Life After Cancer

Life After Cancer

It has been a long hard nine/ten months.  I have been through a lot, including

·  3 mammograms

·  2 ultrasounds

·  MRI, CAT, PET scans, EKG, echocardiogram, chest x-rays, FISH test, Oncotype DX test, genetic testing, bone scan, IHC test

·  8 surgeries (3 surgical biopsies, bilateral mastectomy, immediate reconstruction, lymph node dissection, insertion of port, breast implants) and at least 2 more in the near future

·    6 drains

·    20 weeks – 16 rounds of chemo

·    2 blood transfusions

·    6 weeks – 28 rounds of radiation

·   At least 40 CBC’s completed

·   Treatment induced menopause

But, life is returning to normal.  I don’t have to take my temperature every day, I have to shave my legs and underarms again, I wake up with bedhead, I’m allowed to wear regular deodorant again, scarves are worn only around my neck, I have energy to run around with my kids again.  A good day is no longer measured by being able to stay out of bed for more than a few hours at a time.

I did have to go to see my family doctor the other day for something unrelated to cancer and as I was driving in to the hospital parking garage, I immediately drove into the reserved cancer patient parking section.  I realized then that there might be one thing I miss about cancer…awesome parking.  I figured I had still earned the right to park there but I discreetly walked into the hospital ready to defend myself if someone was planning to bust me.  I still have my port and I can use that as my cancer patient parking ticket.  Who needs a paper parking id/ticket when you have a surgically inserted catheter as proof? 

As my doctor is looking me over and kindly reminding me that I am now at a greater risk for a stroke, blood clots, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer he asks me how chemo is going?  Chemo?  I think to myself, this is so weird that three of my doctors now have asked me about chemo when I am already finished with chemo.  I kindly remind him that I am done with chemo and have been for some time.  Then he tells me something I wasn’t prepared to hear.  The drug that I am taking (I have been taking it for a couple months already and will be taking it for the next 10 years) is a chemo drug.  Hold up!  I did not know about this!  Now, I have already been taking the drug for a while and the side effects have not bothered me too much so I know it shouldn’t change how I feel about it.  But, come on!  I go home and tell my husband about this obviously ridiculous news and as I tell him, I cry.  I tearfully explain to him what my doctor said as I also google the information to make sure it is correct and there it is…Tamoxifen oral chemotherapy.  What the heck?  Jeff tries to reassure me that it’s okay and I sob through telling him that I hate the word chemo.  Turns out, any drug that is used for cancer is considered chemotherapy.  I don’t know if that makes it any better or not.  Why do doctors have to ask how chemo is going, couldn’t they just ask me how the drug prescribed for cancer prevention is going?

Looking on the Bright Side…I thought I would be getting my port removed this summer but my surgeon said I should keep it for a little while yet and we will discuss it again in 3-6 months.  I guess until then, I will have my cancer parking ID still with me.