Anti Cancer drug...

 

 "Two more years," my oncologist said.

Damn. I thought the hormone that I'd been taking for five years would end now.

"Because you had breast cancer twice, we think seven years is better," she explained.

Okay, I can do two more years of hot flashes and night sweats that the tablet causes. I'm in late my 70s. I'll pretend I'm in 50s and take them as a sign of youth.

My daughter went through puberty at the same time I went through menopause. There were no major problems of an emotional adult and teenager being out of control. 

I think we both agree that there are togetherness activities that are far more fun than hormonal ups and downs..

The pills are tiny, smaller than half the nail on my baby finger and I've small hands.

They have a French and a Swiss name depending on the country I buy them in. The prescription is honored by pharmacies in both countries, but it costs 4x as much in Switzerland. My Swiss health insurance covers the French purchase. At first they didn't want to, but I wrote and mentioned how much they saved. I don't know if that had any bearing or not.

This pill was different than the one I was prescribed the first time, which left me feeling like the first months of being pregnant. When I talked to my doctor, she did a little research and said when she put in all my personal details it has a 50-50 chance of being effective. I chose the wrong 50 and five years later, another nasty tumor made its home in my right breast. That was five years ago. I decided to be an Amazon woman without a right breast. Unlike the Amazon women, I didn't shoot arrows.

Five seems to be a big number in my personal experience with cancer.

Now many years later, I am cancer free as of my last check this week. 

I can share menopausal symptoms with my daughter. Hopefully she will be able to come at Christmas. Along with Christmas stockings we can share more hot flash stories.