Annus Hospitalis

The story so far:

In February this year I was diagnosed, after a routine mammogram, with early stage breast cancer. I had surgery - a lumpectomy. All was well, except that the medication prescribed by an oncologist, to hopefully prevent any recurrence of cancer didn't suit me, possibly due to my aged body chemistry (I'll be 80 on 27 January).Pluto was visiting my natal Mercury as all this happened. (Mercury lies close to descendant angle in my natal chart, quite an important placement). As Pluto moved ever so slowly on, some time after surgery, I was given alternative medication, to also deal with early stage osteoporosis of the spine, as well as helping with the breast cancer problem. I began feeling good once more.

The plan is that I am to be checked every 3 months via either breast MRI or mammogram with ultra sound scans when more info is needed. Possibly this is just for the first year - or maybe for two years. On my 6 month check, last week, I had a breast MRI. I was called back for "more information" and an ultra sound scan. Dread returned to the pit of stomach!

I had the ultra-sound scan on Monday. I'd worried myself sick over the weekend. The fact that Jupiter was transiting conjunct my natal Mercury gave me some hope that the malignancy actually hadn't resurrected itself. The very nice, highly efficient radiology doctor, who remembered me from my previous radiology adventures, assured me, after doing three scans, that what caused the MRI to have recorded a problem was just some scar tissue. This will not be a worry unless it enlarges during the next 3 months, when he'll scan it again. If any change other than decreasing in size occurs, he'll take a tissue sample. He fully expects that all will be fine.

I was so reassured after the scan, I broke my teetotal habit, in place since last February, and we went to Applebee's to have a drink. A double Glenlivet and soda cleared away the weekend's stress!

My husband has had his own medical issues this year: new pacemaker last month, cataract surgery next month. This is not annus horribilis, it's annus hospitalis!

THER-HAPPY

Therapy: treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder. Originally from from modern Latin therapia, from Greek therapeia ‘healing,’ from therapeuein ‘minister to, treat medically.’

It's a nice-sounding word, rolls off the tongue satisfyingly; I've decided to pronounce the word 'ther-happy' during coming weeks and months, as I begin a (theoretical) five years of hormone therapy as a preventative measure against breast cancer returning. The oncologist I met last Friday advised that, due to my advanced age, and the fact that the cancer was found early, radiation and chemo-therapies would not be used, going forward. She did strongly advise, however, hormone therapy. This treatment, just one small tablet per day, blocks any estrogen in the body; cancer cells feed on estrogen if certain markers were present in the lab tests performed on tissues and blood samples obtained over past weeks.

I'm hoping that known side effects from these tablets will not be too severe. The doctor has already ordered a bone scan, as bone density loss is one side effect of this treatment, and I have been on the border of osteoporosis for many years. Other possible side effects are higher cholesterol levels, potential for blood clots, joint aches and pains, and sundry other unpleasant-sounding stuff. Not all women experience severe difficulties, however. I guess much depends on one's age group, and on how much estrogen was skidding around the body to start with. Regular check-ups will follow, next meeting with oncologist in 6 weeks to see how I'm coping with the tablets, and to note results of the bone scan.

So, I'm nearing the end of this 6-week "adventure", which began with a mammogram on 27 February. From now on it'll be a matter of taking the tablets, taking some exercise - walking more regularly will help; eating well - plenty of fresh veggies; taking my regular calcium + VitaminD3 and magnesium, and - above all - maintaining a positive attitude .

I could not have asked for a better outcome than this, other than to have been told that the mammogram result was an error - which it wasn't !

I'm truly thankful, and very, very grateful to all the doctors, specialists and nurses I've encountered along the way. Their attitudes, personalities and approaches have helped me to cope with this highly unexpected, and disconcerting, adventure more than I could ever express, added to which, of course, the constant support of my husband.

Some additional personal therapy will follow: finding a comfortable bra, once I'm told that I can be rid of the pesky elastic bandage currently binding my chest.

UPDATE ~ on Last Week's 9 to 5 Adventure

Yesterday I visited the surgeon's office - the surgeon who performed my lumpectomy "procedure" on 27th March.

The appointment's purpose was for compression bandage and dressings to be removed, incisions checked, and for the passing on of information obtained from investigation of the offending cells and lymph nodes removed or biopsied as part of the procedure.

The office was pretty busy - lots of people waiting. The surgeon, we were told, was currently seeing a woman who was in the same position I'd been, just a few weeks ago. My heart went out to this lady!

After a chat with the surgeon's personal assistant/secretary, who kindly congratulated me on the way I'd handled the whole thing (little did she know the anxieties and obsessions with which I'd tortured myself - or perhaps she did), we then met the nurse practitioner who removed the long compression bandage and dressings, declared all well, healing nicely. Before she began the undoings, though, she told us that the surgeon had given her permission to give us "the good news". Smiling very broadly, she told us that all tests on lymph nodes etc. had come back as "clean", and emphasised what good news this was - could hardly have been better in fact! I started choking up, but called my stiff upper lip into service, and threw my arms around her...

"Thank you, thank you!"

I'm tightly re-wrapped, but not waist-deep this time. Compression is used to help the inner breast cells to come together over the wee hole left by the procedure. I have to return in a week, to have the incisions checked again.

In the meantime, tomorrow I have an appointment to see an oncologist at the Cancer Center - part of the hospital complex, to discuss what comes next. I'm hoping that treatment going forward will be minimal in view of the good news received, and my advanced age, but I'll not feel too cock-a-hoop until we see what this specialist has to say. So far, though, news has been so very, very good!

It was a 9 to 5 Job !

A quickie post just to celebrate finishing the "procedure" I underwent yesterday, 27 March.

The whole event did actually take from 9 to 5! We arrived at the hospital at required time of 9 AM. Not all of the 9 to 5 time span was used for surgery, there was a lot of waiting time to spend, and chunks of tests to establish exactly where "the nasty" is located, and to leave a marker for surgeon as he carried out the small lumpectomy. Some tests were fairly easy, one was a tad challenging mainly due to the length of time it took, while in some discomfort.

After the tests to find positions and direction of lymph nodes, came the inserting of a wire marker to show position of the small tumor, to to assist the surgeon. I was lucky to have a surgeon whose reputation is second to none in the state. The radiologist, also, deserves an Oscar for his skills, enthusiasm, and cheerful support in both my prior biopsy, a week or two ago, and in today's tests. He said, after completing his part of the procedure, "It'll be all downhill from here - you'll have a nice nap and then go home!" True enough, but there was a l-o-n-g wait before the nap, while the surgeon finished a much bigger operation than mine. The waiting time was the worst part of the whole thing, lying, sometimes uncomfortably, on the usual hospital bed-cum-trolley, in a small room. The husband was always with me though - that was a plus! My actual surgery took, I am told, around 45 minutes. I was away from the husband for 2 hours though, due to various additional preparation, plus some recovery time. During surgery husband had much appreciated supporting visits from his daughter, and later from his son-in-law.

I now have "binding" or "wrapping" around my breasts. I'm actually glad of my relatively small bra' size, something I've cursed during most of my adult life. I was given prescriptions for pain medications and stuff for nausea - which I don't have, thankfully. Pain is there but it's quite bearable, I shall not take maximum of pain pills unless it becomes truly essential.

Next appointment: 4 April, to see the surgeon for follow-up talk.

I feel a song coming on: