Member Since: October 29, 2006
Last Login: November 30, 2008
Birthday: July 2, 1969
Location: Perkasie, PA United States
Occupation:
Biography
Diagnosis
| Diagnosis: | Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
| Diagnosed: | May, 2006 |
| Type: | |
| Recurrent? | |
| Metastatic? | |
| Stage: | Stage IV |
| Lymph Nodes Removed: | |
| Positive Lymph Nodes: | 0 |
| Tumor Size: | |
| Tumor Grade: | |
| Hormone Receptor Status: | Tumor has estrogen receptors but not progesterone receptors |
| HER2/neu Status: | Tumor does not have an excess of HER2/neu receptors or genes |
Recent Posts by LinTol
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Nov 19, 2008 10:46 pm
Now I have liver metsLinda, I am so sorry that you had to deal with a shock like that. That is crazy!! I had my CT in August and then again last week and I think I would have fallen off my chair if I saw a change like that. Hormonals didn't work for me, but chemo has- Abraxane/ Avastin. I hope you made out well with your onc today and I will be praying for your treatment to be very successful. Hugs, Linda Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Nov 19, 2008 10:35 pm
Results in- can I celebrate this?Susan, "Stable" is always good! Congrats! But I agree with Kasey. If you are uncomfortable about stopping chemo, maybe you should get a second opinion- even if it is just to ease your mind. I think you may enjoy your chemo break even more. I was diagnosed with liver mets more than 2.5 yrs ago and I have not heard NED yet, although I expected to hear it a long time ago. I have been on chemo for 19 months and stable for at least 13 months, but I guess those spots stick around for a while. (Today I got my hands on the results of my CT from last Friday. Everything looked great and they only mentioned 1 of the 3 tiny spots that have been mentioned for a long time! I will see what my onc says next Monday.) We may not all get to dance with NED, but you can certainly do a lot of dancing with "stable", especially not being on chemo!! Congrats!! Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Nov 19, 2008 10:14 pm
TM's down again. My Birthday presentGreat news!!! I hope you enjoyed your birthday! Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Nov 15, 2008 10:34 pm
fatigue or depressionI think fatigue goes hand in hand with depression. (at least for me) The fatigue, from chemo, gets me down because I just cannot do all of the things I want to do. And I just want to be able to do things, not stay home and nap every day. That is when I think about this awful disease and what it is doing to me and my family, which is depressing. 4 years is a long time on treatment, so I think some depression would be normal. I think you should definitely seek counseling. I see a psychiatrist about once every 4 months. I think it is good to talk to her and just talk about how I feel, what meds I am taking and if they are helping. I have been on an anti-depressant since I was diagnosed stage IV and at one point I thought it needed to be increased. Instead of increasing it, she started me on Ritallin. And it REALLY helps with the edginess I sometimes feel and a bit with fatigue as well. A counselor could also help with support groups or social activities. Is there a Gilda's Club in your area? or a Wellness Community? They have nice programs. Talk to your doctor and never be afraid to tell them how you feel! Good luck and keep in touch with us here!! Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Nov 15, 2008 10:14 pm
AlaskaDeb needs our prayersI have not been coming on much, but I am so thankful that I am able to come on and find out how people are doing. I have been thinking about Deb and praying for her and I am so happy to see that she is improving! Keep up the great work Deb! Lots of prayers are being said for you! And thank you so much to those providing the updates!! Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Sep 7, 2008 08:53 pm
Emergency Surgery TomorrowLuAnn, So happy to hear that you are home resting and I am so sorry that you had to go through all of this! I am praying for this pain pump to be working and you to be happy! Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Sep 6, 2008 02:14 pm
Emergency Surgery TomorrowGood luck tomorrow, LuAnn. I will be praying for you! Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Sep 6, 2008 02:06 pm
Fox ChaseHi Carol. I had gone to Fox Chase for a second opinion back in 2000, when diagnosed with stage 1 bc. My day was just like az8n and Kimf. It was a terrible day. You are not treated like an individual, but just a number who has xyz symptoms and therefore, should receive treatment "abc". My father-in-law had a terrible experience there recently and I just do not know how they can be ranked so highly as a hospital. I also live in Bucks County and go to the Univ of Penn for treatment. My onc is wonderful and I would highly recommend her, Dr. Angela DeMichele. Please feel free to send me a pm if you have any questions. Good luck! Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Aug 23, 2008 07:42 am
