Calling all triple negative breast cancer patients in the UK
Comments
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Chemo brain. At all times! In German last week in a restaurant I ordered tap water without gas! sheesh! I'm clearly not much better in English. One tumor was DCIS, the other IDC. Had both removed by lumpectomy in January though mastectomy was always up in the air because the tumors were at 9 and 1 o'clock. Had enough tissue for just removal. The IDC tumor was grade 3, the other grade 2. Both TN. I've always thought of the IDC tumor as the bigger problem...it was slightly bigger, higher grade and not in situ. The current problem is just right at the place where a tumor was removed which gives me great hope for scar tissue. I talked to the doctor today who sets up my radiation, also a radiological oncologist and she said it would be incredible to her way of thinking if there was a tumor after surgery and chemo. Here's hoping.
Stressful week ahead. Still making plans to celebrate in chemo on friday. The "Freitag Frauen" (Friday women) are just awesome and I'm hoping still that this will be the last day for me.0 -
Hi Susan,
To start, congrats on final chemo day! That will be a great celebration on Friday.
Well exactly did the Radiologist say? Did he think it looked like bc, or was he concerned because it was hard to get a read on? <deep sigh> I hate even thinking that you are having to wonder about this and wait until next week for answers on the MRI. Darn it!
Just yesterday on the boards, Mags gave us her update. She had posted on the CallingAllTns forum that she had something removed at her reconstruction - her doctor thought it might be necrosis. I didn't know what that meant, but when I looked it up, it says it happens sometimes after injury, surgery or radiation. Hers came back all clear - so keep that in mind. Maybe yours is also necrosis, from the lumpectomy surgery. I also had a lump removed at same exact site as tumor location, and it was all clear. So please try to continue to think positive and of course, you have all of our prayers. I too will be waiting with you anxiously.
Don't go too far into thinking that it's a recurrence, and don't research the internet, as that could make you worry more. Don't give into any further thinking right now, until you get your results back. A lady who e-mails me offline said they did a chest x-ray on her, and they really thought it was problematic, it was hard to tell for sure from the image. They did a scan next, and it was clear for a recurrence - she is okay. So try to have calm thoughts, pray, and think positive. I know, easier said than done. Oh, I wish I could make this easier for you. Hang in there .... we are waiting with you.
Big hug!
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Hello Sylvia!
Sorry for the tardy reply (yet again...)
As you can imagine, I have been very busy still organising things for my father.He has been home since August 17th, with a live-in carer.I had to rush up to his house and clear out one of the bedrooms for the carer; it was full of stuff collected mostly by my mother over the years -clothes, toys, educational items, books. It was quite an undertaking and in between I had to collect my father from the residential home and bring him back to his house for an occupational therapy assesment, and then return him and spend some time with him.The day he came home I managed to get one of my brothers to come over too and we carried on clearing out the room and shoving stuff up in the loft, all the while dashing downstairs every few minutes to make sure my father was ok.The carer seems very competent and I think he is in good hands.However, I got a call from the Telecare people yesterday morning at 6.30 to say he had fallen yet again......
So I have not really had any time for myself this holiday; a week today we are back in school.
I was interested in what you wrote about the CTX test, which I must say I know nothing about.I am still not taking anything for my osteoporosis, but am considering the strontium citrate.There is some evidence that Zolendronic acid infusions can prevent bone metastasis, but it is still a bisphosphonate; so I was thinking about it, but also very nervous about having bisphosphonates; I have left the possibiity open, and have another appointment some time in December.
Meanwhile I have a problem trying to get a mammogram.I decided to have them every 2 years, rather than the yearly one I had been having for about 9 years.The consultant was fine with that, but since I was discharged 2 years ago, I was told I would have to go back to my GP and get a referral for the mammo. The GP is refusing, saying that I should be on the 3-yearly screening programme;however, I have missed my slot for this year and would anyway prefer to be seen at the hospital where they have my previous mammos to compare.
I have been working hard on the allotment when I am not busy doing stuff for my father; it is looking good now, and we are reaping the rewards with lots of vegetables.
