TAMOXIFEN AND THE TEMPLE
It all began when I had cancer, but that story is for another time. At this point I had finished my chemotherapy treatments and was coming up on the end of my radiation treatments. My doctor was prepping me for the next phase of treatments, hormone blocking. Apparently my cancer fed on estrogen - cancer cells need it to grow and spread, so if you stop the estrogen you stop the cancer. Sounds pretty simple.
The doctor told my mom and I about Tamoxifen, the drug that stops the estrogen from feeding the cancer cells. It has been proven to help breast cancer patients and I would be taking this pill EVERYDAY FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. FIVE YEARS?!! Who is okay with that kind of committment?! It was overwhelming, to say the least. After I got over the shock of the length of the treatment then my doctor covered the side effects... Cataracts, heart disease, strokes, hot flashes... sounds dreamy. (He emphasized "POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS" but I obviously assumed that the drugs would eventually kill me if the cancer didn't). I was already getting the hot flashes and heart problems just listening to the guy talk about blood clots like most people talk about the weather. Obviously I was not really on board by the end. We left without agreeing to the next phase. I needed time to think and breath... and enjoy my last moments with my great vision and sturdy heart. We left for the day.
Mom and I were attending an afternoon session in the temple sometime later. After the session ended, a woman came up and struck up a conversation with us... because mom and I are both such chatty people... The conversation turned to cancer, as all conversations do (with a bald me), and I blurted out that I was terrified to take the drug I was supposed to... to a total stranger, I shared this! I don't even think I'd even said it out loud yet.
Wouldn't you know, she knew all about Tamoxifen and it's effects. She had a close friend who went through the five years and loved every minute of it! Immediate peace and comfort enveloped me. I knew 100% that I was supposed to take Tamoxifen and that this woman was set right there for me. With billions of people needing God's attention, he took the time to answer my unasked prayer. (I felt that this could still fit in the answered prayers chronicles because I would have eventually asked and Heaven Father would/did answer it!)
Thanks to this woman's faithfulness, she was there to calm my troubled heart. I was then able to talk confidently with my doctor and let him know I was ready to start the next treatment. He was relieved too. If anyone ever asks me about whether or not to do it (to take Tomaxifen...or to pray), I would also tell them that I love(d) it too! What a miracle.
It all began when I had cancer, but that story is for another time. At this point I had finished my chemotherapy treatments and was coming up on the end of my radiation treatments. My doctor was prepping me for the next phase of treatments, hormone blocking. Apparently my cancer fed on estrogen - cancer cells need it to grow and spread, so if you stop the estrogen you stop the cancer. Sounds pretty simple.
The doctor told my mom and I about Tamoxifen, the drug that stops the estrogen from feeding the cancer cells. It has been proven to help breast cancer patients and I would be taking this pill EVERYDAY FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. FIVE YEARS?!! Who is okay with that kind of committment?! It was overwhelming, to say the least. After I got over the shock of the length of the treatment then my doctor covered the side effects... Cataracts, heart disease, strokes, hot flashes... sounds dreamy. (He emphasized "POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS" but I obviously assumed that the drugs would eventually kill me if the cancer didn't). I was already getting the hot flashes and heart problems just listening to the guy talk about blood clots like most people talk about the weather. Obviously I was not really on board by the end. We left without agreeing to the next phase. I needed time to think and breath... and enjoy my last moments with my great vision and sturdy heart. We left for the day.
Mom and I were attending an afternoon session in the temple sometime later. After the session ended, a woman came up and struck up a conversation with us... because mom and I are both such chatty people... The conversation turned to cancer, as all conversations do (with a bald me), and I blurted out that I was terrified to take the drug I was supposed to... to a total stranger, I shared this! I don't even think I'd even said it out loud yet.
Wouldn't you know, she knew all about Tamoxifen and it's effects. She had a close friend who went through the five years and loved every minute of it! Immediate peace and comfort enveloped me. I knew 100% that I was supposed to take Tamoxifen and that this woman was set right there for me. With billions of people needing God's attention, he took the time to answer my unasked prayer. (I felt that this could still fit in the answered prayers chronicles because I would have eventually asked and Heaven Father would/did answer it!)
Thanks to this woman's faithfulness, she was there to calm my troubled heart. I was then able to talk confidently with my doctor and let him know I was ready to start the next treatment. He was relieved too. If anyone ever asks me about whether or not to do it (to take Tomaxifen...or to pray), I would also tell them that I love(d) it too! What a miracle.
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