You all know I'm notorious for not posting updates, particularly not-so-happy ones. I tend to sneak little hints in other posts...
But as my her2family, I know you want to hear what's going on, even if it's scary
As Denise would say, I'm definitely on a "one set of footprints" track and am seriously running out of options.
If you don't want to read the details, don't...but I am again asking for bold prayers for next week - I know that when I don't feel well its nearly impossible to keep my head and spirit in the right direction!
So, here goes: hard to believe that a year ago next week I started on a trial that shrunk my stupid liver tumors by like 70% over the course of 5 months! Then stopped working in August.
Since then I've been on a sampler tour of the diminishing list of chemos untried; first taxotere/perjeta (although I think the perjeta helped, the taxane failed), followed by navelbine and then gem/carbo. The stupid tumor not only refused to lie down, but grew through each of these!
It's challenging my HOPE (both Rugo and in the larger sense of the word). But we are not giving up.
Monday I will undergo the first of multiple TACE procedures (trans-arterial chemoembolization) to hopefully get some stability and buy time to set some other paths.
It is multiple procedures because I have so much disease and other complicating factors which make it riskier, so the plan is to "go gently, not just cowboy it". Direct quote from the IR, who I like very much. The procedure itself is not supposed to be painful, but the aftermath can be as "we're shooting a crapload of chemo directly into the tumor and it really pisses it off" (another direct quote). Well, a liver full of tumors + mild ascites and bloating is painful already!
She has had some patients not do well with the side effects, while another went to Bali during the 2 week break before treatments. Maybe I should buy tickets now
I told the people at Genentech to get their a$$es back to work and pronto. Don't rest on your TDM1 laurels, now it's all about Chris because she's so greedy for life.
Thanks always for your love and support. I haven't posted much lately because I just haven't had the energy...but know that I think of and pary for you daily.
Chris