With love,
Sam xx
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Oh thanks Debra. I rarely do research with Dr. Google because it has historically scared me half to death. I let go and let my doctors deal with these things. My mammo radiologist did not speak English and my poor husband was running around getting reports from here and there all over the hospital while she ultrasounded the problem. She said she hoped it was scar tissue and that maybe she could tell with the ultrasound. When all was said and done she just said that she did not like how it looked, MRI. The breast dept. only has MRI access on Thursdays and Fridays, thus the wait. I have calmed down a lot since yesterday but still feel like some of the fight has left temporarily. I think it is not so important to have a lot of fight at all times but more important to show up for those who will help you with the battle. I'll be ok and I have every intention of still throwing myself a little shindig on Friday. My friend from the next chair finished last week and we had a really great little celebration. I took in a certificate and had all the women sign it...no one had seen such a thing but everyone loved the idea...also lots of streamers on the IV poles, cake and non-alchoholic beer...it is Bavaria after all!
Thanks for all of your kind words. It is a roller coaster for sure and this is one hard bump but my feeling is that it just can't be a tumor after all of this chemo. Thanks for holding a good thought for the next few days!
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Hello Michael,
Just popping in to say that I read the article connected to the link you gave. Let us hope that something comes of the drug decitabine. There are far too many people being diagnosed and dying of cancer.
Look after yourself.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia.
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Hello susaninicking
Do not be too hard on yourself. You have a lot going on at the moment. Just keep your fingers crossed that all will be well.
You are wise to focus on your plans to celebrate on Friday. Whatever happens you will have got through your long chemotherapy journey and will be ready for radiotherapy.
Let us know how things go on Friday.
Thinking of you.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello InspiredbyDolce,
I am very familiar with the word necrosis, because I remember all the newspaper stories in the past about necrotising fasciitis, popularly known as the flesh eating killer bug infection.
Necrosis simply means death of a limited portion of tissue, for example in bone, as the result of disease or injury, when a fragment dies and separates. A portion of brain may become necrotic after a stroke. It means a part of the brain may die. Necrosis after surgery simply means dead tissue.
I am sure we are all thinking of susaninicking and hoping all will be well.
Best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello sam52
It was lovely to hear from you and I do appreciate your taking the time to do it as I know how busy you must be with your father.
I was glad to know that he was out of the hospital and that he has a live-in carer. It must be strange for him having someone else living in his home.
I can imagine what hard work is was clearing out one of the bedrooms for the carer. Being a minimalist I cannot understand why people collect so much stuff and hang on to it all their lives. I have seen the stress that cousins have gone through clearing out their parents' homes after they have died. I have seen it here with elderly residents and it has taken the children ages to clear out belongings after their parents' death. Do you think it is a denial of a person's mortality?
I was glad that you managed to get one of your brothers to help you. Of course, it is out of sight in the loft but you will have to empty that in time!!
For your own peace of mind you have to tell yourself that your father will be fine in the hands of his carer.
What do you think of the way the occupational therapist conduct their assessment? I attended one with a close neighbour and I thought it was a laugh. There is no way their assessment really shows that a person can cope alone with carers coming in three times a day. They spend about ten minutes if you are lucky. I am talking about the NHS ones.
I was so sorry to hear that your father had had yet another fall. Where was the carer?
It is such a pity that you have not had much time to yourself this holiday. I remember as a high school teacher that I really needed the holidays to rest, recover and be full of energy for the new term. Are you back to school on September 4th?
I was obviously disappointed about the CTX test. I would be interested to know whether it is available in London and the south east. I shall continue to carry on with my own self prescribed treatment for my osteoporosis. I shall continue with the strontium citrate, even though I have no way of getting tested to see how effective it is. I am still taking the Solgar Bone Support complex, which is calcium citrate and I take additional vitamin D softgel capsules and vitamin K. I am not getting anything from the doctor and remain adamant that I shall never take any bisphosphonates. I think they are lethal and do not think they work but certainly do harm.