3 month scans-great, fabulous newsGreat news, Jill!! I am so happy for you! Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Aug 8, 2008 09:37 pm
I'm in the hospitalDeb, I am so sorry that you are in the hospital having to deal with this. And waiting to find out exactly what "this" is. I just wanted to let you know that I am thinking about you and praying for you! Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Aug 8, 2008 09:24 pm
Brain Mets for Me :(I am so sorry that you had to hear news like this, especially during your vacation. I will be thinking of you and praying for you! Hugs. Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Aug 1, 2008 10:46 pm
Say a prayer for Angela!!!!Oh yay!! I will absolutely be praying for her pain to go away and for the radiation and chemo to start working quickly!! This must be such a big step for her, but obviously, she is a fighter. You can do this, Angela!! Thank you for the update, Tiffanie! I will be praying for your family. Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Jul 28, 2008 10:27 pm
ATTITUDEThanks for the big smile Oz! I loved it! Linda Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Jul 28, 2008 10:11 pm
Say a prayer for Angela!!!!Angela, I am praying for you and your family! I was hoping that you would be starting on some type of new treatment soon. Lots of positve vibes are coming your way along with the prayers! Big hugs, Linda Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Jul 26, 2008 10:49 am
Today I feel...As usual, I feel up and down. Today is my older daughter's 6th birthday! And my younger daughter turned 4 last Saturday. This is a big milestone for me. My older daughter will be starting 1st grade and I have to keep praying to make it for my younger one to go to 1st grade. And then I think how much I want to make it for graduations, support through college, weddings, etc. It is so sad to think that I will probably not make it for the later events. But I keep praying that I will. It is just so scary to think about the future. At the same time, I am happy, and so thankful, that I am able to do fun things with them now. We are going bowling today and whatever else my daughter wants to do. We had a big party for them last Friday. I have liver mets which have been under control for about 9 months on chemo. I have been on Abraxane/Avastin since May 2007. I hope everyone will have a little fun today! Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Jul 26, 2008 10:37 am
losing my head while all those around me...I am sorry to hear that you are going through this again. It does totally suck- especially when those close to us just don't get it! Or they just can't accept it. And keep on venting- I think it is good therapy, and at least you know that we "get it". Good luck with your scans! I will be praying for good results. Hugs, Linda Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Jul 22, 2008 09:40 pm
Do you bother with going into detail?When I was first diagnosed with liver mets, I was started on hormonals since I was ER+. (After having ovaries removed, of course.) I had 1 lesion in the liver and since it was growing so fast, I ended up having RFA, radio frequency ablation. That was successful. Tumor markers came down over a few months and then immediately started going back up slowly over a few months. Found 2 new lesions in the liver. It was about a year after being diagnosed stage 4, that I had to start chemo. My first question to the doctor was- how long on chemo? She said, "indefinitely." 14 months later I am still on Abraxane/Avastin. Tumor markers have been in the normal range for about 9 months!! I did have a 4 week break once- it was 3 weeks before I was going on my Disney vacation. At that point I had been sick with a cold/bronchitis/wheezing for over 2 months and my onc knew that I just needed the break.I felt better just in time to enjoy my vacation!! So, anytime that someone asks me when I will be done chemo, I just matter of factly tell them, "Never...or at least, not until there is a cure." Janis- I hope you are feeling ok. And when you really need a break, make sure you discuss it with your doctor! Take care, Linda Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Jul 8, 2008 11:54 pm
Back rib painLaura, I do not have bone mets, but just wanted to wish you luck tomorrow. Hopefully, it will turn out to be completely unrelated to cancer and the scan will just ease your mind! You are in my thoughts and prayers! Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Jul 8, 2008 11:49 pm
My New PlanGood news, Watson. Everything is crossed! Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |
Posted in:
Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis + Recurrence and Metastatic Disease, Created: Jul 8, 2008 11:46 pm
Happy Birthday to WendyV!Happy, happy birthday Wendy!!
 Linda Dx 5/2006, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2- |