Yesterday saw lung medical oncology NP and the breast medical oncologist. My lung CT will be rescheduled so that I will have been on the Tarceva a full 8 weeks before the scan. That will give the best chance to show if it's working.Now it's scheduled for 9/20/10.
In the meantime, Dr S wants me to start tamoxifen now. I just took the first one. He's hoping it will control the breast cancer and surgery may not be necessary. I'm getting a baseline breast ultrasound Monday...will follow up in a few months.
See, in order to do any surgery, I'd have to go off the Tarceva for a week or so at least. It would greatly interfere with healing. The lung cancer is by far and away more life threatening....so no going off the Tarceva -- unless we find out it's not working..
If it's not working, I'll have to have some very tough chemo. Everyone is really focused on the lung cancer. Every friend who knows my diagnosis thinks I'll be around a long time and will kick it.
I choose to believe that. The Tarceva patient information provideed by by the manufacturer states in large letters that patients on Tarceva live 12 months instead of 11 months. Oh goody!! I'm going for 24, 36, 60 months. None of this 12 months crap. (Excuse me!)
So, I'll see how the tamoxifen hits me....more hot flashes, mood swings. OK. Maybe not!!!It's down the hatch!!
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