B9 and on with life. . . .until the next time....

Saw my oncologist yesterday and went over results of the October 21 surgical biopsy.  It was b9 but provided more support for taking tamoxifen which I have been on since end of August with no real SEs so nothing will change there.

She did say a couple of things that I wanted to share.  First, Tamoxifen does not work like an aspirin as in you take it and the head ache/cancer risk goes away.  It takes a couple of years to build up in the system and to fully do its thing.  Second, once you have been diagnoised with stupidbreastcancer, the radiologists will be looking ever so closely at your mammograms and--this is the important part--it is very common to have to go through more surgical biopsies that turn out to be nothing in the first year or so post treatment because are being so super careful.

In other words, when I go in for the next 6 month in March, I could end up going another round in the surgery for another biopsy.  No guarantee but it should be no surprise if I do.

Somehow, knowing its a possibility actually makes me feel more in control and less crazed than I was going into the first 6month check-up.  I don't remember anyone cautioning me about that happening--they might have, its all sort of a blur--but I don't remember.  And I think knowing that would have made me less stressed when "hot Dr. B" [how someone referred to the radiologist who found the suspect area--trust me, its an accurate description!  ] started the merry-go-round again.

I would add that I didn't realize how stressed I was until I got the report back that all was well.  I thought I wasn't stressed, I thought I was doing fine and superficially, I was.  But inside, I was a wreck.  I do think I did a better job of taking care of myself this time---scheduled the surgery for a Thursday instead of Monday, I stayed home from work 2 days and didn't call my office, I barely  moved off sofa, went to farmer's market [my idea of fun, husband allowed under protest] and I just generally hung out.  Per my oncologist for a two week out surgery, the right boobie looks awesome and I am a great healer.

I suspect many of us are more stressed than we think.  Not sure what we can do about it--been stressed so darned long, I am not sure I can tell you the symptoms but I'm plugging away.  Perhaps that is the "good" part of the "good" cancer?---A wake-up call to reassess my priorities?

Happy weekend!