View Single Post
Old 07-07-2014, 09:44 AM   #2
BrendaB
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Gettysburg PA
Posts: 16
Re: 4 months into Her2+ and struggling!

Welcome to the site, glad you found us, sorry you needed to. Cancer is not real fun, though a sense of humor does help. Watch funny movies, read funny books (if you have the attention span to read: I have trouble with that now), etc.
As for the bad taste, yes, I chewed gum constantly for about 2 months before it finally went away.
Being tired goes with the territory too, some are able to exercise, swim, walk, and that helps. At some point my legs felt like they were made of cement, and I was walking like Tim Conway's Little old man (Carol Burnett show, in case you are too young to remember that).
Google the Magic Mineral Broth by Rebecca Katz; it helped me a lot. It makes a ton of broth, so I put some in ice cube trays and melted a few for a quick sip here and there.
Check out the Diet and Nutrition thread, it is really helpful.
Give yourself permission to rest and wait. Consider the butterfly; it needs to struggle to get out of its chrysallis, in order to have strength to fly. Then it has to hang on to the branch and wait for its wings to unfurl and dry. You are going through a struggle, but you will be able to fly when all this is behind you.
Some people also keep a gratitude journal, writing down 3 things everyday that they are thankful for. (Ann Voskamp has a wonderful website about this; www.aholyexperience.com)
Best wishes to you, and prayers for your journey to recovery.
__________________
2008-2011 calcifications, get mammo every 6 months, benign
11/11/11 new cluster of calcifications "We caught it early; easy fix" I almost feel guilty to say I have breast cancer, knowing that others go through so much.
11/22/11 stereotactic biopsy
11/29/11 MRI, original calcifications are also cancer
12/13/11 lumpectomy, not clear margins
12/27/11 re-excision, SNB 2 of 3 nodes +
er/pr- her2+
1/23/12 port placement
1/31/12 start 6 rounds TCH, Herceptin for a year
June, July 2012 35 rounds radiation
1/31/13 NED for a few months anyway
6/11/13 ultrasound guided biopsy, it's back; I'm furious this time.
6/24/13 mastectomy (left side), lymph nodes removed, 2 of 17 are +
7/5/13 CT scans clear
9/9/13 Rash,lump along scar; Biopsy;it's back again! Are you kidding me?
9/19/13 skin resection, skin graft from leg
10/1/13 PET scan, lymphatic invasion, nodes under right arm,supraclavicular nodes, sternum show activity. Considered metastatic.
10/10/13 Herceptin, while the team considers options.
11/7/13 Kadcyla, for a year, every 3 weeks.
1/15/14 PET scan shows NO metabolic activity! Happy dance! Thank you Jesus!
I refuse to let cancer take my Joy and my Peace!

BrendaB is offline   Reply With Quote