My Husband, My Life, My Love, My Family, My Cancer

@candy-678 I am happy to hear stability in your scans again, 8 years is a long time, here is to 23. My MO and RO both are impressed with my own longevity, been NED from the neck down for 10 years and no real activity in the brain for 7 years. Was 9 when tumour found and removed, WBR and one touchup that was expected in 2018. I consider myself lucky and MO brings her residents in to point out the miracle patient with IBC.

Nothing on the agenda, going shopping in my pantry for food ideas. I am unsure which way I want to do eggs, beans, meat pie and rice. Part of me wants to microwave the eggs, a mini pot pie and beans in the microwave and then run all in the chopper with some cheese and coat a pan in canola oil with bit of melted butter and garlic, stir the ground beef texture food out of the chopper and add to premade rice. Another option is to still chop the beans, eggs and meat pie. Put in the sprayed pan on top of the rice, add dollops of garlic spread and bake at 375. Both options are really delicious, just give totally different type of taste and crispiness. I will decide how I wish to do it later. I did purchase some smoked bacon flavour mayo and it is really good.

Laundry will be finished, decided to give up on the mesh bags, they are a PIA when it comes to clothes. If I want gentler laundering of clothes, I will use the smallest washers, they are not rough with agitating stuff and can be washed in cold to warm water instead of hot. I am also hanging them to dry on hangers. If I decide to actually dry them, can pull out the heated drying rack I got several years ago, has a tent and the bottom blows up hot air but unless I need it done in an hour, no need.

Debating a walk today to test some of the cooling options I have. I have not properly done that beyond my original neck fan and evaporative bandanna, never used the hat with the wide brim. The hip fans are great, if run on low last many hours, on high give a strong breeze. I put them in the front of my shirt, no need to flap in the wind. I would like to go back to walking to the hospital for a few months before winter. I am also surrounded by grocery stores so if a snack is needed, could pick up the odd thing or my prescription. I will see what I want to do.

Hope all have a good day and in pockets for all.

Also, sending tons of love to everyone here, I do read along daily and I know many of us are struggling. Love to you all ❤️❤️

sf-cakes- Interesting. I have not had any blood work to check my menopausal status. My previous MO just said to stop Lupron when I turned 55 (I stopped seeing that MO at age 52). And this MO agreed to that plan now. I hope my ovaries have stopped functioning by now. My Mom went thru natural menopause at age 54 & my sister at age 50. I think heredity factors into it some. I may ask my MO for a blood test and see what he says.

I cannot fully explain right now, but I wanted to verify my thoughts with you and get your opinions:

As MBC patients, even if we are stable right now, if we stopped our treatments we would progress off treatment, right? I know that is correct. I posed the question to my MO once. I asked him "what if I stopped my treatment what would happen" and he said "the cancer would grow". I was not thinking about stopping my treatment, but I just wanted to hear his response.

I had a discussion with someone today, and they seem to think that if the cancer is stable then we can stop treatment, and it may not come back or grow. That in essence we would be cured of cancer.

How do you explain to people that we are stable ON treatment? And that the treatments are important to continue.

I've had a couple people ask me - more than once - how long I would be in treatment. I explained I'd be on this drug until it stopped working , then something else until it stopped working, until I ran out of things to try. Now, I'd probably qualify that with "things I'm willing to try". That happened when I lived in Florida, and is part of the reason no one I know, socially, in Texas is aware I have cancer.

Thanks for all your comments.

I was not talking about myself. I have a local friend with MBC. I was talking to a mutual friend of ours, and he said that if her cancer is stable (last report we got) and she goes off her meds, she will be ok cancer wise. She is having other issues right now that I cannot get into and she may have to pause her meds. Long story. I was voicing my concerns to him about her stopping her cancer meds. He acted like he knew more than me (someone that has LIVED with MBC for almost 8 years). I am a little frustrated with him right now.

Change in situation:

My friend with MBC I spoke of is now on Hospice. Things changed in a hurry. She went into liver failure. I guess her last scans were stable (when?) and then she started showing signs of problems. She is now in the hospital, and scans show liver is full of mets and her family says cancer is "all over". ????!!!!! I don't know all the specifics; did her doctor miss this or did the cancer just explode??!!

It is kind of scary. If the information is correct, and her last scans were stable, and she was still on her meds (paused only in the last week), then how did they lose control of her cancer?? Was her doctor a complete idiot?! Or can the cancer explode from one scan to the next??!! Then I think what if that happens to me. Someday "you are stable" says my doctor and then BAM the next week!!

I am sad for my friend. She was a good person and did not deserve this. She was diagnosed with MBC in 2007. Bone-only for several years before it went to her liver.