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Joan M · 05-16-2009, 05:00 PM

Thanks for all your wonderful thoughts and prayers.

I had the procedure Thursday and came home yesterday afternoon. I feel pretty good.

The procedure was an embolization of the pulmonary artery (similar technique to an angiography).

I was awake but sedated. I don't remember too much except the IR docs saying about nine times, Hold your breath, hold it, hold it, hold it, ... breath, while one of them was running behind the glass enclosure to take a still photo of the screens showing floroscopy highlighting my lung arteries and vessels. They used stainless steel coils to block the bulging sack in the lung vessel. It was in the area of the RFA (and prior wedge resection). The procedure took 2 hours. The IR docs said it went really well.

The bulging sack in the vessel appears to be the source of the bleeding. I haven't coughed up any blood in two weeks and hope it won't happen again. But I still have to take the anti-fungal mediation voriconazole because it appears the aspergilloma is still there. I'm scheduled for another CT scan at the end of June which both the pulmonologist who prescribed the meds and the IR guy will review to see how the lung is doing.

It seems that there's still no sign of cancer in the lung since the RFA in August. And that's the best part.

Love you all

Joan

05-16-2009, 05:00 PM	#21
Joan M Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,851	Thanks for all your wonderful thoughts and prayers. I had the procedure Thursday and came home yesterday afternoon. I feel pretty good. The procedure was an embolization of the pulmonary artery (similar technique to an angiography). I was awake but sedated. I don't remember too much except the IR docs saying about nine times, Hold your breath, hold it, hold it, hold it, ... breath, while one of them was running behind the glass enclosure to take a still photo of the screens showing floroscopy highlighting my lung arteries and vessels. They used stainless steel coils to block the bulging sack in the lung vessel. It was in the area of the RFA (and prior wedge resection). The procedure took 2 hours. The IR docs said it went really well. The bulging sack in the vessel appears to be the source of the bleeding. I haven't coughed up any blood in two weeks and hope it won't happen again. But I still have to take the anti-fungal mediation voriconazole because it appears the aspergilloma is still there. I'm scheduled for another CT scan at the end of June which both the pulmonologist who prescribed the meds and the IR guy will review to see how the lung is doing. It seems that there's still no sign of cancer in the lung since the RFA in August. And that's the best part. Love you all Joan __________________ Diagnosed stage 2b in July 2003 (2.3 cm, HER2+, ER-/PR-, 7+ nodes). Treated with mastectomy (with immediate DIEP flap reconstruction), AC + T/Herceptin (off label). Cancer advanced to lung in Jan. 2007 (1 cm nodule). Started Herceptin every 3 weeks. Lung wedge resection April 2007. Cancer recurred in lung April 2008. RFA of lung in August 2008. 2nd annual brain MRI in Oct. 2008 discovered 2.6 cm cystic tumor in left frontal lobe. Craniotomy Oct. 2008 (ER-/PR-/HER2-) followed by targeted radiation (IMRT). Coughing up blood Feb. 2009. Thoractomy July 2009 to cut out fungal ball of common soil fungus (aspergillus) that grew in the RFA cavity (most likely inhaled while gardening). No cancer, only fungus. Removal of tiny melanoma from upper left arm, plus sentinel lymph node biopsy in Feb. 2016. Guardant Health liquid biopsy in Feb. 2016 showed mutations in 4 subtypes of TP53. Repeat of Guardant Health biopsy in Jana. 2021 showed 3 TP53 mutations, BRCA1 mutation and CHEK2 mutation. Invitae genetic testing showed negative for all of these. Living with MBC since 2007. Stopped Herceptin Hylecta (injection) treatment in March 2020. Recent 2021 annual CT of chest, abdomen and pelvis and annual brain MRI showed NED. Praying for NED forever!!