Ibrance (Palbociclib)
Comments
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IntoLight, funny that you mentioned about those cramps. Today, while driving, first I got one on one side and then a little while later, I got one on my other side. They are annoying, but now I know the reason. Congrats on the stable scan.
Rabbit, great news on your scan as well!
I picked up my report today from yesterday's CT scan, and it says that all is stable. Not NEAD, because we can still see the ablated liver met (which is basically dead) as well as one other that's decreasing in size but still giving off a signal, but I'll take stable. MO appointment next Tuesday, so pretty sure I'll still be doing the Ibrance dance.
But, Rabbit, as you said, as we all know, this is still stressful. I was so nervous that first I lost my parking ticket and then I couldn't find my car keys. Loads of fun.
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Miss Rabbit...yay yay yay!!! 💨 😁
BevJen...yay yay yay to you too!
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PatG, thanks for checking in (we were all worried) but I'm so sorry you didn't find the next best drug for you. Enjoy your break and keep that fighting spirit up. The next best drug is out there for you. Also, I've been remiss in not telling you how much I enjoy your art work. What a wonderful gift you have. Keep at it and enjoy your granddaughter's concert. You and everyone here are always in my prayers.
Love and prayers,
Faith (in the future).
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RadagastRabbit—. Congrats on the scan results. So happy for you!!
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Rabbit,
WhooHoo! Congrats on still doing the ibrance dance.
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Rabbit - this was the first place I came once I settled down with my morning coffee. So glad to see it wasn't progression, especially given the all hands on (scanning) deck response they had!
Are the muscle cramps only for the sides? Because I get awful calf cramps, though this could be from various other reasons as I pick up more mobility.
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Rabbit and IntoLight congratulations , keep dancing!!
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Rabbit...fantastic0
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SondraF,
I, too, have had some momentous cramps in my legs since going on Ibrance. I mentioned it to my MO, and she said -- oh, we'll through a magnesium measurement into your regular bloodwork. Of course, she forgot. But I'm with you on the leg cramps -- they can be brutal. I always had them intermittently before Ibrance, but they are definitely worse now.
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With the body aches and pains, cramps, whatever, don't forget about the AI/Tamoxifen/Zometa, etc. They are much more likely to be causing those. Ibrance is innocent. Sort of.
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Hey RadagastRabbit!
Sounds like good news. Happy to hear it. I too have osseous mets and they do hurt a bit. I believe they are basically boney tumors. I envision they create pressure within your bones which is sort of what my aches feel like.
Finishing my first cycle on Sunday. So far, so good. This is much easier than Xeloda was.
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Today is the first day of my off week and so far no calf cramps although I got to work, sat at work, went out to lunch, crawled over a million tourists at the popular market near office, went home the long way to catch the bus (stopped to get a box of belgian chocolate on the way - its like a little present to yourself every day!), sat on the bus and walked home all without crutches (toted them around in my hands just in case). I did my stretching for calf, hip flexors and quads as instructed when I got home and its all feeling really good. But - still using Advil every 16 hours or so.
Ill see how the weekend goes but I have some pretty significant stiffness in the mornings so I may bring this up with MO in terms of the letrozole.
Celebrating with an adult beverage!
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BevJen- Woohoo to you for the stable scans !!!!---official with MO appt Monday.
Fatigue is hitting--before 2pm. Feel like taking a nap, but I am going to read some more posts first. Some days this fatigue is rough, and frustrating !!!
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congrats BevJen and Rabbit
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Good afternoon Ibrance Crew.
Rabbit and Into the Light - Wonderful news on the scans! Time to celebrate
Sondra and BevJen (and others) - Does anyone else take magnesium citrate for cramps? They've been less intense since I started taking this...
Looks like everyone is having scans these days. I tend to notice every ache or pain for weeks ahead of them and am sure bad news is coming. Next set is March 2nd so I'm going to denial for the next 10 days and pretending life is totally normal.
My best friend called last summer with the news she has lobular BC and she did the lumpectomy and radiation. She thought she'd passed the finish line until her onc prescribed Letrozole. She was on it less than a week and started bleeding. (Not something you expect at 76).
