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WOO HOO! Now a 12 year survivor of Stage 4 breast cancer!!!!

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Comments

  • KarenNY
    KarenNY Member Posts: 5
    edited January 2014

    Denny, what wonderful news.  I was diagnosed in 2006 with stage IIa then upgraded to Stage IV in 2012 with liver mets.  I've tried Taxol, then Faslodex for two months, Abraxane, back to Taxol then Navelbine. Now scheduled this Friday for Gemzar and my onc suggested the possibility of a clinical trial at Sloan Kettering.  I was wondering what side effects you get with Gemzar.  I'm hoping I will have the success you have had.  I must admit, this has been a frustrating journey, but you give me hope.

  • AnacortesGirl
    AnacortesGirl Member Posts: 119
    edited January 2014

    Wow!  That is all I can think to say!  Wow!

  • Moniquee22
    Moniquee22 Member Posts: 2
    edited January 2014

    Happy to hear!  Congrats, thanks for sharing this made me smile v

  • Woodylb
    Woodylb Member Posts: 935
    edited January 2014

    Denny,

    I read you before on stage IV liver mets  thread and i was very impressed by you. Your story and your spirit gave me hope. I was newly diagnosed with MBC mine was lobular from the start, liver and bones mets with no symptoms on both. I did my first carbo+ gemzar session , i hope it works for me. I am so happy for you and wish you all the good health in the world. And frankly to all these wonderful ladies on stage IV topics you are all truly inspirational. God bless you with long long lives 😘🙅let's beat this sucker out...it is not welcome

  • KiwiCatMom
    KiwiCatMom Member Posts: 2,337
    edited February 2014

    Congratulations!  Lifting a toast to you for 12 more...and then 12 more after that, and so on!  Thanks for the wonderful post and for giving us hope!

  • denny123
    denny123 Member Posts: 1,571
    edited February 2014

    Just had a PET/CT and the Gemzar has quit working-nodes are growing again.

    So this Friday, I will start on TDM101/Kadcyla.  

    Will stop Herceptin since this tx is a super-Herceptin.  And will continue on with Faslodex butt-shots.  ugh.

  • kjones13
    kjones13 Member Posts: 662
    edited February 2014

    well crap Denny123! I hope tdm1 does the trick! Please keep us updated if you can. Sorry for the progression...really sucks.

  • Orogache
    Orogache Member Posts: 2
    edited February 2014

    Hi Ladies,
    I am a graduate student in California completing my dissertation for my doctorate degree. I am studying the impact of chemotherapy induced hair loss on quality of life, body image, coping and self-esteem in women of different cultures. If you are interested in participating in my 10-15 minute, anonymous online survey, your input would be much appreciated and would help fill in gaps in cancer literature. If interested, please take a few moments to go to the following website and answer a few multiple choice questions about your experience. Again, thank you!

    Thank you,

    Olga

  • Orogache
    Orogache Member Posts: 2
    edited February 2014

    Hi Ladies,
    I am a graduate student in California completing my dissertation for my doctorate degree. I am studying the impact of chemotherapy induced hair loss on quality of life, body image, coping and self-esteem in women of different cultures. If you are interested in participating in my 10-15 minute anonymous online survey, your input would be much appreciated and would help fill in gaps in cancer literature. If interested, please take a few moments to go to the following website and answer a few multiple choice questions about your experience. Again, thank you!

    www.tinyurl/com/laguzvq (please replace the first "/" with a ".") thank you

    Thank you,

    Olga

  • SyrMom
    SyrMom Member Posts: 575
    edited February 2014

    Denny - hang in there, progression sucks.  Keep us updated.  Wishing you the best.

  • Woodylb
    Woodylb Member Posts: 935
    edited February 2014

    Denny, 

    I am sorry about the progression it sucks, and i am sad Gemzar stopped working , since i am on it too for the first time. But you have been around for a while and my guess is that you will be around for a long long time. You are a highly spirited person and this is a big part of the treatment. You will find something that will work for you again. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Please keep up posted. Big hugs and i hope soon we will hear good news. xxxxx

  • denny123
    denny123 Member Posts: 1,571
    edited February 2014

    Thanks ladies!

    Woodylb...my onc said that usually a chemo won't work the second time around.  

    So you have a good chance that it will work.

    Denise

  • PattyPeppermint
    PattyPeppermint Member Posts: 8,950
    edited February 2014

    dang sorry to hear about the progression. :-(.  Glad u already have a game plan for kicking cancers butt !!!! 

  • JeninMichigan
    JeninMichigan Member Posts: 51
    edited February 2014

    Denny

    I am sorry about the progression.   Hope you respond to the new TX and get busy on your next 12 years.  You always give me alot of hope as our DX are quite similar.  I am coming up on 6 years NED in June and it is bittersweet.  

    Keep us posted!!   I am counting on you to keep it going!!

    Jen

  • cheery
    cheery Member Posts: 23
    edited February 2014

    Denny 

    So sorry about the progression. Your posts had given me a lot of hope when I was first diagnosed. And they still do after all these years:) I hope your new treatment plan will kick that mets away! 

