My oncology appointment

Today's oncology appointment went well. She looked at the warts that are covering my shoulders (and spreading to my right breast and arm) and said that she wasn't at all worried about them. They don't look malignant and she agrees with my family doctor that it's better not to treat them because the treatment could be as bad as the warts. The treatment would involve removing them by chemicals, a laser, or by freezing them. There's no guarantee that any of those treatments would work, they're all painful, and they could all leave a scar or be more noticeable than the warts are.

If there was a way to get rid of those warts that worked the first time, I'd do it. I'm ashamed of them.

Back to my appointment: my tumour markers was 41 compared to 40 last time, so they're still stable at just over the normal range. I have been having some pain on a spot on my right side so we're going to do a bone scan. It's been nine months or a year since my last bone scan so it's just about it for a new one anyways. She'll call me if anything new shows up and otherwise I'll see her in two months.

I keep expecting my tumour markers to go up, not because I'm having pain (I'm on enough painkillers that I'm not likely to feel most pain from bone mets) but because I've been on my current treatment - Femara - for four years. Four years!!!! Most people are lucky to get eighteen months on this treatment. As I stay on this treatment longer and longer, it becomes more and more likely that I'll need to change treatments. So every time I see my oncologist, I figure that this will be the time that we change treatments.

So overall, the appointment went well. When I got home I packed up some more books and did a bit of tidying up. I was quite impressed with myself for getting some work done today even though I was up early. Yay for me!