I mentioned my hesitations about taking cancer drugs, Ribociclib (for which I will have to sacrifice grapefruit juice, which I love), Zoledronic acid (which sucks off excess calcification caused by cancer but can cause osteoporosis, so be careful), and Anastrozole, which could bring on all the thermoregulatory upheaval of menopause for a second round.
I still have those hesitations, but before making any hasty decision about to take or not to take, I needed some actual timelines, ballpark though they might be.
So I asked google with its built-in AI to help. I asked, what is the life expectancy of a 75 year-old female with breast cancer with mets who is taking (the three drugs mentioned above), versus her life expectancy without them?
The answer was,
with, around 5 years,
without, about 6 months.
Something like that.
Imagine a pilot flying in fog whose instrument panel isn't functioning and info is scant, and a plane to land.
So, do you want a short runway you're coming up on fast and can't see easily? ... or do you want a runway that goes on for another 5 years?
Even if the pilot is tired of flying, they will probably take the longer option, with less stress in the moment. More time to adapt to the inevitable.
A longer bardo between, 1. being diagnosed, and, 2. experiencing the end of existence that the diagnosis points to.
About locus of control, I can always deploy mine if something goes sideways and I really don't want to live with some side effect or inconvenience.
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