Best Of
Re: Long term "high oncotype test" survivors
My mo said chemo could take my risk of 23% to 10-15%. I just am not sold on the oncodx test results.
I can't believe how different doctors seem to approach the treatment plan. Mine thought at 53 in excellent health I should take the most aggressive chemo regiment but afterwards do AI treatment for only 5 years. Mo didn't think I should have bmx just because I had ilc and idc.
Aside from my horrible scare last week. I've been good and cancer free with no chemo. My scare was in my DIEP not my good side, go figure it was scared tissue. I hate this poking and proding and scaring me half out of my mind.
meow13
Re: Stage III Cancer Survivors .... 10+ Years and Out
Welcome, @crabbasket! Thank you so much for joining our community and sharing your positive outcome, it may be just the bit of encouragement someone needed. Congrats on nearly 10 years, and to many, many more!
The Mods
Re: Stage III Cancer Survivors .... 10+ Years and Out
Noooo way!! Us old timers are out here, just caught up in enjoying life, not necessarily online. I am a mere days from my from the 10th anniversary of my Stage 3B diagnosis and related treatment hell. But I'm proof that it is possible for life to go on well beyond diagnosis. (If you get good care and have some luck on your side, of course. I say this not to discourage anyone going through treatment, but to respect those who were not fortunate enough to make it through.)
Re: Are you currently (or have you been) in a Clinical Trial?
Tough Old Crow, My PhD is in biochemistry, my area transcription mechanisms, and yet none of that would give me a clue as to whether taking 3g of MSM would have any effect on glutathione levels in the body either!
Saulius, I really enjoyed that story too, they put the discussion within the historical timeline so you can appreciate the progress that has been made and future things coming for Her2. I keep hoping there could be a bispecific antibody for Her2 and PDL1 to target immunotherapy and reduce its side effects, and maybe could be used for Her2-low cancers also, but haven't seen anything on that yet- or maybe we can get a vaccine for metastatic Her2? A lot of irons in the fire these days!
Jen!!! MSM is a supplement I was taking to try to fix my nails and hair after such a long time on anti-estrogens. It also has, in the lab, anti-cancer activity, inhibiting Stat signaling in ER-positive breast cancers, and reducing cancer cell migration In the lab, it synergizes with tamoxifen so the data in lab expts is all postivie for cancer, and FDA considers it safe.. It is also an anti-inflammatory also, so helps with arthritis pain. This recent story that glutathione pushes metastasis brings up a hypothetical problem,so we need some data in people.
Re: Stage IV MBC Fitness
I remember one of the members here who I think was an early-stager used to say something like she enjoyed feeling the blood coursing through her veins when exercising and visualizing the cancer cells just getting knocked around the walls of her blood vessels so hard that they died.
I’ve adopted that visualization when I get moving.
olma61
Re: How are people with liver mets doing?
I had histotripsy completed in December of 2024. My CT this year (June 2025) showed shrinking mets on my liver. They did, however, find two new, very small nodules on my lungs. My PET scan in July did not show anything lighting up in the liver, nor the breasts (woo hoo!). The report said the lung nodules are too small for PET uptake/imaging. I also had no tumor markers to report when they did a blood test in June (yay!). Now, I know all/any of that CAN change… but I’m hoping things stay stable. I am still on Kisqali and Letrozole (I started these last year after my Stage IV diagnosis). My next CT is set for November.
I hope you (and everyone else) get the treatment and care you are hoping to receive. This disease is quite the battle!
Re: Tips for getting through chemotherapy
(and waving hi to Holly!)
Re: Tips for getting through chemotherapy
Your own blankie .... the hospital ones aren't as comfy.
pics of your family ... Show the nurses your pics. You are a person and they need to know you and that you have a family who will wring their necks if they keep blowing your veins!!! Actually, you want them to take good care of you and give you good treatment!!
old magazines: Have you noticed there are no current mags in the chemo clinic??? Bring your recently read People or latest paperback book and leave them so the person who forgot their reading material, or the first timers have something to read.
Kleenex: Have you used their Kleenex??? It's that sandpaper tissue!! I like my real stuff, sometimes I love the lotioned up Kleenex.
Re: Tips for getting through chemotherapy
Overall, each A/C treatment was a little different.
The first one was a learning experience. For the second round, I added sleeping pills and was much more vigilant about stool softeners and laxatives (took them from the day of the infusion as recommended by the nurses and it helped). So, my second A/C was actually easier in many ways than the first. It was the easiest of all!
For me, there were some aspects that were cumulative. That awful taste was not so back in the beginning but was quite strong in the last cycle, starting from the moment the meds were infused. The fatigue level was also cumulative.
Re: Tips for getting through chemotherapy
Debi D.