The final Kiss Off

Saw my oncologist today for my final visit. He did an examination which didn't turn up anything distressing, and he advised that my final heart scan came back & everything was good.

Basically, my only treatment now is daily Tamoxifen for 5 years. After 5 years, if I am post-menopausal then I will see him again where he will evaluate me for another kind of hormone therapy for post-menopausal women. If I am still pre-menopausal, then I get no further treatment.

And, of course, I get my annual diagnostic mammogram (it is a little more skookum than the screening mammogram that most women get).

But other than that, I get no further testing - nothing that tells me I am 100% cancer-free - no guarantees or stamps of approval. Of course, I will be doing regular self breast exams (as all you women should be doing monthly).

If, after 5 years, I AM post-menopausal and he puts me on hormone therapy, then I will get regular bone density scans as those drugs cause Osteoporosus..... So he has given me a pamphlet on how to prevent Osteoporosus so I can get my bones in as absolutely good a shape as possible if it turns out I will need those drugs in 5 years.

I am looking to be a healthier me - in reading the nutrition stuff, I realize I have been eating very healthily - perhaps a little too much at times causing the weight struggle - but my choices have been good ones. I love fruits and vegetables and with the help of my TOPS friends and the nutrition stuff I've learned online, I am getting better and better at choosing healthy options.

And so I hope to get back to the weight I was at before I found the lump - that is about another 10 pounds or so away. Am hoping to do this before I go back to work so I can return looking & feeling great & reassure everyone that I am as good as new.

So, one more visit to the plastic surgeon for post-surgery follow-up and then I'll see him again for nipple tattooing (maybe, if I decide to do that) and otherwise, it's a wrap!!!