Chemo #6 - last one!

OK, first things first - the Oncologist's visit.  I wasn't looking forward to going really.  I think it was the thought that a couple of days later I'd be having another dose of chemo.  Strange really, I felt a bit queasy.  Whilst we were waiting, the radiotherapy patients were told that one of the machines had broken down and they weren't expecting it back that day.  So all non urgent patients were told to go home and they'd have their missed appointment tagged onto the end of their treatment.  Those patients that needed to have their session that day, had a 2 hour wait in front of them.  Can't be helped, but I hope it doesn't happen to me when my time comes.
Dr Newman, the Oncologist is lovely.  He reminds me of one of the doctors at work (ha ha no names!).  He's very patient and talked me through my options.  All my questions were answered:

1. How do they know the chemo etc. has worked?
They don't. Unfortunately there isn't a test they can do for breast cancer like there is for prostate cancer.  They just have to follow the best treatments for the type of cancer based on guidelines, research and statistics.

2.How can they be sure that it's nowhere else in my body?
I told him that I still struggled with the fact that there is no body scan to see if it's elsewhere, even though I'm aware that they won't pick up any cancer cells or small tumours.  Apparently they used to do them routinely but it was found that in the vast majority of cases everything was fine.  So now they only do them if there are symptoms.  However, he was happy to book me in for one in February, if it put my mind at rest - so I said yes please.

3.I want to know what the prognosis is after all the treatment has finished.
For my type of cancer that has spread to more than 4 of the lymph nodes, the prognosis is 70% survival rate after 10 years.  He did say that everyone is unique and the same cancer can react differently in different people.  Time will tell......

He's prescribed my Tamoxifen - hormone treatment (which should give me hot flushes).  He also recommends that I stay on anti-coagulants for 3 months because of the blood clot.  He gave me the choice of either going on Warfarin (regular blood tests at the GP surgery) or staying on Clexane (daily injections).  So, it sounded like swings and roundabouts until he said that there would be an interaction between Warfarin and Tamoxifen and they'd have to keep a closer eye on me.  So it looks like the Clexane injections win.

Today's chemo went according to plan.  We were a little late, as there had been an accident on the bypass just down the road and we had to take a detour.  We stopped off too to buy a card, tin of biscuits for the chemo team and a six pack of Irn-Bru (a giggle we'd had early on with a couple of Scottish nurses in reference to the red chemo) - just to say thank you.  They booked me in to have my PICC line out on the 24th December.  I asked if I'd have to go back to the same place that I'd had it put in, but Karen said no they whip it out there!  Can't wait - proper shower Christmas day maybe!

On our way out, we bumped into G taking her son to the Orthodontist.  It's the works Christmas do tonight and I'm missing it for the first time in years.  I want all the juicy gossip and plenty of photos!!  That'll keep me going through next week.

So, here we go again - waiting for the side effects to kick in.  Difference this time though is that's it - after this time, no more waiting for the side effects to kick in - bliss.