I was interested to know what you said about mammograms. Apparently the procedure is that when you are discharged from the hospital you do have to go back to mass screening every three years with the mobile unit. I wrote a letter to my oncologist asking about mammograms and she said that after five years, if there is no evidence of problems, annual mammography is unnecessary and we revert to three-yearly intervals through the NHS Breast Screening programme. I have never actually had annual mammograms. I have been having them every two years, starting at diagnosis in 2005, then 2007, 2009, 2011, and she has said I do not need one in 2013. She said that while I remain in her care at the hospital, I can have one in 2014. I have been discharged from the breast cancer consultant surgeon as of last October, but the oncologist wants to keep me with her until I have completed 10 years since diagnosis. That will be June 20th 2015. This means I have two more appointments with the oncologist and then if all continues to be well I shall be discharged from the hospital. That is quite frightening really, but most patients are being discharged at five years.
I was glad to know that you have been working hard on the allotment and I am sure you will enjoy all your healthy home grown vegetables.
I continue to keep busy running the apartment complex and doing this thread. I am still doing a lot of gardening in the grounds and trying to fit in some reading and a bit of television for relaxation. Did you happen to watch the White Queen. I found it very interesting. I also watched a series about Alfred the Great. It was really interesting.
That is all for now. Keep in touch. You will always be very special to me.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello everyone,
I was wondering whether anyone read the section in the Daily Express on Tuesday August 27th 2013. It was entitled Could Prescription Drugs have Unexplained Benefits? Underneath it says 'Most medication comes with a list of bad side effects, but increasingly research shows that some drugs produce surprising positive reactions too'. It is by Lynne Bateson.
The drugs discussed are aspirin, the flu jab, antidepressant Seroxat, diabetes drug metformin, beta blockers, Parkinson's disease drug Dopamin, statins, and psoriasis drug Adalimumab.
What caught my attention was metformin, described as the world's most widely used diabetes drug, might cut breast cancer risk by lowering blood sugar levels and reducing weight. Please look at the articles for more details.
My reaction was that you can lower your blood sugar through diet and you can also lose weight through diet, so why not lower your risk of breast cancer by doing these two things naturally? It may be different if you have diabetes, but it is known that you can cure yourself of diabetes through diet and losing weight. I am talking about maturity onset diabetes known as diabetes 2.
I was wondering whether metformin is an appetite suppressant if it makes you loose weight.
The other thing that caught my eye was different views about statins. One view was that a recent study showed that women taking statins for more than ten years have double the risk of developing the most common type of breast cancer, invasive lobular carcinoma. The mention of invasive lobular cancer as the most common type surprised me, because I thought the most common type was invasive ductal carcinoma.
The link to the article is:
http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/424885/Could-prescription-drugs-have-unexpected-benefits
I hope all is well with my other fellow Brits, peterandliz, Jackpot, EmmaL, and Sam_UK.
To Carolben, what are you doing to pass the time as you wait for your scan at the end of August?
linali (Lindsay), how are your days as summer begins to wane?
To InspiredbyDolce, susaninicking, and PeggySull, thinking of you three Americans and thanking you for your contribution to the thread.
I hope I have not missed anyone.
Thinking of you all.
Best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi Sylvia, just a short post as my patient has returned from hospital today.
Damian had his surgery yesterday and they managed to do a lap choly. He was in theatre a long time and I was beginning to worry..... his consultant said that it was quite messy. He is very sore this evening and I hope that he will get some sleep.
He was in a private hospital and in my opinion the care is as good if not better in an HSE hospital. You pay alot for the surrounding but they are friendless places with not the same caring attention to the patient.
I have been following all the links and they make interesting reading.
Good luck to all of those in treatment.
