Only me. Just a mere 4 weeks ago I had a blood draw
at Dr K’s office. He wanted to make sure
that my estrogen levels were where they should be—you know, being on that
estrogen blocker pill. The call went
like this:
Dr K: Your estrogen is higher than last year. You need a bone density test.
Me: (sighing) of course I do
Dr K: Someone will call and schedule it and then we
have a hard decision to make.
Me: (laughing) Oh no, YOU
have a decision to make. I do what you
tell me to do.
Dr K: exactly
So, I did the bone density
and figured I was head towards my 3rd surgery in a year. However, he calls and this is how THAT went:
Dr K: Due to your age etc, chemo induced your so
called menopause so you are not exactly through it- which explains why your
levels are going up. We are going to fix
this with a shot every 4 weeks for a year and we will retest. Insurance will cover it, I already checked.
Me: silence… (thinking
that must be a hell of an expensive shot if insurance had to be called)
Dr K: you there?
Me: Seriously, a shot? That involves a needle.
Dr K: (sighing) Afternoons work best—Monday and
Fridays are not great as there are holidays involved.
Me: Tuesdays and Thursdays
are out so I guess Wednesdays will have to work
Dr K: Works for me and I will be here if you need
me.
Me: Fine… I really hate
needles.
Dr K: I know- see you
Wednesday
Which is why, on
Wednesday, April 19—in the mist of 3 OTHER Doctor appointments that week in
Wilmington, I was standing waiting for Lina to give me said shot- yes,
standing, more on that in a few. But first, let’s visit Tuesday night, around
1030pm or so, when I smartly decided to Google the side effects of the Lupron
shot. The more I read, the pissier I get
and I start talking to myself- loudly.
The talking turns into bitching and whining and just like that I am up
in a tizzy and am like hell no; this is NOT going to happen. Then, as always, the moment passes and
reality sets in as I KNOW this is going to happen as the only battles I have
ever won with Dr K is the fluid ones. I
went to bed defeated and pondering the size of the needle. And in case anyone was wondering, I did tell
God I owed him at least 7 readings of the prayer of confession on Sunday.
Back to Lina, standing and
the needle. God answered my prayers and
gave me a small needle. And since it is
me, we had a bit of excitement as Lina was getting the needle ready. There we are talking and all of a sudden, the
plastic covering on the needle pops off and ricochets around the room as we are
ducking out of the line of fire. We look
at each other and she mentions how that has never, ever happened before. She then tells me I must be special. I just started laughing and told her she had
no idea, none at all. That was when she
smiled and said drop the drawers… I smiled back and said there is enough there…
she smiles and says it is going into your muscle… I said oh, then I need the
man treatment… after she stopped laughing she got the numbing spray out and
says you have been this route before I see… I replied, why yes, I have and how
much longer… she says done and I will see you in 4 weeks. I worried over nothing. Well, as far as that needle went.
Side Effects- the reason I
was in a tizzy. After reading the long
list of usual side effects, all I can think is—this is like chemo but I get to
keep the hair. Instead of stopping there
like a normal human, I continue looking up things. I come across this sharing of information page-
9 out of 10 women are saying how they gained weight. Of course they did. Just poke me in the eye
with an ice pick. And that is when I was
pushed over the edge. My innards are still fighting for housing so I am still
swollen and now I will more than likely gain weight? Seriously?
Can I just enjoy the tummy tuck for a few weeks?!
I went to bed the night of
the shot and thought this was a cakewalk.
Then I woke up and tried to move.
Well hell, the bone and joint aches were back as was the worst part of
chemo—the lower arm aches and the fingers all cramped up. Not to mention the calf aches. I was not happy when I ventured on down. By that time, Mae Ling had looked up the side
effects and as I am walking into the room she is mentioning that the side
effects are like chemo (gee Mom, this
was one time you could have lied and I would have not cared).
Side effects:
Hot flashes √
Bone/joint/muscle aches
√
Night sweats √
Nausea √
Insomnia
√
Swelling of feet and ankles √
FATIGUE √
As you can see, there are
quite a few, with many more not mentioned, but I figure these are the top
ones. I actually felt that first weekend
that I had neuropathy all over again in my feet. As the days have gone by, aside from the
fatigue, most have improved to a more manageable degree. It has been 2 weeks today and if this is how
it goes, I will be fine. I mean, I have
done this before so I know how to handle it and what works and what does
not. There will be lots and lots of 90
minute massages in my future… lots.
So, on the eve of the one
year anniversary of the lobbing off of Pia, this is where I am at. All is good and I am on this side which was/is
the goal. And best of all, Mae Ling was
going to retire, but then, after reading the side effects, she took pity on me
and is staying put for a while. All hail
Mae Ling!
Side note on Mae
Ling: earlier this week I had a 101.8
temperature and while I was thrilled it was a normal illness, Mae Ling had her
doubts. In fact, when I showed her the
thermometer at 101.7 she said did you put it under water (apparently I did that
as a teen—I thought I used the heater) so I cleared it and it went to
101.8. She then pulled mother rank and
told me I was staying home that night (I was cat/house sitting). I was not going to argue. As for the cat, he won big time as I fed him
a wee bit more than I should have feeling guilty and all that. He
might or might not have purred—stay away woman and feed me more J
As
always, my blessings far outweigh the negatives. As always, just take it for what it is- information
not whining. You will know when I am
whining. Trust me on that.
When you rise in the
morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give
thanks for your food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.
Tecumseh