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Re: Liver Resection Surgery
Hi CB,
Just wanted to chime in about the liver surgery. I had my left lobe removed in Nov. of 2002 at UCSF. I developed liver mets in June of 2001, and after several months of Taxotere and Herceptin, I had to stop the chemo, and just continue with Herceptin, cause my body just couldn't tolerate anymore. Pet and CT scans showed that my right lobe was now clear, but a suspicious spot was still seen on the left lobe. After lots of consideration, I decided to have the surgery, to make sure we "got it all". Turns out my entire left lobe was just a shriveled up bunch of scar tissue, with no cancer present.
I was in the hospital about a week, but the real healing didn't begin until I got home. The day they released me they took out the metal staples, and replaced them with steri-strips. I remember thinking "I hope they hold me together"!
I have a huge bucket handle shaped scar, and my tummy kind of bulges out in an odd way, but I've learned to live with it. I really didn't have that much pain when I came home. I think I stopped taking the pain pills on the second day (never liked the way they make me feel) and found that Ibuprofen worked much better.
My only advice is not to do too much too soon. I was out mucking horse paddocks in the first two weeks, and I think that's why I didn't heal as well as I could have (developed a slight hernia) it doesn't cause me any problems, but contributes to that bulging look I was talking about. No one really notices it but me, and it's not worth me going in for another surgery to repair it.
The surgery is very do-able, and you'll be in good hands at UCSF.
I'll be thinking of you and wishing you the best!
Kim
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Diag. Feb 1997 4.5cm IDC <10%ER+, PR-. 5 out of 36 nodes +. Mastectomy followed by 3 rounds Adriamycin/Cytoxin.
5/1997 Hi Dose Chemo w/ Stem cell rescue. Spent 4 weeks in isolation ward. Then 6 weeks radiation.
9/2001 widespread mets to liver. 8 mos Taxotere/Herceptin brought me almost to NED. Stop Taxotere & add Femara .
11/2002 liver resection to remove spot that turned out to be necrosis. Officially NED!
7/2003 Tumor markers rising add Xeloda Disastrous reaction, 8 days hospital, but tumor markers came back to normal!
June -Dec 2004 UW Vaccine Trial.
7/2005 MRI single 11mm brain met
8/2005 Gamma Knife.
Brain MRI @3 months NED!
2006-2011 brain/body still NED
8/04/11 Taking Herceptin break, will monitor with tumor markers.
6/20/12 Tumor markers begin to rise. CA15-3 is 31.3 and Her2 Serum is at 17.1 Decide to repeat in one month.
7/23/12 CA15-3 now 49.3
Her2 Serum 26.8
8/6/12 Back on Herceptin
CA15-3 now 76
Her2 Serum now 49
11/7/12 Add weekly Taxotere for 4 cycles
2/2013 Stopped Taxotere added Perjeta. MRI shows approx. 50% reduction liver mets. CA15-3 still elevated @ 55. Will continue on just Herceptin & Perjeta.
November 2014 Continuing on Herceptin, Perjeta, and
Femara indefinitely. Guess I'm NED again, but watching those tumor markers carefully!
Dec. 2015 PET scan reveals mass in perirectal area of abdomen.biopsy confirms. Still Her2+, but no longer ER+. Bye bye Femara
Jan 2016 Begin Kadcyla
March 2016 PET scan shows tumor now barely visible, still NED everywhere else.
2016/2017 continue Kadcyla
November 2017 brain MRI reveals small focus of T2 hyperintensity with possible 4mm enhancing nodule. Short term follow up MRI suggested. Stay tuned...
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