It's difficult to adjust to a schedule full of medical appointments, when one is used to being healthy and just going to a doctor "as needed". Breast cancer turns your life upside down....without any apologies!
The nuclear bone scan went better than expected. I was expecting a cold hard table to lay on...but it was actually padded, with little arm rests! And for once being short was a good thing. All the scans could be done in 1/2 hour rather than the typical hour, due to my size! YAY for that!!!!! It's just a long day, because the IV is given, then you leave for three hours, then go back for the actual scan.
I see the oncologist on 9/22, and will find out the results then. I was told by the tech that I should not worry about the test, that it is a routine order after a diagnosis of breast cancer.
Tamoxifen decreases bone mass. So, when I go see the oncologist, I am also scheduled to get an IV infusion of Reclast. They give it to patients with bone cancer (YIKES)....but it will build up my bones they say. Someone has determined that it also helps to stop the breast cancer from coming back..... there can be some side effects..most are short term...such as fever, flu like symptoms, bone pain....
but I guess the benefits outweigh the effects. And as I am learning...EVERYTHING has side effects! And honestly, I am getting tired of hearing about them.
On a very UP side......I am on target to have the implants installed sometime after November 8th. I can't do it before then, due to things going on at the office. But a week isn't going to make a whole lot of difference.
Recovery time is much shorter after this next surgery....probably off work no more than a week....since I work in an office setting. Probably if you did manual labor, that would be a different story.
This whole medical drama has not been a piece of cake, by any means....but it could have been so much more involved than it has been. I have been very blessed, fortunate, lucky...all of the above? The most important thing to take from my experience......
EARLY DETECTION! Hopefully, it's caught BEFORE it becomes invasive.
Be vigilant about your mammograms. If there is a strong history of breast cancer in your family...opt for also getting a MRI of your breasts. Some women also have a mammogram every 6 months rather than yearly. Most insurance plans won't pay for it, but it would be worth the expense for breast cancer to be caught 6 months earlier...
As I know I've said before....there are so many different scenarios to breast cancer, more than I ever realized. It's a slow, worrysome process for a patient, while the "team" of doctors comes up with the best game plan. Ultimately, until the oncologist has been seen, and the results of further tests are back...everything is subject to change. The waiting is extremely difficult...
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