The Plan

I was going to say the "final plan" but that's so May 8th. No finality for me, thanks.

So--I've now seen oncologists at Hopkins and Western MD Health System, and there is a plan. I will proceed with the conservative course of 6 weeks of radiation treatments/5 days per week, starting 7/27/09. There are treatment options in trials at Hopkins which take one week (I don't qualify) or three weeks (I might qualify), but there are reasons to stay with lower doses of radiation over a longer period--which I can do. At the conclusion of radiation (around 9/10/09) I will start the tamoxifen pill treatment for 5 years.

I have come to realize some women choose to skip radiation, especially for eensy-teensy cancers like mine, for a whole host of reasons--money, distance, time--but no medical person advocates this plan, and I can't see taking the increased risk of cancer recurrence. So, light me up, baby!

In truth, the radiation thing kind of intimidates me....stupid, after facing down the Big C. No one I've talked to who've had the treatments view them like much of a big deal. But when the doctor told me up to 5% of my lung tissue would be scarred (and thus killed off) in the process of nuking the breast area, I realized how potent this radiation is. ICK. Let's hope the ever-so-suave Dr Watkins has some good aim!