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H Sylvia
I've just been reading about metformin, it was interesting to think that something that's been out there for 50 years and costs so little could hopefully be so effective against several different cancers, it says a new 5 year trial is starting on breast cancer patients
to check recurrence and survival rates,
Did you have a nice bank holiday weekend? I had a lovely time...walking up the canal with my dog photographing birds, took the photos at two christenings, went to see John Edward at the empire last night and went to a celebrity comedy night tonight, it's been lovely to do things that didn't involve reading about or talking about cancer for a while,
I found a place not far from me called sunflowers today so went in to have a look,
They were lovely people supporting people with all forms of cancer they do all sorts of complimentary treatments and I had my first reiki today which was nice, everyone there gives there time free including a homeopath and tai chi teacher,
It's a charity and relys fully on donations and fundraising,
I'm going to go back next week.
Take care
Jackpot0 -
Hello linali (Lindsay) and Jackpot
Thank you for your posts. i shall be responding later on today. I always like to find some quiet time during which i can sit down and give our thread my full attention.
Best wishes to you both.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi Jackpot, right now there are several different trials with Metformin in the US and it's relationship to bc prevention and recurrence, and some of these trials are already in Phase 3. At end of Phase 3, the manufacturer submits the NDA (New Drug Application) to the FDA for approval - and the FDA then reviews the findings and issues approval or denial, but the review can take up to 3 years. The manufacturer can request a priority approval, which would grant accelerated review, if the drug is for an unmet need.
Tamoxifen was discovered to benefit ER+ cancer during the postmarket follow up to the original intention of the drug, which was for birth control.
It's so exciting to see a possible help for the TNBC population, as well as other potential anti-cancer benefits of Metformin.
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Hi InspiredbyDolce
Thanks for the info, it is good that there could be something else out there for us,
How long did it take for tamoxifen to be prescribed for er+ patients once it was realised it was of benefit to them, I didn't know that wasn't the original use of this drug.
If they request priority approval of metformin how quick does that speed up the review before its available to patients?
Take care
Jackpot0 -
It did not say how quickly it speeds up the review. Here is the link I referenced, and then I just found another. I posted both links. On a side note, I just ran across another article on the internet, by a medical person who said that most TNBC patients are cured. I will have to go back and try and find that link.
I've come across many women who were able to get on Metformin, either through their Onc through *off label* or through their regular care physician. Off label means a drug has data supported by medical journals, articles, references from colleagues that it has been beneficial for a use not specified by the FDA. Metformin has been on the market for a long time, and some Oncs are open to prescribing it.
If you are interesting in taking it, I've attached the articles on Metformin and you can see what your Doctors' opinions are. I followed suit of some other TNBC members on here, and went on it recently.
INFORMATION REGARDING PROCESSES OF FDA APPROVALS:
http://www.fiercebiotech.com/topics/fda_approval_process.asp
http://www.cancer.net/all-about-cancer/clinical-trials/phases-clinical-trials
INFORMATION REGARDING METFORMIN:
http://strittermed.org/breast_equity/?p=44 This is an authors recap of the impact Metformin had a 2010 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3282095/ "Metformin: Mulit-faceted Protection Against Cancer"
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Here is another article, where there is a quote from a breast Oncologist at Penn State that says most women with TNBC are cured:
http://www.pennlive.com/bodyandmind/index.ssf/2013/06/triple_negative_breast_cancer.html
Here is another article, just posting this one, because it says 500,000 women PER YEAR are diagnosed with TNBC, so when you read something on here, know that there is a large group of the TNBC population that is not on here. The article also talks about EGFR, which has a connection to TNBC, and the role of EGFR was also mentioned in a previous article I posted (from nosurrender) about the diet/exercise regimen and effects on EGFR - and Metformin also has a role in the EGFR pathway. Everyone can read these and research the connections further if they want, I'm only meaning to point out that they seem to be on to something with the EGFR.
http://www.pennlive.com/bodyandmind/index.ssf/2013/06/triple_negative_breast_cancer.html
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Hello linali
I was glad to know that Damien has got through his surgery and I hope he will make a good recovery. It is probably true that with private health care you are paying for a lot of unnecessary extras but that the actual care is no better than in the national system.
I know over here surgeons operate in both systems. I believe in a national health system and do not believe that medical care should be carried out for profit.
