I thought you'd like an update. I haven't been giving a blow-by-blow account, because it's mostly depressing and boring.
The good news: As of my last blood test, my blood work is normal. I can haz red blood cells. Also, my tumor markers have dropped to normal.
The bad news: I spent the last month or so in side-effect hell, as the chemo did a number on my feet. You know your life is going in the wrong direction when you find yourself googling “Xeloda toenails oozing bleeding.” I felt like a failed fire walker. My feet are already much better.
The mixed feelings: Because of the side effects and the generally good results, the oncologist took me off the Xeloda and put me on tamoxifen, which I took for several years after my first diagnosis. I didn’t have too much trouble with before, and I didn’t have disease progression while I was on it. From my current perspective, hot flashes and insomnia seem positively benign side effects. The problem is that whatever decision I make about treatment, I feel like I should have done something different. I told the oncologist that I would choose any level of discomfort if it meant not dying. Also, it’s hard to celebrate milestones, because the odds are so high that disease will progress.
Annoyances: I’m currently on Wellbutrin, and several recent studies indicate that Wellbutrin, as well as some other anti-depressants and *sob* diphenhydramine, reduce the effectiveness of tamoxifen. This means I’ll be a depressed sneezing cancer patient.