It isn't all doom & gloom

I had an appointment with my oncologist on Monday. It was the first with him since my CT scan. In his opinion, the results of the scan likely aren't as bad as we originally thought. I'm not sure I should even try to explain, given the jumbly state of my brain nowadays, but I'll give it a shot.

Doctor had my two last scans side by side on the screen, and by matching certain points, he felt the spot on my lung is not changed too drastically. Two factors that he mentioned (and that I remember!) made sense to me - I believe the guy because he has years of experience*. The first one may strike some people as silly, but I can see it. My position on/in the CT machine. Chances are I wasn't in the exact same position this last time as I was in December 2015. I mean, obviously I was on my back. But that brings us to the second factor: fluid around my lung. This comes into play 2 ways here. It pushes things around (my portacath had to be repositioned after the fluid subsided in 2014 - it moved down into my heart chamber!). Secondly, my December 2015 scan was done soon after my lung was drained, so there was less "movement" due to fluid.

I am sure there will be people who "poo poo" this, but like I said, I believe my doctor. I asterisked his experience in the paragraph above...over the summer, he and his wife celebrated their 50th anniversary! I was 2 years old when he got married. He has seen a lot of scans and drugs and reactions and sickness and decline.

That said, my tumor markers have been on the rise, so while I'm staying on the Ibrance, my Femara (daily pill) is being replaced with Faslodex (monthly injection). The Faslodex messes with my estrogen, which my cancer needs to thrive, somehow making it difficult for the cancer to attach to the estrogen. The shot is actually 2 - one in each hip and I can put my finger exactly on the spots of the injections today. Ouch! Small price to pay, though, for a chance at a few more months progression- free!