Ibrance (Palbociclib)
Comments
-
janky, I had the cholesterol issue myself, but the Ibrance doesn't lower the cholesterol, it enhances the effects of the statin - and that is in Pfizer's literature. I decreased my Lipitor dose by half.
0 -
Cisco - thank you for proper explanation 😏 has your bloodwork stayed stable on half dose and will you eventually stop the lipitir
0 -
Still reading every line of this thread and thinking about all of you, although not posting much. IntoLight, I hope whatever was on the scan gets taken out by another three months of Ibrance - I like your doctor's approach of not jumping to the next treatment until absolutely necessary.
My latest PET/CT results just posted on the patient portal (strangely on a Sunday!) and there is still no FDG uptake anywhere. Bones only have changes that look like healed lesions, breast tumor still gone, no enlarged lymph nodes. I get to relax for another four months until the next scan sometime in December.
The crazy 50 billable hours/week summer is coming to an end, law school starts up again next week, and I get to spend another semester among youngsters and in the wonderful land of denial. My little girl will be 8 in a few weeks and I will still be there and feeling like myself. I am so grateful for my life right now.
Hugs and best wishes to all.
0 -
Piggy, so good to see you and hear that you are doing well. Go get those young whippersnappers.
0 -
Piggy, happy for the good news! relax and enjoy the day.
0 -
Piggy- Glad to hear good news. We need to hear that more often. Relish in it.
0 -
Been away for a week in the outer Hebrides and took a break from forums.... my word this one is active! Delighted to hear about several folks good scans and to those of us who have not so good news, we are all here to support. Hopefully have uploaded a video of Pup Fionn, first time in South Uist on the beach.... made us laugh
0 -
Piggy, I guarantee that everyone here is rejoicing with you and holding your success up like a banner. You're going to be one of those long, long term survivors watching your daughter graduate from law school!
Love from PatGMc
0 -
What is FDG Uptake?
0 -
Ciacio,
What blood test should I watch to see if i need to reduce my Lipitor?
Piggy,
Woohoo on the clean scan!
0 -
Piggy; so happy for your results and your plans for the future with law school. Enjoy and good on you!!!
Cathy
0 -
Nicole, I hope this explains it.
"What is abnormal FDG uptake?
OBJECTIVE: FDG PET is frequently used as part of the diagnostic workup in cancer patients. Visualization of radiotracer-avid foci suggests the presence of malignant disease. ... CONCLUSION: Unexplained focal abdominal FDG uptake is an unusual finding with causes that include malignant and benign processes."
0 -
To all of you facing scans or any other challenge this week:
Love from PatGMc
0 -
Dear Patgmc, thank you, I am going to try to be like that hair everyday from now on.
Piggy, dancing with joy for you, along with all the Ibrance dancers who would like similar results from their tests.
0 -
Piggy. We meet when I was on Ibrance in late 2018. It didn't work for me BUT I am so happy that it's continuing to work for you. Fantastic news!
0 -
Nicole, I looked for an answer to your question that included what FDG actually stands for. This was the best one I could find from ACRIN (American College of Radiology Imaging Network):
"PET is a nuclear medicine medical imaging technique that produces a 3-D image of functional processes in the body. A PET scan uses a small amount of a radioactive drug, or tracer, to show differences between healthy tissue and diseased tissue. The most commonly used tracer is called FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose), so the test is sometimes called an FDG-PET scan. Before the PET scan, a small amount of FDG is injected into the patient. Because cancer grows at a faster rate than healthy tissue, cancer cells absorb more of the FDG. The PET scanner detects the radiation given off by the FDG and produces color-coded images of the body that show both normal and cancerous tissue."
The bold text is mine. I think I equate "absorb" with "uptake." That's how I think of it, anyway.
0 -
Thanks Jaycee that is a really good explantation of what it means
0 -
Piggy! I love your good news and I’m still so amazed that your are tackling Law school with an 8 year old - let alone with this crap disease. You are my hero and I couldn’t be happier for your great news!
:-)
Love to all,
Lauren
0 -
Yip to the chin hair Pat, solution..... tweezers! Quite a nice parallel to the THING. Up it crops, pull it out, but recognise the up cropping means you are still healing. And growing literally!
0 -
Jaycee, best explanation of FDG ever!
About the chin hair: Ever since 2012 when I was first metastatic and did 6 cycles of Taxol/Carboplatin, my hair came back patchy and wispy and white. I got back maybe 6 frail eyebrows and pathetic eyelashes. Even my nose hairs lack girth. But those chin hairs! They are mighty and strong and black! It's just so bizarre. I have a whole string of people assigned to pluck them if I'm ever in a coma. Even my oncologist has been put in the rotation!
Love from PatGMc
0 -
Love ya Pat !!!!
0 -
janky and simone, my primary doc tests my cholesterol with the regular bloodwork I get from her. Total cholesterol went from 320 to 200 on 20mg Lipitor, then, since Ibrance, down to 148. Since going down to 10mg atorvastatin (generic Lipitor) my last cholesterol reading was 152. We're all happy with that number. If it goes lower, they'll consider going down on the Lipitor, but want to keep it around 150.
0 -
Hahahaha about the chin hairs Pat!!!!
I get em too! I LOVE plucking them, feels very satisfying!!
0 -
Plucking chin hairs - ouch!!! I'm a shaver. I am in awe of all you pluckers!
Hi Piggy! Loved hearing all your good stuff!
0 -
The chin hairs are ridiculous over here! I can’t keep up with them
0 -
Cisco - thank you! Hope the numbers stay low!
I get the chin hairs too and pluck!
0 -
This is some pretty interesting news for folks who must move on from the Ibrance Dance:
https://hms.harvard.edu/news/head-head
We've discussed here whether it makes sense to pursue treatment with one of the other CDK 4/6 Inhibitors and this article makes a case for Verzenio after Ibrance.
Love from PatGMc
0 -
Ladies, you are the best - thank you for all your cheers and best wishes and may we all dance together for a really long time - and for those like snooky "visiting" from post-Ibrance pastures, may they be evergreen for you.
I am grateful for every single one of you - for all the questions you ask and advice you give, the information you provide, the uplifting stories, the laughter, the heartbreaking pieces of your beautiful souls that you share, for all your thoughts and feelings and fears and hope that make me feel less alone in this cancer world.
0 -
I just started the most amazing book. Once in a while, I get in the mood for a cancer memoir. I found this just Google searching. Hit the jackpot. The Unwinding of the Miracle by Julie Yip-Williams.
0 -
jaycee, I read The Unwinding of a Miracle earlier this year. I've read numerous books written by people dealing with terminal illness, all of them amazing in their own way. This one written by Julie Yip-Williams, tho, I consider a masterpiece. Incredible.
0
