Do I Want Chemo?

Last Wednesday I got a call from the medical oncologist who I refer to as the "Chemo Doctor." I was waiting for the results of the Oncotype DX test which gives a recurrence score for my cancer and determines if one should have chemo therapy or not. If a low score comes back, it's been proven that there is no benefit to having Chemo but if a high score comes back, then one should definitely have Chemo because it lowers the risk of the Cancer returning considerably.

My score was 19 (sounds low to me) which was a 12% chance of recurrence. Although it wasn't in the lowest zone, it was just barely into the intermediate zone. In this area, the doctors don't really know for sure if Chemo helps or not so my doctor gave me the facts and left the decision up to me. My doctor said that with Chemo, it MAY decrease the recurrence percentage by 3-4%. Guess what, I chose not to have Chemo. I didn't think "maybe 3-4%" was worth going through Chemo. With radiation treatments and the 5-year follow-up pill, it cuts the risk of recurrence in half. the doctor was okay with my decision and my blood pressure returned to normal, I'm sure.

I was so relieved because when they called I thought for sure they were going to say I needed Chemo after all because if I didn't, I thought the "Chemo doctor" would just give the go ahead to the radiation oncologist. I am sure glad the hospital is close by though because I have been going just about every day for something or other.

The next day I had to go for a CAT scan. Friday I had to let the surgeon check my incision again because I had some redness which thankfully went away on its own, Yesterday I went for a bone density test that the "Chemo doctor" ordered and then my radiation treatments start TODAY which I have to go for every day Monday through Friday for 33 days. Oh, well, onward! I look forward to getting on with this and putting it behind me before Thanksgiving.

Thanks to all who are praying for me concerning this health issue I am dealing with and to those who have prayed that I wouldn't need Chemo.

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3 Things I Learned This Week--Part 35

Chemo Update

Although the initial news on my surgery is good, as far as they could tell the Cancer did not spread to the lymph nodes so he did not remove them all, they still have to inspect them more closely this week. There are also two other tests that will determine if I will need to have Chemo or not. I won't know the final results until next Wednesday when I meet with my surgeon who will then discuss my further treatment. So far so good, so I'm still trusting the Lord to help me through this and give me a speedy and complete recovery.

Exercise

Mountain Woman and Tim from Everyday Living have teamed up to do a blog about weight loss based on exercise. It just started this week so be sure to visit and get in on the ground floor. Both these people have lost a lot of weight so can really be helpful. They are making it very interactive and are even giving away a $100 gift certificate to Dick's so it's worth checking out: Get Moving With Mountain Woman and Tahtimbo.

Driving in a Downpour

My husband tried this and he said it worked. Most of the motorists would turn on HIGH or FASTEST SPEED of the wipers during heavy downpour, yet the visibility in front of the windscreen is still bad...... In the event you face such a situation, just try your SUN GLASSES (any model will do), and miracle! All of a sudden, your visibility in front of your windscreen is perfectly clear, as if there is no rain. Make sure you always have a pair of SUN GLASSES in your car. Amazing, you still see the drops on the windshield, but not the sheet of rain falling. You can see where the rain bounces off the road. It works to eliminate the "blindness" from passing semi's spraying you too. Or the "kickup" if you are following a semi or car in the rain.



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