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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Philly Suburbs
Posts: 1,709
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Smackdown Round 2!
So...
I've now had two doses of Avastin. So far, so good...I guess. No side effects...but I didn't expect any.
But, I did have a nice surprise the day of the second infusion. The docs had conferred - med onc & neurosurgeon - and if I was willing, they wanted to start weaning the steroids again...slowly. Now...I bet you can guess what I said! 
So, starting the next day, I dropped from 8mg/day to 6mg/day - which may not seem like a big thing to you...but that's the smallest dose of steroids I've been on since January...yep! that was 5 months ago!
And again, so far so good. I'm hoping this means that the Avastin is shrinking some of that necrosis. Please, God...let that be what's happening! And, if things go as planned, I get to drop to 4mg/day on Memorial Day. With my luck, I'll become immediately dizzy, wobbly, and nauseus...but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
My swollen face and buffalo hump are not receding, BUT I have stopped gaining weight at an alarming rate! (I had gained 15 pounds in the previous 17 days!) So...there's my silver lining!
Thanks for the prayers and good wishes!
You've all been so important to my mental health through this sh&% - storm!
This cr#% - carnival!
This brain-met brew-haha!
Please keep the prayers focused on shrinking all that goo!
Love...
Denise
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1/11-needle biopsy
2/11-Lumpectomy/axillary node dissection - Stage 3c, ER/PR-14/17 nodes
3/11 - Post-op staph infection,cellulitis, lymphedema,seroma,ARRRGH!
4/12/11-A/C x 4, then T/H x 4, H only,Q3 weeks
8/26/11 finished Taxol!!!
10/7/11 mastectomy/DIEP recon
11/11 radiation x28
1/12/12 1st CANCER-VERSARY!
1/12 Low EF/Herceptin "Holiday" :(
2/12 EF up - Back on Herceptin, heart meds
4/2/1212 surgery to repair separated incision from DIEP recon
6/8/12 Return to work :)
6/17/12 Fall, shatter wrist,surgery to repair/insert plate :(
7/10/12 last Herceptin
7/23/12 Brain Mets %$&#! 3cm and 1cm
8/10/12 Gamma knife surgery, LOTS of steroids;start H/Tykerb
8/23/12 Back to work
12/20/12 Injure back-3 weeks in wheel chair
1/12/13 2nd CANCER-VERSARY!
1/14/13 herniate disk in back - surgery to repair
1/27/13 Radiation necrosis - edema in brain - back on steroids - but not back to work - off balance, poor cordination in right arm
5/3/13 Start Avastin to shrink necrosis
5/10/13 begin weaning steroids
6/18/13 Brain MRI - Avastin seems to be working!
6/20/13 quarterly CT - chest, abdomen, pelvis - All Clear!
7/5/13 finally off steroids!!
7/7/13 joined the ranks of the CHEMO NINJAS I am now Tekuto Ki Ariku cancer assassin!
7/13/13 Symptoms return - back on steroids
7/26/13 Back on Avastin - try again!
8/26/13 Not ready to return to classroom yet :( But I CAN walk without holding onto things! :)
9/9/13 Brain MRI - fingers crossed
“ Life is a grindstone, and whether it grinds you down or polishes you up is for you, and you alone, to decide. ” – Cavett Robert
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