We finally broke it to the rest of the family this weekend that another baby will not ever come through this body again. It's because I'm having my ovaries removed at the end of May.
Having a second baby was never really in the cards post cancer. But I had always hoped, thinking that maybe it could happen. It's definitely not happening now.
My ovaries are producing high levels of estrogen. Right now I visit the doctor each month and get a shot in the belly with a drug that suppresses the ovaries from functioning. It puts them in kind of a sleep mode -- it's also considered to be menopause. The whole point is to block any estrogen in my body so that cancer doesn't have any fuel to grow.
Additionally, I take a drug every day called Arimidex. This also blocks estrogen. It's difficult to understand how it actually works, so I won't explain. But the important thing is that you must be in menopause for it to work effectively.
Right now, I'm not in menopause because the monthly suppression shot isn't enough to control my overactive ovaries. They are seriously trying to kill me. So for months now, I've been flying blind taking a medication that is basically not doing jack in protecting me from cancer.
My oncologist believes that removing the ovaries is the best plan of attack in staying cancer free. I've gotta agree, obviously.
I had to take a day or two to come to grips with what this surgery means. And it means: no more children. That's the biggie. It also brings a whole host of other things too: bone health, heart health, more memory loss, weight gain, skin changes, yada, yada, yada.
So the countdown is on. Five weeks. Stay tuned.