― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Ah, birthdays. Let's hope 42 is a magical number!
I had a good visit with Dr. Wilson (my oncologist) last Monday. He would like me to have another MRI in December, and another in June. He feels I've had enough mammograms/X-Ray exposure for the year and would like to avoid more, unless it's necessary. He also said that I shouldn't need to visit him for another year.
I inquired if there's anything more that I should be doing, such as changing my diet, and he said that I'm a healthy weight, and I exercise, and that those are enough. I shouldn't have to load up on kale (although I do enjoy it) or avoid dairy (which I do tend to avoid, unless it's cheese - man, do I love cheese), or anything like that. It was an interesting conversation. His thoughts on cancer diets are that there is not enough data to prove or debunk them. Sure, I should avoid refined sugar, but so should everyone, for many reasons.
"People who tell you what you should or shouldn't eat are basically trying to blame you for your cancer. They want to make sense of it, so if they can pin it on your diet, then it's a way to assure themselves that they won't get cancer. 'You didn't eat enough vegetables, but I eat a lot of vegetables, so I'll be okay. You eat sugar, and I don't, so I'll be okay.' Let me tell you something, Miriam. You didn't give yourself cancer. This isn't your fault. Sometimes bad things happen to really good people."
And that, my friends, is why I adore Dr. Wilson. It was a very nice birthday gift to hear this. Not that I think this is my fault, but it's cool to hear, anyway.
Here's the latest question mark - to take or not take Tamoxifen. I have the prescription. It's sitting in the medicine cabinet. Haven't opened the bottle yet. I keep thinking there's going to be a perfect time to try it out. I'm to try it for three weeks, and if I don't like the side effects, I can stop. (Sounds like an addiction, doesn't it? "I can stop whenever I want! I'm in control, I swear!"
Thanks for stopping by! I should have the MRI results mid-December. (And now I have Jesse of Breaking Bad in my head, "Magnets, bitches!"
