[CourtneyL]

Hi Brenda and Marie - Sorry for the delay in posting my stats re Boswellia. Brenda I PM'd you with some details yesterday.

Here is a brief rundown of my brain mets story and experience with Boswellia. I was diagnosed with 6 brain mets at the end of December 2008. At that time we added Tykerb to my Herceptin/Zometa regiment and took a watch and wait approach. By February, my scan showed no new tumors and 3 of the existing ones had only grown by about 5 percent so we were thinking the Tykerb was at least working to prevent new tumors. I found out about Boswellia at that time and asked my doc if I could add it. He said "go for it" so I began taking 2 450 mg pills 3 times a day. I contacted the author of the case study showing that Boswellia had worked to get rid of brain mets in one patient and she cautioned me that it does not work if you are on Herceptin or Tykerb. Not willing to go off either drug, I took my chances and took the Boswellia anyway to see what it could do.

I don't think it did much. I continued taking it every day for over a month. My follow-up brain scan in early April showed one new lesion and about 10% growth in a few of the existing lesions. This is when we decided to do Gamma and I decided to stop taking Boswellia. I don't know if it was interfering with the Tykerb but it was enough for me to know that there had been more progression once I added Boswellia. I can't say whether the progression was caused by Boswellia but I just decided it wasn't worth the risk.

I stopped taking Boswellia in early April, had Gamma on April 21st and added Xeloda. Things seem to be stable. Just recently on June 8th I got a great scan - spots are nearly all gone (they think it is just necrotic tissue remaining) and no new spots.

Marie my thoughts and prayers are with you and Ed. I am praying that you find something to treat his brain mets very soon.

Brenda - Always pulling for you!

Hope this info helps.