Cancer stuff

I may have to construct a picture with a single blue footed booby on it, mourning the fact that it's all alone...


I got the results of my blood test, and yes, my body has the enzyme to utilize Tamoxifen. The side effects are pretty ugly and scary, though, although their chances are low. If it happens to me, though, the odds are irrelevant.

I've been digging through Medline, and there's one recent study that shows that in that one study, the chances of recurrence after mastectomy are significantly lower than with radiation therapy or nothing. However, most of the info is on lumpectomies, not mastectomies. I found a study just a year older that said that the benefit to risk ratio makes the use of Tamoxifen iffy. On the other hand, my DCIS was grade three. On the gripping hand, the mastectomy is supposed to be a 98-99% cure; the Tamoxifen is to reduce the risk of developing cancer in my remaining breast. Supposedly, the risk is 5 to 10% without the Tamoxifen, and about 5% without.

Hence my dilemma. I'm leaning towards taking the drug, but that increased chance of uterine cancer, though less than the chance of recurrence of breast cancer, scares me. If I can't come to a decision, I'll wait to take the pills till I can call the oncologist on Tuesday. It really feels like a catch-22 situation right now. Argh. Heavy decisions.