear that. She said that it is almost unavoidable, but if I eat right and exercise, I should be able to maintain my weight. ARG! I don't LIKE the weight I am right now. This morning on their scale, I hit a new high, 250. I was 242 at home Tuesday morning, and I always weigh more with clothes and later in the day on a doctor's scale, still I was only 248 on their scale last week. Not good. She also said don't pay any attention to what I eat on the ship, just relax, have fun, and eat what I want. I would like this doctor's advice more if I weighed 40 or 50 pounds less right now. Having gained fifteen pounds on the seven week vacation last spring and another 25 pounds in the last six months fighting BC, I'm not at a weight I want to maintain. Still, maintenance would be better than gaining for five years on these pills. If I don't watch myself, I'll be over 300 again in the next five years. That's a scary thought!

I also had my radiation simulation and tattooing this morning. They walked me through the whole procedure, where to wait, where to change, how to lie on the table, etc. Then they took another ultrasound, which will happen prior to each radiation session. This helps them see inside the body and get the radiation machine lined up properly. They took several more CT scans again (boy they love to do that here!), and finally I was tattooed in three places. I barely felt the first one on the right side, but the two on the left were a bit more painful. The last one bled enough that he put a band-aid on it. I was marked up with a lot of long lines which supposedly come off with alcohol. He washed a few off before I left the table and gave me four alcohol pads to wash some more off in the dressing room. There are still a LOT of marks left, so I am going to go see if I have any alcohol in the house. I might have to get some at Wal-Mart later when I go to pick up my Arimidex and oxycodone.

It has been a busy morning! Now I can finally focus on the cruise. We leave Sunday. Although I am taking my computer, I do not plan to blog during the cruise. That means no blogs from the time we get on the ship on Valentine's Day until the time we get home on March 5. I know that for some of you readers it will be hard to go that long without anything to read. LOL!! I guess you'll just have to go back and re-read the old ones. Ha Ha!!