Hormone Therapy - Update

Back when it first began, my oncologist prescribed Tamoxifen by way of hormonal treatment to tame my Beast. (At least, that was what I was made to understand.)

"How long would I have to take this pill?" I asked the young oncologist.

"umm... until ... the end." She answered uncomfortably.

Wow, that's encouraging, I thought as I derailed the unhappy thought.

My liver did not agree with this arrangement so what ensued was Elevated Liver Enzyme, a condition which showed up in a subsequent blood test. What this meant in Gastroenterology, was that my liver was injured. Thus began a series of tests and drug elimination which resulted in a final prognosis that the culprit was none other than Tamoxifen.

So they struck off Tamoxifen while I gave myself a pat on the back. One less medication, I thought gleefully. My joy was short lived.

Arimidex (an expensive drug) joined my medication regiment.

I watched my liver enzymes closely.

"They're looking good, but we will continue to monitor them for a while" said the doctor at the Gastroenterology clinic.

The two major side effects of Arimidex was arthritis and a compromise in bone density. A bone mass scan revealed that my bone was "on the soft side" so calcium carbonate was prescribed.

Of a little more concern to me, meanwhile, were my fingers. I could not bend them in a grip and it hurts when my fingers accidentally brushes against some other object. After about a year of tolerating this inconvenience, my oncologist finally replaced Arimidex with Letrozole.

The pain in my fingers lessen but it was still impossible to bend them in a grip. My oncologist was alarmed when I told her how I was dropping kitchen knives and scissors. I was sent to the Orthopedic Clinic for treatment. After a brief examination, the doctor at the Orthopedic Clinic ruled out arthritis, scheduled me for physiotherapy and a minor surgery to fix my trigger finger.

At the Hand Rehabilitation Center, I was given a hand Dynamometer. This device measured my grasp strength which was about 6 by the way, for both hands.

I loved the physiotherapy sessions. The therapist massaged the area on my palm below the fingers with baby oil for close to three quarter of an hour, the last quarter of which was spent pushing a lump of theraputty with the back of the fingers. The wax treatment was canceled as the heat triggered in said treatment bodes ill for cancer patients.

The minor surgery is scheduled for tomorrow, and I'm a tad anxious.