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CoolBreeze · 02-02-2015, 04:20 PM

I credit perjeta with saving my life. I'm not on it with a chemo either. My doctor threw a hail mary pass and landed it! They have not studied it without a chemo and it's still only recommended for first or second line therapy for metsters I was 7th line, lol! Yet my marrow was not recovering and I wasn't going to be able to do much more, and cancer was STILL only in one place so nobody wanted to give up. So perjeta/herceptin it is, and it did the trick. I have been NED for 7 months now, and I just have complete faith that I'm going to remain that way. I have a feeling that it's over you know?

Now we have to decided, how long do I stay on treatment? I know there are a couple others out there like me, who got perjeta without a chemo but none have been studied.. Nobody knows what to do with us, how long we should be on treatment, and it's all hush hush as my insurance company may not approve it if they look and realize how I'm being given it!

I wish I was being studied though so we'd have that data for other patients.

02-02-2015, 04:20 PM	#27
CoolBreeze Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 562	Re: My News I credit perjeta with saving my life. I'm not on it with a chemo either. My doctor threw a hail mary pass and landed it! They have not studied it without a chemo and it's still only recommended for first or second line therapy for metsters I was 7th line, lol! Yet my marrow was not recovering and I wasn't going to be able to do much more, and cancer was STILL only in one place so nobody wanted to give up. So perjeta/herceptin it is, and it did the trick. I have been NED for 7 months now, and I just have complete faith that I'm going to remain that way. I have a feeling that it's over you know? Now we have to decided, how long do I stay on treatment? I know there are a couple others out there like me, who got perjeta without a chemo but none have been studied.. Nobody knows what to do with us, how long we should be on treatment, and it's all hush hush as my insurance company may not approve it if they look and realize how I'm being given it! I wish I was being studied though so we'd have that data for other patients. __________________ http://butdoctorihatepink.com 08/17/09 Dx'd. Multifocal/multicentric IDC, largest 3.4 cm, associated ADH, LCIS, DCIS HER2+ ER+/PR- Grade 3, Node Negative 10/20/2009: Right mastectomy, reconstruction with TE 12/02/2009: Six rounds TCH, switched to Taxol halfway through due to neuropathy 03/31/2010: Finished chemo 05/01/2010: Began tamoxifen, the worst drug ever 11/18/2010: Reconstruction completed 12/02/2010: Finished herceptin 05/21/2011: Liver Mets. Quit Tamoxifen 06/22/2011: Navelbine/Zometa/Herceptin 10/03/2011: Liver Resection, left lobe. Microwave ablation, right lobe - going for cure! 11/26/2011: C-Diff Superbug Infection, "worst case doctor had seen in 20 years" 03/28/2012: Progression in ablated section of the liver - no more cure. Started Abraxane, continue herceptin/zometa 10/10/2012: Progression continues, started Halaven, along with herceptin and zometa. 01/15/2013: Progression continues, started Gemzar and Perjeta, an unusual combo, continuing with herceptin and zometa 03/13/2013: Quit Gemzar, body just won't handle it. Staying on herceptin, zometa and perjeta. 04/03/2013: CT shows 50% regression in tumor, so am starting back on Gemzar with dose reduction, staying with perjeta/herceptin/zometa. Can't argue with success! 05/09/2013: Discussing SBRT with Radiology due to inability of bone marrow to recover from chemo. 06/07/2013: Fiducial placement for SBRT 07/03/2013: Chemo discontinued, on Perjeta, Herceptin and Zometa alone 07/25/2013: SBRT (gamma knife) begins 08/01/2013: SBRT completed 08/15/2013: STABLE! continuing with Perjeta, Herceptin, Zometa 06/18/2014: *** NED!!!!*** continuing with Perjeta, Herceptin, Zometa 01/29/2014: Still NED. continuing with Perjeta, Herceptin. Zometa lowered to every 3 months instead of monthly. 11/08/2015: Progression throughout abdomen and lungs. Started TDM-1, aka Kadcyla. Other meds discontinued. Remission was nice while it lasted. 5/27/18: Stable. Kadcyla put me right back in the barn. I have two teeny spots on my lungs that are metabolically inactive, and liver is clean. I’m beating this MFer. I was 51 when this started and had two kids, 22 and 12. Now I’m 60. My oldest got married and trying to start s family. My youngesg graduates from Caltech this June. My stepdaughter gave me grandkids. Life is fantastic.