I never had that SE on Letrozole. Now they are testing for uterine cancer and bladder cancer. She found two ladies on another board who had said this happened to them. Has anyone in our group experienced bleeding?
Honestly...starting periods again at 68 would be the last straw...
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Iwrite
I was on letrozole alone from 2006-2019, and I never had any bleeding incidents. I guess that goes to show us that each of us reacts differently, even to the same med.
I have taken magnesium citrate for cramps, but I don't take it on a consistent basis. I am taking other supplements (the McLelland protocol) trying to block my cancer, and so one more pill for me is just awful. But you are correct, it does help for sure.
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Sondra, thank you
Thank youet all!Yeah they sure put things in to motion swiftly all of a sudden, pardon my French but it scared the shit out of me. Still climbing down from the rafters. I'm from now on requesting TMs only be talked about on monthly visits only, I brace for the monthly visits, I do not want to be back where I was emotionally again this past week and a half or so. I guess I have to learn this crap doesn't care about a schedule but geez.
BevJen, congrats on reports showing stable. I'm woohooing inside for you, I'll be woohooing even louder at confirmation Monday. Scanxiety is real, I've had some practice but dang, it feels like day 1 when scans come up and the waiting etc.
Linda, sorry to hear your hurting too but glad to have confirmation these things hurt.
I read my reports and hate how generally vague some things are reported. I want measurements etc of where known Mets are and they just mention the areas in the CT and bone scan if they are redemontrated but don't put sizes a lot of the time or “largest is Xcm". When I had MRI of Spine they put some measurements but not all. Good thing is I'm learning to read reports, but don't ask me to pronounce most of those words, whoa.
Have a tootiful weekend ladies
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Has practically stopped my leg cramps. 2 a day. At Walmart. Mag citrate.0 -
Rabbit — Thrilled to hear your news!!!!
Pat — Soooooo relived to hear from you. I had the same scare early in my MBC journey. It wasn’t fun.
Lucky — thinking of you and the kind of shock you must be in. Please do keep us posted
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P.S. and thrilled foryou too Candy!!!!
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I know this is long but I wrote it to update my Facebook friends and thought I'd also send it to my friends here.
I'm thankful for all the good news you Dancers have received and thank you for the sweet messages about my situation. I'm still dancing (virtually) with you and, oh, my goodness, can't believe how much less foggy I feel after a few weeks off the meds. (One could get used to this!)
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Well.......deep breaths......what a couple of weeks!
This is a good news, bad news, good news, bad news, good news, etc. saga:
I told you guys I was taking a newly approved medicine which I thought would be the magic bullet for me, designed specifically for this BRCA gene mutation. (Good news.)
The side effects turned out to be hard to manage in spite of the best efforts of Super-Nurse, Cindy Dixon. It made me sicker-than-sick and tireder-than-tired so we backed up the dose. Long story short, should it work I wondered if I was going to live longer or if it was just going to SEEM longer! (Bad news.)
Then I got the coughing-winter-crud and burst my ear drum.
(Moment of silence for that bad-news-nightmare.)After 3 months on the aforementioned Lynparza we did the PET/CT and, not only had the MBC bone mets progressed but something new showed up, a lesion that appeared to involve the temporal lobe of my brain. (Yikes! More bad news but confirmation that I do have a brain which viewers of my art and participants in my workshops may have sometimes doubted.)
Sweet Dr. Smith called me at home to do what he always does....deliver a shot of hope, explaining that this was very likely confined to the bone and not invading the brain tissue (good news). He ordered an MRI and a Radiation Oncology appointment to learn more. (Good news that we have access to a great facility at Baptist Cancer Center!)
It was still hard not to travel down that Worry Road, thinking, "What if it IS in the brain and what if the lesion has multiple brothers and sisters?" (Potentially bad news.) I know many people with MBC Brain Mets who have done well (good news) but sometimes the Worry Road is temporarily missing an exit.
So Mike, Amber and I chose to make fun of it all (as one does in moments like this) and before you knew it, we had named that lesion! We thought "French Foreign Lesion" (FFL) was snappy and something we could work with. Sadly, neither Mike nor Amber remember any of their high school French but we knew we could count on Mr. Google for future material! (Good news.)
