I was hoping that my next post would be about how the estrogenic effects on my uterus had subsided. Instead my condition has gotten worse. Today marks 21 consecutive days of heavy bleeding, and 28 days out of the last 45 days in total bleeding. For those who like statistics, that equates to 62% of the time since October, I have been in total misery.
I had appointments with both my Integrative Care Doctor and my Oncologist. They did additional bloodwork and my hemoglobin and red blood cell levels continue to drop.
I didn’t realize that there is a difference between Blood Iron (Serum Iron) and Iron Stores which refers to the iron your body has saved for future use. Blood iron is the amount of iron circulating in the blood stream right now and reflects the iron bound to transferrin, the protein that transports iron. Think of serum iron as cash you have in your hand today. It can go up or down quickly. Ferritin is the iron savings account. The doctors decided to run additional testing on my ferritin to gauge my iron stores, and unfortunately it is also drastically depleted, meaning I have no back up available.
Given the level of depletion, they have decided to proceed with an IV iron infusion. Typically, iron supplementation is not recommended for cancer patients as remaining cancer cells can capitalize on the iron for fuel, however, if I don’t get levels back up to normal, I likely can’t go through with the hysterectomy. I am currently taking Tranexamic Acid (at the tune of $150 per 30-day supply) to help slow the bleeding. Although it costs more, it is not hormone based so it is a tad bit safer. It does increase blood clot risk as does the Tamoxifen I take, so I have to take extra precautions. The goal is to up my levels faster than they are being depleted.
The IV iron requires preauthorization from my insurance company, so the doctor said it could still be several weeks until we can get it scheduled. I am really hoping we can get ahead of the holidays and that cost is tolerable. I am experiencing a lot of weakness and increased heart rate and run of the mill chores have become a challenge. I’d really love to get some relief for the holiday season….actually just from this whole year in general. I am longing to just have my body back!
Another interesting fact I learned this week while at the dentist is that radiation, especially near the neck area, impacts tooth enamel. It hardens enamel which makes it more brittle in a sense and more prone to fractures. I have been advised not to eat any hard candy or nuts. I’m not sure anyone would have ever informed me of this, and it only came up at my visit when I asked to pass on dental x-rays due to the amount of radiation exposure I have had this past year.
Even after cancer is “gone”, its impact is never really gone. The lasting impact of treatment and meds comes in many forms. This is why continuing optimal health is so critical. I have some new products to share soon that I have started incorporating, but I will do that on a future post when I have a bit more energy!
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