Hormone Therapy Planning
Today I had two oncologist appointments, which meant a lot of wig planning. I was pretty sure my medical oncologist would enjoy the blonde micro-braids, but my radiation oncologist had already seen that one. So, I wore another wig to radiation with the micro-braids in my bag for when I changed back into my clothes. I hand-carried my pink 60s wig, as my radiation oncologist had asked to borrow it for a breast cancer fundraiser that she's participating in. (She'll be playing tennis and they said all participants have to wear pink and white.) So, busy hair day!
My appointment with my medical oncologist (and yes, she did like the micro-braids!) was for hormone therapy planning. I was wondering if she would recommend suppressing my ovaries in addition to anti-estrogen treatment. I know there is a study underway to compare Tamoxifen alone to Tamoxifen + ovarian suppression. She had mentioned ovarian suppression back in May and so I assumed she'd want to do that.
However, in the end, the oncologist said that even though my hormone levels got weird during chemo (and it seemed like I might be going into "chemopause") she doesn't believe I will become menopausal. I had no peri-menopausal symptoms before treatment and my body seemed to fight the influence of the drugs as best it could. She decided to just put me on Tamoxifen and nothing else for now. As far as my concerns about side effects, she pointed out that many women do just fine on Tamoxifen and we can manage any side effects that come up.
So, now I have the prescription in hand and am scheduled to start taking Tamoxifen a week after I finish radiation. I feel strangely happy for my ovaries. "Look, you get to keep on working. Go, ovaries, go!" It's all so silly.
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