Hello- New here...
 

Hi I am Rachelle. I cannot get the bold off, so bear with me. I am recently rediagnosed with mets to my nodes, subclav, etc, and left lung. I am her2+++ and taking navelbein (navybean) and herceptin. No one will give me a time to live thingy, which is good and bad. I am typing in the dark and getting ready for bed so forgive my ramblings. I am 38 and have a 19yo daughter and a fiance. We are all pretty messed up these past few weeks. thought I could come here and see what's up and get some tips and share and learn from everyone.
Thanks for now, look forward to a normal post later.

Rachelle

Hi, Rachelle, and welcome though I am saddened that you are joining us. You say you are recently "rediagnosed" with mets. Am I correct in assuming you were not previously Stage IV? I am sure this new status is frightening. I can hear your brain whirling! This, of course, is very natural and you'd be an ostrich if you did not have serious trepidation over the new diagnosis.

Fortunately there are many persons on this site who have done the "navybean" and Herceptin thing. I am sure they will be chiming in shortly with sage words of comfort and wisdom. If you look, Rachelle, you will find many Stage IV gals and guys who have lived and are living many, many years after their initial diagnosis. I know they say there is no cure for BC, however I think in terms of living until a cure has been found. With all the new treatments, vaccines, and new targeted therapies, surviving until the cure comes is the goal.

You strike me as a fighter, Rachelle. We are glad to have your back while you take on this enemy face to face. Come here with your fears and questions and be at home with folks who know what you are going through.

I will pray you have a peaceful night tonight and that fear is kept at bay so you may rest.

Welcome Rachelle. Don't worry about the bold, it doesn't post in bold, just looks that way when you are typing.

I'm sorry that you have had to come here, but you will find this is a wonderful place to find support, comfort, knowledge and empathy. So many have been where you are, and I am sure those who have more knowledge about your specific mets will be chiming in soon.

My best to you,

hi Rachelle! Welcome and sorry you have to be here! There are lots of miracles on this site....you'll get lots of input from well-informed warriors who are fighting a good fight and breaking all the records! Best wishes. Peace and love, ma

Hi Rachelle,

Sorry you found us but we are here for you. I am 39 myself with a young family. I have been fighting for 2 1/2 years now. I did navy bean with herceptin and had a great response. I had to go off it because I had a bad reaction to it.

You will find a lot of support here from women who have been beating the odds for years.

I will be keeping you in my thoughts.

Hello- New here...
 

Welcome aboard. Even if a doctor does give you a time limit don't buy into it. Just keep living and doing all you can to improve your health.

Rachelle,

Well, I can tell you are a strong spirited woman! Anyone who can call their chemo "navy bean" at that stage in the game is pretty special!

I've never had navy bean, but I do know some ladies on this board who have had great success with that on lung, and liver mets. Hope that is the case for you.

Just wanted to say welcome, I'm glad you checked in here...we are all here to help in whatever way we can!

Although I have never done Navelbine, I was diagnosed stage IV with lung mets. I did 4 months of Taxotere, Xeloda and Herceptin, which I continue to do every 3 weeks. And have been NED ever since. I am finally feeling better than ever and back to my old self. It's a long hard road, but it's not the end of the road for you. Stay strong...sherryg

Hi Rachelle,
Nice to meet you. I wouldn't waste a lot of time going for the whole "normal" thing here - we are used to crazy. For us - crazy is normal:) You say you have a 19 year old daughter - me too. She reminds me everyday to FIGHT!

Flori

Hi Rachelle,

I'm so glad you found us, although I wish you didn't need us. Many on this list are living with metastastatic breast cancer and they are living well. I can understand why you are frightened and confused right now. There are many options open to you, though and sometimes it takes time to find the right one for you. We are all looking forward to hearing more from you and if you need anything at all: just ask.

It's almost impossible to give a timeframe for survival, as every situation is different. That's why doctors cant tell you what your future looks like. But do any of us ever know? I know women who are still alive and doing well more than ten years after their mets diagnosis. Some of them are NED (No Evidence of Disease). I know women who have had several recurrences and they are still around. There is a lot of hope and new therapies are being tested as we speak.

Let us know what we can do for you!

Jacqueline

Hi Rachelle - Glad you found us, this place will inform, empower and inspire you beyond belief all the while keeping you grounded in the reality that we are all in the fight for our lives. I personally believe that docs should not be in the business of handing out expiration dates, and I am glad that yours didn't give you a time line...

Best wishes and keep us posted!

Hi Rachelle,

We've spoken before and I'm so glad you took my advice and found us here:)
I'm sure you'll gain inspiration and knowledge from the member's here as I have done and tons of support of course!

Hi Rachelle
I just started on Navelbine...NAVYBEAN sounds better..i also have mets to the nodes, for 5 1/2 years....my onc. always tells me, theres alot more chemos out there just waiting for you....I seem to get a couple years out of each chemo, then it just seems to not work....my goal is to reach NED....someday...always think positive, each day is waiting for you to enjoy...so glad you have found us....

Hi Rachelle,

Just wanted to welcome you to a very special board. You will like it here. There are many wonderful, and very informed women here. When I read your "navybean" comment I said to myself............."she will fit in here just fine!"

Take care and God Bless you. Looking forward to hearing more from you.

Love and Peace,

Mary Jo

Rachelle,

Welcome to the Board. There are some very good new articles about treating Her2 (See 'New articles' at the bottom of the Board). Take a look and you will feel much better.

I was diagnosed in 2003 - I wasn't afraid at all because I thought nothing would be worse than the 23-hr. brain surgery I had in 1990. My brain tumor took almost10 years to recur to the point that we needed to do something; but the breast cancer was never eradicated and we found the recurrence after just 4 years.

Look around and you'll find this a vibrant group. We support each other and gain wisdom and strength from each other.

Welcome to the board, but sorry for the reason you are here. These are some of the finest warriors you will ever get to know. Soak up their knowledge like a sponge. This site is a Godsend!

Hi Rachelle,

I joined last year and believe me, I cannot get through a single day without reading through new and old posts here. These ladies and gentlemen are so caring, so understanding and full of incredible knowledge!

Welcome aboard.

hugs,
shobha

just wanted to welcome you to a great place! wish i'd known about these wonderful people when i was first diagnosed!

Rachelle,

I understand how you feel about the cancer coming back. But there are a lot of options for treatment, so don't loose hope.

We are here to support you.

Joan