Today is the last day of 2012 and I’ll have to admit, I’m glad it’s over. It hasn’t been a bad year or a really good year, but one that has changed my perspective on how I will probably live the rest of my life.
A couple weeks ago I visited my oncologist and he prescribed a drug called Tamoxifen. This drug is used to reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back. I will most likely take this drug for the next decade if my body doesn’t rebel against it too much. Since it is considered a “maintenance” drug, my health insurance encourages me (via lower copayment) to purchase this drug through a mail order pharmacy. So the day after I received the prescription, I sent it off to be filled.
For the past two weeks, I have walked to my mailbox watching for my prescription to arrive. You would think that I would be anxious to begin taking this medication since statistically it has been proven to decrease the chances of getting cancer again, but for some reason every day I was relieved when it wasn’t in the mail. Today, on the last day of the year, it arrived and all the fears and anxiety I’ve experienced over the last three months came rushing back.
Early in my diagnosis, when I was trying to educate myself on all the possible treatment options of breast cancer, I did quite a bit of research on this drug. I found it has many negative side effects but every doctor has advised me the “benefits” of Tamoxifen outweigh the risks. But my natural tendency is to be safety-conscious and doing something that “might” not be good for me is usually avoided. I opened the package and began reading the three page drug description and risks….
- Hot flashes
- Bone pain, joint pain or tumor pain
- Swelling
- Weight gain
- Nausea (maybe this will offset the weight gain)
- Thinning hair
- Increase risk of uterine cancer, stroke or blood clot in the lungs (OMG… I’m feeling faint)
- And about a hundred more things that might be unpleasant or make me sick
I have several friends who have taken or are currently on Tamoxifen. It seems to affect everyone differently. When discussing my concerns with my oncologist, he explained there are other drugs that can be prescribed that will reduce some of the side effects that will make Tamoxifen more tolerable. Therefore, if I start experiencing some of the side effects, to let him know and he will call me in some more drugs. Oh great… I am going to need one of those weekly drug organizers just to keep everything straight! But Tamoxifen is my only drug choice until I go through the Big “M” (menopause). Oh my, I don’t even want to think about that yet!
I know this is silly, but I’ve decided I am not going to start taking Tamoxifen until tomorrow – January 1, 2013. You know what they say… Out with the old and in with the new. So today I am going to enjoy being cold in case I get hot flashes later, ratting up my hair (while I still have some) and dance like no one is watching.
Happy New Years my friends! I hope Year 2013 brings you many blessing and good heath.
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