Thread: Survivors
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Old 03-17-2013, 03:00 PM   #18
CoolBreeze
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 562
Re: Survivors

Bunty, of course, we all survive day-to-day and all of us will die. But, you don't ask people without cancer how long they've been a survivor, you ask them how old they are.

If you've read my blog, you know I don't like the term "survivor" (and many other cliches) when it comes to cancer as it ignores those of us who will die of the disease. It's part of the whole pinkwashing thing - those of us with mets are brushed away, ignored by the Pink Ribbon groups, because we are the ugly side of this disease, the failures. For them, it's all about survivorship, not women like me, who won't survive. You can't sell a pink flashlight if you put a dying woman on the packaging.

Even counting survivorship this way leaves us out. So, I say how long I've been living with cancer, not how long I've been a survivor, because cancer will kill me. I am not a "survivor" even though I am alive today.

I always look at that term in a political sense. Sorry, I know the question wasn't meant that way, just got on my pink horse for a minute.

Anyway, I'll jump off that horse now. I think, for those of you who want to count it this way, you get to choose. I have heard that it starts officially from the mastectomy/lumpectomy, when the cancer was removed and you are hopefully, cancer-free forever.

And, here's hoping everybody who reads this is cancer-free forever!
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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.
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