Gimme a "T"!

Mortification.  I forgot to shave!  I realized that two minutes before The Pusher walked into the exam room, this morning.  It's not like I didn't shower, or apply deodorant.  I just couldn't present him with the ne plus ultra of feminine underarms.  And on first meeting, too.  I was certain he'd be revolted.  Honestly, the stuff that goes through my head!

But, I got over it.  And, of course, The Pusher never said a word.

But he sure spouted a lot of numbers.  1.2 cm was the size of the largest site of invasive cancer The Dutchman removed (in the first surgery).  That makes me a T1C:  a tumor greater than 1 cm in diameter, but less than 2 cm.  My cancer is grade 1 -- so it can print the alphabet and knows its numbers up to 100.  There are four grades;  four is the nastiest, so I have a decidedly un-nasty kind (I believe "low grade" is the correct terminology).  I have a strong estrogen receptor positive expression, but only a 20% progesterone positive expression.  I showed no lymphovascular invasion (hence, the decision not to take further nodes in the next surgery).  And I'm HER-2 negative (the HER-2 protein is not causing my cancer):  woo hoo!

So, with a relatively small, low-grade tumor that's estrogen receptor positive in a HER-2 negative patient, the prescribed treatment is -- wait for it -- Tamoxifen.  And no chemo.  Officially.  It's The Pusher who would order that.  But he didn't.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

It turns out only post-menopausal babes qualify for aromatase inhibitors;  so it's Tamoxifen for sure, and for five years.  Side effects?  Increased risk of uterine cancer and blood clots in the legs, leading to pulmonary embolism.  But the ones most likely to affect more women:  hot flashes and weight gain.  Why is it weight loss is never a side effect?!

Though I left with a 'scrip, it's actually the radiation oncologist who'll determine when I begin to take it.  Apparently, some of them prefer the patient to wait 'til radiation's concluded before they begin the drug therapy.  I'll get that news a week from Friday, when I meet with The Burn.

But one way or the other, I'm gonna be one hot mess in a matter of weeks.