I know it is only one case but the wife of one of my cousins had breast cancer surgery (with insurance) and the wound would not heal. It was discovered that a swab had been left inside here!
I am glad to know that you are following all the links, but remember not to get too carried away by all this information floating around on the internet. I do not believe there is one magic cure for breast cancer or any other cancer. I believe there are many risk factors and possible contributed causes, but not a single one.
Take care of yourself.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Jackpot,
Thank you for your post. Do not get too carried away about the metformin. Trials take a long time in this country. Concentrate on your treatment and getting through chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Remember that metformin in itself does not have anti-cancer properties. It is a drug that is given to diabetics and I think mainly overweight or obese ones to bring down their weight, so it has anti-weight properties in some way. It also brings down the blood sugar level of diabetics, so has that property as well. Being overweight is said to be a risk factor in developing breast cancer, but you can keep your weight under control yourself. Because of sugar being another risk factor and is said to feed tumours, you can also control this yourself, especially if you are not diabetic. We all know that sugar is bad for us. I think it was a bad day when sugar was brought into this country as a luxury for the upper classes.
I had a quiet Bank Holiday and enjoyed the quiet time. It sounds as though you had a nice time doing your walking with your dog and taking photographs. If you want to post any photographs on the thread you are welcome to do so. We have not had any in a while. I have posted photographs of shrubs in the grounds in the past and BernieEllen used to post some photographs too. She does not post any more, but went through all her treatment on here but felt the need to take a break from it all.
You are right to switch off cancer and get on with a normal life. The worst thing is for patients to let it possess them. You will see as you get through treatment that you will manage to allow it to preoccupy you less and less. Live your life daily and do the simple things that are in your control. We all know these by heart now – a good all round diet, keeping away from junk and processed foods, probably a low glycemic one which will keep blood sugar under control, do not over eat, exercise, but do not go to excess, and do not go overboard with supplements. It is important to relax and learn not to worry.
I was very interested to read about Sunflowers. It is good to have places like this. I understand that a lot of people find these complementary treatments very beneficial. It is a way of getting patients to relax and to take their minds off their cancer treatment. A friend of mine, going through treatment, recently had reflexology and one of her family members had aromatherapy. They seemed to enjoy it. It is very good when professionals give their time free. I shall be very interested to hear what the homoeopath has to say with reference to breast cancer treatment.
Hang in there. You will soon start chemotherapy and you will find it keeps you busy.
Thinking of you.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello susaninicking,
I am thinking of you today and hoping all is going well over there in Germany as you finish chemotherapy and have your MRI scan. We are all keeping our fingers crossed for you.
Hello Carolben,
If your scan is today good luck from me and from all of us on the thread.
Fond thoughts,
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello InspiredbyDolce (Debra)
I have been reading all your recent posts with interest. You have to remember that for those of us in the UK we are on a different system to the US, and that drugs approved by the FDA will not necessarily be approved by the authorities in the UK.
It would be useful for us to know whether anyone reading the thread is being prescribed metformin for their breast cancer and whether, if they are, it was prescribed by their GP for that purpose or whether it was prescribed by their oncologist. When I last saw my oncologist in May she told me there was nothing new in the pipeline for TNBC. Not that I have any intention of taking metformin.
I have just read the link in which the word 'cured' is used. My understanding of the meaning here is that standard treatment works for TNBC, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and to this extent they are cured of their cancer, that is there is no visible sign of it any more and they are in what we would call remission. I do not think it means that it cannot come back and of course we have cases to prove it.
I think it is all the information emphasising the aggressive nature of TNBC that has done the scaremongering. It is a breast cancer like other breast cancers but it happens to have triple negative receptors. All breast cancers represent a challenge to treat and there are success and failures. Not all women respond to Tamoxifen or Arimidex. I think we just need a level head and to do all we can to help ourselves.
Wishing you an enjoyable weekend.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello everyone
Just popping in to say I hope you all have a good weekend. I wish all our American and Canadian friends a happy Labour Day.
To everybody try to switch off cancer and enjoy yourselves.
