My last appointment was about a year ago. Thankfully, there's no new medical issue to report. Since being diagnosed, the longest stretch I've had without any new problems popping up is about 1 year. I'm hoping to set a new record now. (Knock on wood.)
My appointments used to alternate between my oncologist and this medical oncology NP, but today's appointment with my NP was the 2nd time in a row seeing her, and my next appointment - which will be in 1 year - is also scheduled with my NP. We didn't discuss it explicitly, but I think now that my health is relatively stable, my oncologist's time is better spent with patients who are in active treatment.
This will actually be the first time I'll be going a full year between appointments with a breast or cancer specialist. My last oncology appointment was a year ago, but I saw my Breast Center NP about 6 months ago. That was my last scheduled follow-up with them, so there won't be a 6-month check-in this time. But, my NP was very kind and clear that I can always call for an appointment at any time.
I really like my NP. She spent over 30 minutes with me, and for much of that time we chatted about kids, vacations, the end of the school year, etc. A lot of the conversation was in reference to my increased anxiety, which could be from the anastrozole (hormone therapy pill), surgical menopause after having my ovaries out, or even situational (June is always a busy month, plus my oldest child is graduating high school). I told her how I know what being anxiety-free feels like because that's how I feel when we're on vacation! And I really appreciated that she said, with all seriousness and without any condescension, "Life really is hard." And that's just it. Life makes a lot of demands on us, and it always will. She also tried to gauge the severity of my anxiety by asking me if I get paralyzed by it, which I don't. Sometimes it slows me down because I'll fret and fuss over something for a while, but I am always able to eventually move on and get things done.
For the record, I still have a bunch of hormone therapy side effects, which haven't changed much. I do get fewer hot flashes these days, though when I do get them, they're still accompanied by anxiety. I wake up every morning with stiff fingers; I can't even close my hands into fists until I pump my fingers and exercise them for a while. The first three fingers on each hand are still very faintly numb, but I only notice it when I tap my thumb against the next two fingers. I don't sleep well at all; I have trouble falling asleep unless I go to bed very tired, I get up at least 1-2 times a night to pee or because I'm feeling warm, and then I frequently wake up too early feeling anxious.
Oh, one last thing. I'm supposed to get another bone density test, which I've been getting every 2 years, to check on the state of my osteopenia.
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