Happy News! 😃

Greetings dear ones! Today I had an appointment with Dr Miranda (oncologist) and thought I would update everyone. First of all, my lab results mostly look awesome! My liver enzymes were not even elevated a tiny bit- woohoo!! My blood counts look ok for the most part too. My vitamin D level was low so I am now taking an oral supplement. That level will be checked again in a few months to see if the pills are sufficient or we need to add an Iv infusion to protect my bones. This time my tumor marker number is considered a baseline. It will be checked in 3 months to see how it looks. We hope it remains the same or even drops. It's not so much the actual number as it is the trend of rising or falling that is significant. If the number rises it could indicate new growth of cancer cells- that's why we are keeping a close eye on it. In other news, I was scheduled to have a repeat brain MRI on Monday, but that had to be cancelled due to my tissue expanders. Apparently the magnets in my expanders might make me or the machine blow up. That minor detail will delay the MRI until the expanders are removed. The removal is a surgical procedure that will take place during reconstruction. I found out today that my port a cath can be removed at that time as well. Yay! Dr had initially told me that my port had to stay put for at least 6 months (preferably a year) but due to increased risk of blood clots we get to pull it earlier. The other exciting(?) thing that happened today is that Dr wrote my prescription for tamoxifen. This is a pill that blocks estrogen. This is because my tumor was shown to be estrogen receptor positive. Basically we are trying to create an environment that is hostile to cancer growth. I will be on this medication until the end of time- or maybe even longer! There are new guidelines that pre-menopausal women take it for 5 yrs, then if they are still pre-menopausal they take for 5 more years, then switch to a different med. wow that seems like forever! Hopefully I won't have too many side effects- my track record with medications is less than stellar! Overall, an excellent appointment today. I have such confidence in my dr and his marvelous care! What a lucky girl I am!! I am also now sporting lots of fuzzy whitish- gray  hair!! Less than desirable color, but I'm so excited that it's coming back so fast!! My sweet co-worker today told me that it's not old lady hair, it's angel hair. I LOVE that!! I am planning to work part time for the next couple of weeks. I am hoping to be able to be mostly full time by the first of August. Hopefully my body will cooperate! I am feeling so blessed, and hugely thankful for all of you! Love and hugs to all! ~ Melissa