Mood: Happy 😄
So besides seeing my surgeon this past Monday I had appointments with my oncologist and my nurse practitioner as well.
On Tuesday I had my follow-up appointment with my oncologist to talk about how I am doing on Anastrozole and to get my bloodwork done as well. My bloodwork is improving as time goes by. My red blood cell count is still a little low which explains why I am still dealing with fatigue, but it is not at a dangerous level at all, my body just needs more time to continue to heal.
He asked me about any side effects now that I am three months into taking the medication and I explained that I am having some dizziness and hot flashes but nothing that is taking over my life to where I am miserable. Even so, he offered to change my medication as there are a few other options, but I assured him that I am fine and if the side effects get any worse I will call him and let him know.
Overall he said that I look great and that I am continuing to do well. I really appreciated him telling me that since I certainly do not feel that way all of the time. He reminded me to keep taking the Anastrozole every day, which I do. I get the feeling that a lot of patients don’t take it regularly but he knows that I do what ever he asks me to do.
We also discussed the virus and he said that he is very happy that I am not going through chemo right now with the virus continuing to be a major concern. He said that it has been very tough on his patients, the other doctors in the office and nurses. “This virus and chemotherapy treatments do not go well together.” I can only imagine what it is like to go into the treatment room now as there is the issue of having a compromised immune system and not being able to have anyone in the treatment room with you.
I will follow-up with him again in July and hopefully by then my bloodwork will be completely back to normal and my side effects will have eased up a bit.
On Wednesday I had a tele-health appointment with my nurse practitioner. It was so great to not have to go into the office and possibly be exposed to anyone carrying the virus. My NP is pregnant and she said that they had people coming in to have a follow-up appointment to refill prescriptions, only to find that when they went in back and had their temperature taken they had a fever, a cough, etc….and tested positive for the virus. After that happening more than once, her obgyn said that she could not work at the office anymore, so she is home doing most of the tele-health calls. I was both surprised and happy to see her when our call connected as I wasn’t sure who I was going to meet with and if they would know much about my medical history over the last few years.
My NP was the first medical professional that I saw when I found the first tumor that lead me on my journey with breast cancer. She is the one who referred me to my amazing surgeon who has been with me from the beginning, as he was the one who did my first biopsy and diagnosed me with breast cancer over a year ago. So needless to say, my NP holds a special place in my heart!
We talked about the virus and how much it has changed going to appointments at the doctors office. I filled her in on the previous appointments I had with my surgeon and oncologist, and I let her know when my surgery is scheduled for. Because the virus has changed the scope of appointments so much in her office, she actually prescribed my meds as usual for 90 days, but with a refill as well so I don’t have to go back to the office for another 6 months. She said that she knows my numbers are good concerning my diabetes and that she was confident that it was not a problem to go ahead and give me a refill, something under normal circumstances she would not do.
So it was a great week for me and it was so nice to meet with all of my doctors! With everything I have been through with breat cancer I rely on my doctors to continue to care for me and I actually look forward to seeing them, something I never thought would be the case, ever in my life.