Sylvia
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Not much time here to type with the end of chemo celebration starting in an hour. I feel more proud of today's graduation from chemo than anything else I've ever graduated from. It's over. I'm beyond description happy.
For the rest of the story if you want, feel free to go here http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/susanfleming
to read my last journal entry. I had so many people waiting to hear about my MRI that I put it down in one spot and now I'm off to celebrate. All is not perfect but I truly believe that all will be fine. We had hoped to be booking a trip to the Seychelles this week and now it will have to wait but we think we will get there this winter in spite of my poor abused on probation right breast!
Thanks for all of the support. Fight on ladies.0 -
Susan, congrats on final chemo!
Sylvia, that's correct. The approval process might be different in the UK. I have also edited my posted to say that the trials there are on-going are in the US so people can see that clarification. However, since many women outside of the US have been able to get Metformin prescribed by their Onc OR PCP, I find the links will be helpful for those wishing to explore those benefits, and have some materials to reference.
And I believe, as far as I know, that the many women that sent me information and literature for Metformin, all of those women are being prescribed Metformin off label, for specific use to prevent breast cancer recurrence. A few, as I reported on a previous post (not sure which board), that even when their Onc said no, they got it from the other physician, and when they reported back to their Onc, they received nothing but great comments - so in the end their Oncs were happy they got on it, even if they had not prescribed it themself. That happened with at least a few women that e-mailed me. Other women got it from their Oncs directly, for use relating to breast cancer, and in particular one Onc had started prescribing it for future patients, once the bc member had provided him the materials for herself to get on it.
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Maybe when you asked your team if there was anything new on the horizon, they were thinking of something brand new for the market - like a drug that has never been on the market before. My Radiologist was not aware of all the recent buzz about Metformin since 2010, so I'm preparing information now for him. He is very pro-active with his patients - he said he was going to research it right away as well.
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I agree that cured is cured only to the greatest degree that certain standards for that term have been achieved and that there is nothing to suggest otherwise, and if someone has a recurrence early on, they might not have been cured. Additionally, the word cured may be defined or used differently by different doctors, but our ladies must know that there are doctors out there that feel it is a curable thing. Our women need something to reference other than treatments, risk, ratios, side effects, recurrences, diet, lifestyle, etc. They should be aware that a cure is possible and has been achieved in TNBC women, as reported online by many specialists in the TNBC field. We must build up our women and give them strength, support and help. Our actions follow our thoughts, and for anyone dealing with any type of serious health issue, it's extremely important that they envision a great outcome for themselves. Once they believe it is possible, their actions will follow, they will empower themselves to make better choices.
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Hi Sylvia,
Just caught up with the last weeks posts and just wanted to add a couple of points.
We are back in Devon or will be tomorrow to be exact. We are at Wookey hole tonight in Somerset, have been down the caves today. Tomorrow we drive down to Combe Martin to meet up with some friends for the last few days before Taylor goes back to school.
I am type 2 Diabetic and have taken Metformin for the last 10 years. A lot of diabetics lose weight before they go onto Insulin as they cannot convert sugar into energy or fat. Diabetics also have problems breaking down some fats. I have been the lightest I have ever been these last 5 years. I do eat a lot but never put on any weight.
Metformin should help convert sugar into energy if this energy is not used up through exercise you will put on weight. So I am not sure why it is being mentioned as a type of diet helping drug?
We were told by Liz's surgeon that he will regard Liz as being cured from cancer if she does not have a reacurance within 5 years as TN is very agressive so if it is going to come back it will be within 5 years! He also said it is the only cancer you can be classed as being cured from.
Regards
Peter
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I so like reading about the positives of being triple negative. Sometimes it is overwhelming to read so much about reoccurence of TNBC that I just want to run away - so when I read the good things about being cured - I am happier. Having said that - we are all aware that there are no guarantees!! I do agree that the mind is a powerful tool and that we do always have to remain hopeful and think positively.