Did we stop worrying altogether? No, but chunks of time spent in both laughter and prayer can get you through. I love how God set that up, don't you? (Real Good News!)
Drum Roll......(mostly good news from here on since you've stuck with me.)
The lovely Radiation Oncologist explained that FFL is indeed confined to the bone and is an only child.
No brain mets! One bony lump. (Good news.)I'm detoxing from three and a third years of daily chemo and will have a cool procedure called CyberKnife to remove FFL starting on March 2 + two other days. I got the weird face mask made today. (Good news.)
CyberKnife is radiation and leaves you no souvenir to take home in a jar. (Sad.)Dr. Smith ordered some new blood tests which should tell us if I'm a candidate for yet another brand new medicine. If not, I'll start one of the newer IV chemos to wrestle with the progression in my bones. (Good news.)
This is getting long so I'll let you go to bed.
We have once again seen evidence that God can lift you up and make hope overflow even when what you always figured was seriously bad news slams you upside the head!
It's a promise and we keep witnessing its magical fulfillment.I linked some of my art that speaks of February, 2020.....that roller coaster ride, teetering on the brink with a safety net you can't see and our Lord with the whole world in His hands. My friend, Cindy Young bought the last one and I received it back after her death. I'm confident she waits for me in Heaven and we'll do lots of laughing about how hard we worked to hang onto this world when that one is so much better! (Great news!)
Thanks for your prayers, friends. I pray for all of you constantly.
He's got you all in His hands.
Au Revoir & Bonne Nuit from FFL & the gang!0 -
Ill give the Mg a try - I maaaayyyyy get to the pool today, see how the morning develops - the best place to get vitamins is on the way. If not today then tomorrow for sure. And its probably time to either a) get some Fish Oil capsules or b) try that tin of sardines in the cupboard. A seems less traumatic.
Need to start a shopping list for next trip home to the US - everything is better in Gummy form!
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Iwrite- I hope your friend is ok, with the bleeding at age 76. I am in chemical menopause with the Lupron and Letrozole combo. Nice not having periods anymore--don't miss them. I wonder if when I progress and we change treatments that my periods will come back. I really hope not. By then, with progression, they probably won't want to do a hysterectomy. I don't want to have to deal with the cramps, PMS, and all that PLUS cancer progression. Good Grief. I am 49 years old now.
Thinking of you for your scans March 2. Keep us posted.
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PatgMc..thanks for your update. You combine your most frightening experiences with humor. It must be how you cope.
S
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Candy...I was 48 when I was first diagnosed with Stage IIB and was put in chemical menopause. I was getting periods regularly prior to initial treatment but they never came back after completing chemo.
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Pat...thank you for your post. We are all pulling for you. (((hugs)))
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PatMcG, Your ups and downs update gives your friends (including us here) and family a great picture of your recent happenings. I too am always glad to see your posts, although I guess I’m kind of quiet here. Best wishes for the cyber knife starting on March 2 and best wishes for the new treatment to strongly kick out those bone mets!
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Pat, Thanks for the update. Good luck with the cyber knife and your next treatment. I love your sense of humor.
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hi Pat,
You have been by far inspired me to no end from day one when I found these boards about 2 years ago. Your messages and posts always keep me going.
I hope that we can offer similar support for you, as you navigate this part of the journey. You are so loved and I admire your strength and I love your sense of humor. You are a true artiste!
Thank you for the detailed update on the good the bad the ugly and the beautiful. We do have to find the light in the darkest moments. You embody this gift wholeheartedly.
Holding you in my thoughts and let’s get FFL a new home and put an end to it renting space in your head, when it never signed a proper lease to be there in the first place.
Love,
Philly
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Pat, thinking of you. I haven’t seen you very much since I joined this section so when I’d see you every once in awhile I was a bit tongue tied in what to say. I feel I’ve gotten to know you a bit from your latest post. I’m wishing and praying for the best for you, what a lovely post, even when you wrote of things that are not so lovely that you’ve been going through
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