I began hormone therapy today, starting with a monthly injection that forces me into menopause. Technically, chemo already put my ovaries to “sleep” and this just prevents them from “waking up” so fingers crossed the side effects won’t be much worse than what I’ve already been dealing with (holy hot flashes and insomnia!). Next month, I’ll start a hormone blocker, and 4 weeks later, another medication to prevent distant relapse. Since I’m so young, I’ll need to be on them for the next 10 years.

I definitely cried when they took me into the infusion room because the chemo flashbacks were awful but once we moved to an exam room, the injection itself was pretty painless (physically speaking, anyway). I’m trying to be grateful that I even have the option of doing hormone therapy when so many other cancer survivors don’t. But / and while we’ve chosen not to have children up to this point, it’s still been devastating to have the decision permanently forced upon us..

As far as my reconstruction surgery, I have another appointment at Stanford next month to see if I’m a candidate for a DIEP flap (basically a tummy tuck where they take fat from my stomach to recreate a breast naturally). It’s a more invasive procedure with a much longer recovery but in the long run, I believe it will give me the result I’m hoping for (insurance willing).

In case I haven’t said it enough, thank you for all your ongoing support through this ordeal. While I’m so grateful to be alive and cancer-free, I also feel very weary after everything that’s happened and this journey is far from over so I’d appreciate if you'd continue to keep us in your thoughts.

Lots of love,
Lindsay