Thanks dolce for all the research and encouraging posts. I haven't figured the Metformin out yet, but for now I am going to forget about cancer because I am leaving the country for a month and I simply want to relax and try my best to eat as healthily as I can being away from home for so long. The good news is that we are staying in apartments so we will be able to cook for ourselves which will be much better. But of course there is always some eating out which I find very challenging!!! Any tips on travelling and diet would be much appreciated.
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Hello susaninicking
I was so glad to know that you have finished chemotherapy and that you were getting ready to celebrate. I am sure we all know how relieved we felt when we got to the end of that long journey. It is the hardest part of treatment and you sometimes feel that it will never end. Congratulations!
I do hope that all will be fine about the spot and that you will be able to proceed with the radiotherapy. We shall all be here to help you along with that as well.
I do remember very clearly my three weeks of radiotherapy, the appointment to be mapped out on a prototype machine and a brief interview before staring about what to do and what not to do.
I do hope that you will eventually have that holiday in the Seychelles. You might enjoy it more when you have finished radiotherapy, celebrated and then go off for a really good holiday.
Fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello InspiredbyDolce (Debra)
Thank you for your posts. They are always interesting and give food for thought.
I suppose that each of us will find a way to motivate us through our treatment and beyond. If belief in cure is the motivation for some, so be it.
I hope you have a good weekend and do something special for Labour Day.
Sending you fond thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello peterandliz
Thank you for your post. I always enjoy reading them. I also appreciate that you take the time to catch up on posts that you have missed, so that you are fully aware of what is going on. I shall remain for ever impressed that you took the time to start reading this thread from the beginning. That takes some doing!
It is so nice to hear about your travels and I was interested to know that you are back in Devon as of today. What did you think of Wookey Hole in Somerset? I do hope you have an enjoyable time in Coombe Martin with your friends. That will be good for Taylor as well and something nice to remember as he goes back to school. This coming term is quite tough for children as there are no public holidays and it is a long term until Christmas. At least there will be half term, but on the whole I think we need a couple of public holidays during the next four months. It is a bit overloaded during spring and summer and a bit too light in autumn and winter.
Have a good time.
I was interested to know that you have type 2 diabetes and have been on metformin for ten years. Have you had any nasty side effects from it? I ask that because some of the women I know with type 2 diabetes have not liked it and have said they found it a very anti-social drug! I have a male cousin who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about ten years ago. I saw a lot of him at that time and noticed that from being overweight he had become very thin. He had lost about six stone in weight. I thought within myself that he might have cancer and I encouraged him to go to the doctor's, which he eventually did. He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and was 55 at the time, but was told he had had it undiagnosed for quite some time. He was put on metformin and another drug. He has not looked after himself, especially with his diet and has been on insulin for a few years. He has problems with his feet and has just been on two very strong antibiotics for a foot infection. He also has regular check ups on his eyes. It is a nasty disease but is said to be controllable, even reversible in the early stages, by diet.
I have read that insulin makes you put on weight.
I do not think that metformin is being mentioned as a type of diet (losing weight) drug. I think we were trying to work out why metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes, was being used as a drug to prevent breast cancer recurrence. Could it be that it is something to do with metformin using up the sugar that we are told cancer feeds on? It seems to me that if someone non-diabetic, but with high levels of sugar, takes metformin, then it will take up this sugar, but what if someone non-diabetic with normal levels of sugar takes metformin, and the level goes too low, it seems they will start suffering from hypos (hypoglycaemia). I am not a doctor, just someone trying to work something out.
I was interested to know that Liz's surgeon will regard Liz as being cured of cancer if she does not have a recurrence within five years because TN is aggressive and if it has not come back within five years then it will not come back. This is a new one on me. I suppose different breast cancer surgeons and different oncologists will have different views.
Have a good weekend. It is the last hoorah before school begins. I remember as a child how nervous I was about going back to school after the six week summer holiday. As a high school teacher I felt much the same after the summer holidays. In many ways they are too long and might be better shortened with more days off during the year. The autumn and winter terms take a toll on students and teachers.
Regards to Liz and best wishes to all of you.
Sylvia.
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