drs appts tuesday

coopfesta · November 15, 2004, 2:41am

I'm meeting my mom and we're going to see my ob-gyn and then my onc. The Onc will probably be all for the hysterectomy and oopherectomy, the ob-gyn has already let me know he's thinking it's way too major a surgery to go through for something so minor (yeah, minor, like preventing a recurrence of BC or the uterine abnormality from tamoxifen is minor?) I've been considering skipping the extra ob-gyn and just going with the onc's recommendation for the next step, since I already saw the ob-gyn last month. I may call my PCP and get his take on whether I should go back to the ob-gyn to discuss it further, or just see the onc. I saw my pcp on Saturday. I'm not too thrilled with the ob-gyn because he did that biopsy right there in the office. I liked him otherwise, so did mom.

lemonz · November 15, 2004, 2:46am

You are really going though a lot. You really amaze me. You really keep putting one foot in front of the other. Good luck and wish this was something you did not have to face. L&H Joyce

People are like tea bags, you have to put them in hot water to see how strong they are!

Luci · November 15, 2004, 3:44pm

Ellen, I can understand your feeling re: the ob/gyn. You do what you feel is best for YOU. Oftentimes, drs. are not as informed as they need to be re: possible complications from drugs. This is another example of how well-informed WE need to be when it comes to our health. Keep at it. Hugging you, Luci

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me lay an invincible summer. Albert Camus

ardee · November 15, 2004, 4:13pm

Ellen,

I know you, so I'm guessing that this surgery will take place sooner rather than later. If that OB-GYN gets in your way, I know you'll find a way around him. My money is on you, girl, start to finish. If you're convinced this is the way to go, then it will happen. Good luck today.

Love and big hugs,
Rita

Cathi · November 15, 2004, 4:38pm

Ellen,

Just know I will be with you for your appointments....I know you will make the right
decision.

Love and Hugs

Cathi

Sometimes it is a slender thread, Sometimes a strong,

stout rope; She clings to one end, I the other;

She calls it friendship; I call it hope....

Ynkefan31 · November 15, 2004, 7:11pm

Ellen, good luck tomorrow. If surgery is what you want, demand it. We have to take matters into our own hands sometimes.

-§»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:» Vicky «:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«§-

gma · November 15, 2004, 7:56pm

You go for it, Ellen. Don't let any one second guess. Surely the onc knows more about the situation than the OB-Gyn. Glad you have your mother with you to help. I'm there, too, with hugs. MK

coopfesta · November 15, 2004, 11:04pm

My PCP is away on vacation all week. Guess I'll see both docs. Thanks for all your support. I need it now. Lots Lots Lots going on, more than I can mention in this venue.

Chemosabe · November 16, 2004, 12:33am

Ellen,

I'm still looking into all of this myself. Here's some info I found on the web that might be of use:

Leisha A. Emens and Nancy E. Davidson

2

The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins,
Baltimore, Maryland 21231-1000

Abstract

Hormonal manipulation has been used for over 100 years to treat breast cancer. Ovarian ablation/suppression and tamoxifen are currently accepted adjuvant endocrine
therapies for premenopausal breast cancer. Methods of permanently ablating ovarian function include surgical oopho-rectomy and radiation-induced ovarian failure; medical
castration with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone
analogues is a reversible approach. Adjuvant chemotherapy
frequently results in permanent amenorrhea and thus rep-
resents an indirect form of ovarian ablation. Although early
randomized trials of ovarian ablation suffered from small
sample sizes and design flaws, a meta-analysis of their re-
sults through the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collabora-
tive Group demonstrated a clear benefit from ovarian abla-
tion as a single intervention in the adjuvant treatment of
women less than 50 years of age with breast cancer.

The ovary is the major site of estrogen production in the

premenopausal woman. A smaller amount of estrogen is pro-
duced as a result of the aromatase-mediated conversion of
androstenedione and testosterone to estrone and estradiol in
extragonadal tissues. In contrast, peripheral aromatization is the
primary source of estrogen in postmenopausal women. This
major difference in the means of estrogen production mandates
distinct strategies for disrupting its production in premenopausal
and postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Accordingly,
ovarian ablation/suppression is the most effective means of
decreasing estrogen production in premenopausal women,
whereas aromatase inhibition is emerging as the backbone of
hormonal therapy in postmenopausal women.

If you want ALL 27 pages, I can email it to you. I can't find the web link, but if you search under their names maybe it will come up.

Best of luck!

Erin