Oncology Day rolls around again. This one is a post-chemo Oncology appointment so a bit of a what’s next? discussion. I’m feeling ok about it. I’m ready for the next challenge. Sitting in the waiting room I get an alert from my Apple Watch. My heart rate has registered as above 120 bpm for 10 mins while sitting. Just Sitting. Waiting. I think I’m ok, but clearly I’m stressed. I look at the Health App and try to control my breathing. 

A young Doctor who I’ve ever seen before calls my name. She is Dr Fy, a registrar. Dr Sk is away. I’m disappointed. I have become attached to Dr Sk and I trust her. We are venturing into new territory today so I would prefer to be seen by someone I know. Oh well, here we go.

I am confused. Susannah is confused. We cover so much information it all gets a bit muddled so I ask Dr Fy to repeat it all. I think I get it. I am to start Endocrine Therapy today. That’s going to be a lovely combo of a Letrozole tablet daily for 5 years(!) which is basically an estrogen blocker. As Big Betty showed some positive estrogen receptor levels, it means she used estrogen to help her grow. The blocker will be used in the hope that it will help prevent my cancer from coming back. Take that bitch.

There are of course many lovely side effects, including increased menopausal symptoms (another thing women almost never talk about), but the only one of major concern is a likely decrease in bone density. But wait….there’s a drug for that! I will have a Zometa IV infusion every six months to control calcium levels. I can’t have any dental treatment while on this so next stop is dentist to make sure I’m up to date with treatments before we get going on the Zometa. I’ll also take Vitamin D once a month. That doesn’t sound too bad. Definitely do-able.

There’s more. In addition to the Zometa, I have another Z drug – Zolidax. This is administered as a giant injection that inserts a tiny implant into my belly fat. This is a slow release type of estrogen blocker that’ll work together with Letrozole to fight Betty’s return. I’m to start today – eek. I can do this. It’s only every 3 months after all.

There will also be 6 months or Oral chemo, but that won’t start until after Radiotherapy, so I back bench that info.

So, it’s an L,Z, Z – jab, jab, hook approach to the fight against Betty.

We leave the consultation room and do a Tour de hospital as we go to the Nurses station for a numbing agent, to the Lab for blood tests, Pharmacy to collect giant syringe, back to nurses station for injection (not going to lie, it hurt), and back to the Pharmacy for the rest of my medication. We stall a little on the Tour as we find that my Prescriptions have been mis-sent to Rangiora, Canterbury instead of Rangatira, Beach Haven, a mere 1000km apart. Dr Fy really is a newbie. We get it all done in the end but it takes the better part of the afternoon.

Home, I re-read everything to make sure I understand it all and then start to get ready for the great Van adventure tomorrow. We are once again trying to get away for the weekend and are going to the Uretiti DOC campsite.  

It feels like everything cancer is starting up again so I need to get away.