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TiffanyS · 03-15-2017, 05:05 AM

I went for treatment yesterday, and I was hoping to get the results of my CT Chest scan, as I rescheduled my appointment for March 3 in order have the report by yesterday’s appointment. Unfortunately, the fellow I met with yesterday told me that they didn’t have the radiologist report yet, and that he called to see if he could get it by the end of the day, but didn’t think that would happen (which was the case). The good news is, he was able to download the scan, and compare it to my December scan, and, based on what he saw, it looks like there is some improvement to my lungs. Unfortunately, it did not look like there was any improvement to the lymph nodes in my chest. I asked him to look at my bones and spine, as I had been experiencing back pain for months, and he said he couldn’t see anything on my spine or bones. I can’t wait to get the radiologist report in order to confirm this, but it made me feel better. Now, I just have to figure out what’s causing this non-stop back pain!

My oncologist is on vacation this week, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop taking chemo after next week’s appointment, or if I will have to continue taking chemo until the end of June. My guess is that she’s going to make me continue taking chemo, given that there is no improvement to the lymph nodes in my chest. I advised the fellow that if I have to continue with chemo until the end of June, that I would need a chemo break on April 11 and 28th and May 2, as I will be going to visit my family for Easter and flying to Europe at the end of the month, and I don’t want to fly two days after getting chemo, as that is my worst day for chemo side effects. He said he didn’t think that would be a problem, and, to be honest, I need another chemo break, as my side-effects are getting worse with each treatment, in particular the shortness of breath. I can’t even walk up a flight of stairs anymore without having to stop to catch my breath, and my 30 min walk home is now taking me closer to 40 mins, because I have to stop to catch my breath, especially when going uphill.

On a positive note, I mentioned to the fellow that one of the three pimples on my chest wall appeared to be getting bigger, and, after examining the area, he told me that he would be sending me for an ultrasound in order to determine the size of the pimples. He will then send me for another one in three months in order to see if they have grown. If they have, we will know that they are cancer. If they haven’t, we can assume that they are scar tissue. I wish my oncologist had done this for me when I first told her about the pimples in January, as she knows how much stress and anxiety these pimples have caused me.

On another note, I noticed this morning that it was one year ago today that I had my first chemo treatment. Who would have thought that I would still be getting treatment a year later. Certainly not me! I guess I’ll have to get used to these treatments, as it looks like I’ll be getting them for the rest of my life!