  • Woodylb
    Woodylb Member Posts: 935
    edited February 2014

    Denny thanks for the encouragement , i hope it does as i hope kadcyla works for you as well. Please , keep me posted. Good luck i hope you kick this progression's butt as you did before. xxxx

  • Woodylb
    Woodylb Member Posts: 935
    edited February 2014

    Hi Denny, 

    Is your session this friday? Just checking how you are? Big hugs...

  • denny123
    denny123 Member Posts: 1,571
    edited February 2014

    Hi,

    Yes it is tomorrow.  This fatigue is totally kicking my butt, so I am anxious to move onto something that might not affect my counts as much as the Gemzar did.

    I wouldn't mind if the Gemzar was working, though....

  • car2tenn
    car2tenn Member Posts: 132
    edited February 2014

    I am happy you have a cancer angel .  Thrilled for you.ow go for 20 years.   I was only diagnosed 2 months ago with stage 4 cancer (8 weeks after an all clear mammogram).  Apparently I am part of the 10 % that mammograms don't catch.  You are giving me hope with your declaration. Sincerely  Carolyn S

  • denny123
    denny123 Member Posts: 1,571
    edited February 2014

    Carolyn,

    Since I was Stage 4 from the get-go, my onc said that I probably had BC for 8-10 years before it was found.

    Join the crowd....Sorry!

  • aic
    aic Member Posts: 37
    edited March 2014

    Ugh! So sorry!  Hope you have just as much success on this one as the previous.

  • teacher911
    teacher911 Member Posts: 152
    edited March 2014

    Hi Denny, Thinking of you and hoping the new treatment plan is working for you. 

  • denny123
    denny123 Member Posts: 1,571
    edited March 2014

    Thanks!  Me too!  Good news is that I lost 3 1/2 pounds since Friday!!!   I don't have the enormous appetite that Gemzar gave to me.

    Also counting my fat grams like a good girl.

  • family5
    family5 Member Posts: 10
    edited March 2014

    I've had two treatments of Gemzar and I'm losing weight and feel pretty fatigued all the time.  Will this get any better or does this mean its not working too? This is only my second chemo (had Navelbine) , which was so easy.  I'm so discouraged right now. How can I live like this?? 

  • denny123
    denny123 Member Posts: 1,571
    edited March 2014

    Gemzar put my numerous liver mets into remission 10 years ago.   I was really tired this time.  But I did have an appetite.

  • Woodylb
    Woodylb Member Posts: 935
    edited March 2014

    Denny how did ur friday session go? Are the SE hard? Most of all how do you feel? I will know if Gemzar is working next week hoping that my ILC responds to chemo ... Meanwhile take care of yourself and keep posting you are the engine of this thread ...

  • denny123
    denny123 Member Posts: 1,571
    edited March 2014

    I am good-felt a little urpy for a few days.  Urpy is my word for slight nausea-but not bad at all.  I ate bland stuff for a few days and was okay.

    I don't have a big appetite any more, which is great....lost 3 1/2 pounds since Friday, but I am also carefully counting my fat grams per the WINS diet.

    My onc told me about the WINS diet when I was first tx'd with my recurrence.

    I do have the same ol' fatigue, but it could be from so many years on chemo.  The nurses insist that Kadcyla won't affect my blood counts as much as the Gemzar did, so I really hope that my reds go up.

    So all-in-all, pretty much a cake walk so far.

  • Woodylb
    Woodylb Member Posts: 935
    edited March 2014

    Hi Denny, good to know you're up and and on the move. I am glad the SE seems to be minimal,it is a blessing. How many sessions you will do before they scan again? And what is the WIN diet? I never heard of it. I am interested to know i don't want to gain weight special when i start on aromasin, it will only increase the size of my already fatty liver. I also hope this meds stops your progression again for a long time. In my upcoming scans next week they are checking my pelvic and my hip and a spot on the rib to confirm bone metastasis or not along with the liver, he seems to think that i may have bone mets confined to bones only ?.. Whatever that means, but doesn't this confirm a comorbid diagnosis liver and bones?.. I will have the results soon enough wish me luck :) and keep me posted on how you are dealing with the new regimen . Kisses.

  • Catesmom
    Catesmom Member Posts: 45
    edited March 2014

    Denny, I love love love to hear fabulous news!!  Congratulations!!  Kelly

  • denny123
    denny123 Member Posts: 1,571
    edited March 2014

    Woodlb,

    It is better to just have bone metasis than to the organs-good luck with that!

    The WINS diet-google that-is Women's Intervention Nutritional Study....it states that a lower fat diet seems to decrease the chance of a recurrence.

    I was eating healthy, but didn't think about the fact that the "healthy" fats were adding weight.  1 Tblsp of Olive oil is 16 grams of fat.  And I am only allowed 33 grams of fat a day!

    Once I started to look up fat grams in everything that I ate, I could readily see where I went wrong.  I did gain a lot back on Gemzar, but now that it failed, I have to buckle down again and be smart.

    I will see my onc again after the third tx in April.

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