Best Of
Re: Starting Chemo May and June 2024 Support Thread
@bailey.boo thanks for the response. I haven't started chemo yet. My first day is on Tuesday! We are enjoying some beach time this week and just stresses me out to have found a new lump. I'm hoping its just some lymph node swelling and nothing more.
ebfitzy
Re: Bone Mets Thread
exbrnxgrl- from what I understand, some mutations we are born with , germline mutations , like brca . There are also acquired mutations called somatic mutations . Brca can be either ! The somatic mutations are the cancer cells learning to work around cancer treatment. ESR1 and pik3ca are examples of somatic mutations I have learned about on here.
This is why it's important to have a new biopsy if possible when we have a progression .
I have learned so much from these discussion boards - I had no idea about somatic mutations until a few years ago .
Re: Ibrance (Palbociclib)
@aprilgirl1 glad to hear you are doing better. Hope it continues.
@chicagoan So glad you enjoyed your trip to London.
Tomorrow I am meeting with a counselor. I wanted counseling back in the beginning and went through a program United4her but I could only find marriage counselors in our area on this program and no one accepted.my insurance.. Not that it was a bad thing but everything wound up being focused on him because of all his issues last year.
Re: Ibrance (Palbociclib)
@Greatly blessed @Greatly blessed So sorry about your scanxiety and like everyone says, it's very understandable to worry because the results determine so much . I pray all will be well and I'm sending hugs. Incidentally, your MBC journey started around the same time as mine altho our metastases were in a different locations. I was diagnosed Nov 2020 with liver mets, started on IBRANCE December 2020 and I'm still on it. It's been a roller coaster especially this year. I've picked up infections with my Absolute Neutrophils dropping to 0.5. at one point. But my scan 3 weeks ago wasn't bad. I'm on 100mg for 2/2 on IBRANCE instead of the 3/1 to see if its gentler on my body. I'm reluctant to move ftom IBRANCE while it's still working so I'm running with it for as long as possible.
@aprilgirl1 so sorry you got Covid, and you're blessed to have an efficient Oncology team. I truly cannot say the same about mine.... I'm just stuck with them coz of limited choice. My prayers for your speedy recovery.
@chicagoan wow!! I lived in London for 12 years and loved it. So glad you enjoyed. I love the culture, the dry British humour.…🤣
@brutersmom i know you're a concerned about those bloodworks but thank God they're not in the extremes. I pray you get the PCP you prefer 🙏💕. Are you still doing the IBRANCE 2/2?? Big hugs girl!!
Re: Ibrance (Palbociclib)
Sunshine99 She reviewed them and told me to start ibrance again Monday. I have had some thoughts. I tried to switch PCP because I lost faith in my current PCP after he refused to deal with my BP when I was first diagnosed. He just wanted to watch my 170/90 bp in 2023. I tried to switch PCPs last year but in my county it was almost a year wait for a new patient visit. I have blood work again in 3 weeks. The new doc is looking at changing my Ibrance schedule. I have an appointment at a clinic in the same county as the cancer clinic but not until January because I wanted a female Dr. The males can see me much sooner. My numbers are wonky but I think I will wait till the next labs in three weeks and see what happens. If it repeats the pattern I will schedule with a different Dr for PCP care. If it goes back to normal I will stay with my original plan. None were seriously high so maybe it is just from all the stress of canceling appointments and an issue that arose Thursday afternoon with my bank owned real estate business and I found myself beating my head against the wall with my own support staff being an issue. I finally went to the president of our company over every one's head to get it resolved. It is one if those situations where the president has to fix it and going through the channels would be like playing whispering down the lane. Most of those #'s can be elevated by stress. Here is hoping that is the issue.
Re: Bone Mets Thread
Hi , everyone. I got back from vacation. The flight was very long and my back was killing me, but on the top of this I had stomach flue…..Next day I got 2 Faslodex shots, and I have 2 times more in interval of two weeks. I have update from my bone and blood biopsy. I am still Er positive, Pr negative and Her2 negative/low. I don’t have the mutations that can determine on other medication, but some other, not well known. My doctor didn’t say, good or bad and I’ll be praying to be good. I know that Faslodex by itself is not so much effective …. I wish she could add Ibrance….
I am behind with reading the posts , but can do it tonight. Hugs. Elena
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
Well, I saw my oncologist today and he does think something is going on with my liver and that there is slight progression there. Everything else is stable. He wants me to get an MRI to get a different look from the CT, but he seems pretty solid that something not good is going on. He said that he didn't think I'd have to switch out this current med regimen, and that there are things they can do that won't require a med change. The treatment he talked about, I know I've heard/read about it before, but now I can't remember what it's called. It's not SBRT, but that was on his list of maybe down the road things, or something if what he's thinking of doesn't work. What he's talking about is something where an interventional radiologist would put something into the blood supply of the liver and somehow do damage to the tumor(s). Just can't remember the term for the procedure. Needless to say, I am way less than thrilled, but at least encouraged that I could keep the current meds for now (Faslodex, Verzenio, Zometa). I don't want any one doing anything to my liver. The whole idea really creeps me out. I'll have to study up and psych myself up for whatever this may be. Still reaching for straws though, and hoping this whole thing is just some kind of screw up. It takes me a long time to process and accept bad news.
Editing to say that the procedure my oncologist is suggesting is radioembolization. They send radioactive beads into the tumor's blood supply and get it that way.
Re: Starting Chemo April 2024 Support Thread
TCHP chemo round 2 is in the books! Already getting that thrush feeling, and I feel it in my joints! Got atropine up front, and have neulesta on board waiting to inject. They also gave me a big bag of fluid. I got back in a week for labs, more atropine, and more fluids.
Re: ER-, PR-, Her2+ Roll call
I still am still not normal in the GI department, but I’m WORLDS better and no longer relying on medications. And just in time. We will see what round 2 on Thursday brings.
At least I know now what to expect! I’m going to approach things differently and stick to a mostly liquid and BRAT type diet for the duration, this time, and I have things like banatrol here now to help. No forcing myself to eat solid food or things that rip me up this time. I’m super stocked on Imodium, jello, and better than bouillon! And they said they’ll give me atropine on the day of chemo.
Re: My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer
Sondra-losing your hair in clumps must be very distressing. Wearing the gaiter sounds like a good temporary solution until you can get some cute wraps.
Intolight-I can relate to the lack of energy. I did a load of laundry and cleaned up the mulberries on my sidewalk, dishes next but I'm taking a break. I think I'll sit outside this afternoon without any guilt for "doing nothing."