Ibrance (Palbociclib)

I was hesitant going back to the this cancer center when I was diagnosed with mets buts it was the best and closest location in the area. My first doc was great. He left. My new doc just finished his fellowship under drs that I am not impressed with. I stayed this long only because of having knee surgery. Trying to find a quality facility has been a challenge. I made the decision based on a lot of research and asking around.

Finally got an appointment with Anna Barshinger cancer center which is part of Penn Medicine. One of the larger hospitals in Philladelphia. I will be seeing a woman Dr. They told me all the Breast and gynecological cancer Drs. are women. The current clinic I go to all but one is a man for all areas. Females seem to leave. Anyway this is one frustration down and moving in a healthier direction.

@brutersmom OMG. That's a terribly frustrating experience. I wonder if medical service providers appreciate that going through a terminal illness, and then getting no cooperation for something as routine as access to ones own medical information can actually exacerbate deterioration of a patient's health. And when you lose your cool, you're labelled!! SI'm so sorry you've had to go through this. And I do wish you all the best and pray all goes well from here. Sending hugs 🫂 🤗

Wren-Some of us have found that it is better to do labs in the afternoon. Our ANC seems to be higher-worth a shot.

Wren44 Neutrophils are higher in the afternoon. I exercise a lot so I am not sure how that effects them. I have decided for the next year because of my knee surgery I would do them in the morning and take that longer break if needed. I have been getting lots of sinus infections and now with the knee surgery I want to keep them to a minimum due to the risk of my knee becoming infected if it should get into my blood stream. I am on Ibrance 75 mg. Currently 2 weeks on 2 off. In two weeks I see a new oncologist for a second opinion and to possibly stay at that facility because I don't care for my oncologist. I will see if anything changes.

Hi all, just checking in . I just returned from a wonderful trip to Maui with long time girl friends. So much laughter , snorkeling and good meals . These women have been my friends for over 32 years and we were building our careers and having kids at the same time . I moved 18 years ago and miss seeing them often so these trips are precious to me !

Yesterday I had my fulvestrant injection and blood work . ANC (neutrophils ) are .95 which is pretty good on day 28. I started my new pack of Ibrance last night :) @wren44 i am on 75mg Ibrance , had 2 dose reductions in the first year due to consistently low anc levels after the week off (below .80) . Yesterday I had my blood draw at 2:30pm and afternoon blood draws for me make a difference with higher anc levels (which I noticed 6-8 months ago !) .

I realized at my appt that this week is my 4.5 year "cancerversary " of starting Fulvestrant and Ibrance. I'm thankful I've had 4.5 years on this first line treatment and feel good. Work is very busy , despite the high interest rates !

@brutersmom let us know how you like your new oncologist for the second opinion and possible switch .
I hope all of you are doing as well as we are able to be in this crazy cancer world .

@chicagoan

Have a wonderful time! London is my favorite city and there's always something new to see or do.

@chicagoan - have a wonderful trip to London ! So happy for you!

@brutersmom keep us posted . I know it has only been 4-5 months since your surgery and it must be frustrating to still have pain :/

Re: Lahaina , that area is closed to the public and only residents who have ID with an address in Lahaina are allowed in . It is devastating , even just the glimpses you see as you drive past. Other areas of Maui are fine , still struggling with low tourism and displaced local people who lost homes from the fire .

Aprilgirl1. I enjoyed walking along the stores and down the main road in Luhaina. Spent the day there. Hope you go to the volcano and other fun It is so sad. I wasn't a fan of the hot sand but I loved the water.

Today was interesting at PT. The sole focus is strengthen my left leg. Today felt more like a cardio work out then therapy. The interesting thing is today I am tired but not exhausted like i ussually feel. My knee aches but it is not painful. I am wondering if I need to go back to doing more cardio.

northern lights as seen from Hansville , WA - pretty amazing ! I've never seen them

Aprilgirl1 - Thanks for posting the photos and noting where it was. I wondered if it was in WA. I'm here too, but in the big city, so was not able to see them. Never have, and I think it's the urban lights. They say tonight might be another possibility, so I'll probably be up periodically hoping, and hoping, and then finding nothing. So glad you got to see those!

They say it is visible over my area. Ungmfortunately we are again stuck in a rainy mess. Cloudy last night. Sunny today with more clouds coming back in the late afternoon and rain all night tonight and tomorrow. I doubt I will get to see anything unless I go on a road trip.

Aprilgirl1 thanks for sharing. I have never seen them and would love to. They look amazing.

Hi all. Nothing much to add. Cool photos of the Northern Lights. San Diego is a bit south to see them - haha.

brutersmom, I hope the PT helps. It's interesting how weakness in one area can make another compensate and then a whole new set of problems develops.

One more photo , this one taken while lying down on the beach . @threetree, We got to Hansville at about 10:25pm. By 10:40pm we started seeing light blue streaks . It was almost a moonless night and super clear skies - we did go to a location that does not have much light pollution on purpose (with hundreds of other people ). Everyone behaved well:) At about 10:50pm it was like the sky opened up . These are just iPhone photos - you could see the colors with your "naked" eyes but the colors were more faint . I had no idea it would look like it was 360 degrees . Never seen them , thought I'd have to travel to Iceland or Alaska to see this .

I'm on a ferry heading to hold an Open House in Seattle and then meeting my husband and friends at a Mariners game . I'll definitely need some caffeine later this afternoon :)