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12/15 – First mammogram
01/16 – Second mammogram and ultrasound.
01/16 – Meet surgeon and go for third mammogram, second ultrasound and biopsy. Surgeon confirms cancer in left breast and lymph nodes and sets surgery date.
01/16 – Chest scan and bone scan done– all looks good.
02/16 – Surgery - left breast mastectomy and 16 lymph nodes removed (8 had cancer).
02/16 – CT scan done – small nodules on lung but Doctor advises it’s post surgical. They will continue to monitor just in case.
03/16 – Meet radiation oncologist and find out results of Pathology Report. I’m told that I have locally advanced breast cancer, based on the size of my tumour (7 cm!) and the fact that they found cancer cells in eight lymph nodes. I’m also told that I’m HER 2 positive, with high levels of estrogen and progesterone and that my cancer is stage 3, grade 2.
03/16 – Meet oncologist and am told that my cancer is actually grade 3, and that I should have done chemo before surgery. Too late now!
03/16 – Start first of six doses of chemo (Carboplatin and Docetaxal) and Herceptin (for 18 months).
04/16 – Have port put in.
04/16 – Get second dose of chemo, but Docetaxal is left out due to liver enzymes being high. I was unable to get a full dose of Docetaxal after my first treatment.
06/16 – Finished chemo! One month off and then I start radiation.
06/16 – Start Tamoxifen.
07/16 – First radiation treatment – 24 more to go!
08/16 – Went for Genetic Testing to see if I have the BRCA gene. Tested negative for BRCA I and II
08/16 – Radiation oncologist biopsies “scar tissue” on my chest wall. I am told that I have a local recurrence and need to have rush surgery.
09/16 – Meet surgeon who advises that I need to meet with a plastic surgeon, as they will need to do a skin graft to close me up after surgery. Meet plastic surgeon and all looks good. A surgery date is set for October 4.
09/16 – Go for rush ultrasound, bone scan, breast MRI and CT scan.
09/16 – Meet oncologist who advises that the ultrasound and bone scan results look good, and that MRI shows three small masses at surgery site, but lymph nodes are clear. Still awaiting the results of the CT scan, but we are positive it will look good.
09/16 – Get a call from my oncologist, who advises that CT scan shows small spots on my lungs, and a large lymph node in the middle of my chest. This means the cancer has spread! She looks into getting me funded for TDM-1 and cancels my surgery.
10/16 – Meet oncologist, who advises that I have to take Perjeta before I can take TDM1. I start Perjeta/Herceptin every three weeks for an indefinite amount of time, and Taxol, which I will take two weeks in a row with one week off and then two weeks in a row for 8-16 treatments. Stop Tamoxifen.
10/16 – Meet surgeon, who reviews my CT scan and advises that the spots on my lungs may not be cancer, and that he doesn’t see a lymph node in my chest. He thinks it’s a spot on my lung. I’m feeling very confused! He advises that my oncologist doesn’t want me to have surgery to remove the three small masses on my scar line, as she wants to use them as a way to determine if the treatment is working. He advises that if they have not shrunk in 6 months, he will revisit surgery.
10/16 – CEA blood test to determine Tumour markers. Results were normal (2.7). My doctor advises that this could mean two things: (1) that the treatment is working, and the tumours are shrinking, or (2), that I'm one of those people who never get elevated CEA levels. Given that some people never get an elevated CEA level, this test doesn’t seem very accurate to me! Asked for PET scan, but am told I don’t qualify.
10/16 – Brain MRI – NED!
11/16 - CA-15-30 blood test – Tumour markers are normal at 19.
11/16 – Second CEA blood test – Tumours markers are still normal at 1.6 Second CA-15-30 blood test – Tumour markers are still normal at 19
11/16 – Develop lymphedema and have to wear a sleeve
12/16 – CT Scan shows that the tumors on my lungs and the lymph node in the middle of my chest are shrinking, and that some have resolved. Also, the small masses along my scar line are no longer visible. This means the medication is working!
12/16 – Small “pimple” shows up where old tumour on chest wall was located. Doctor is going to monitor it for now.
01/17 – A second “pimple” shows up on chest wall, as well as a small lump under the skin. My doctor thinks it’s scar tissue and will monitor it for now.
0/17 – Started to develop severe back pain – worried the cancer has spread to my spine.
03/17 – Third CEA blood test and CA-15-30 blood test – Both normal at 2.5 and 25
03/17 – CT Chest scan to see if there’s improvement to chest and lungs – awaiting results. If results are good, I get to stop taking Taxol!
03/17 – Second brain MRI scheduled for end of month.

03-15-2017, 05:05 AM	#20
TiffanyS Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 459	Re: Back Pain I went for treatment yesterday, and I was hoping to get the results of my CT Chest scan, as I rescheduled my appointment for March 3 in order have the report by yesterday’s appointment. Unfortunately, the fellow I met with yesterday told me that they didn’t have the radiologist report yet, and that he called to see if he could get it by the end of the day, but didn’t think that would happen (which was the case). The good news is, he was able to download the scan, and compare it to my December scan, and, based on what he saw, it looks like there is some improvement to my lungs. Unfortunately, it did not look like there was any improvement to the lymph nodes in my chest. I asked him to look at my bones and spine, as I had been experiencing back pain for months, and he said he couldn’t see anything on my spine or bones. I can’t wait to get the radiologist report in order to confirm this, but it made me feel better. Now, I just have to figure out what’s causing this non-stop back pain! My oncologist is on vacation this week, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop taking chemo after next week’s appointment, or if I will have to continue taking chemo until the end of June. My guess is that she’s going to make me continue taking chemo, given that there is no improvement to the lymph nodes in my chest. I advised the fellow that if I have to continue with chemo until the end of June, that I would need a chemo break on April 11 and 28th and May 2, as I will be going to visit my family for Easter and flying to Europe at the end of the month, and I don’t want to fly two days after getting chemo, as that is my worst day for chemo side effects. He said he didn’t think that would be a problem, and, to be honest, I need another chemo break, as my side-effects are getting worse with each treatment, in particular the shortness of breath. I can’t even walk up a flight of stairs anymore without having to stop to catch my breath, and my 30 min walk home is now taking me closer to 40 mins, because I have to stop to catch my breath, especially when going uphill. On a positive note, I mentioned to the fellow that one of the three pimples on my chest wall appeared to be getting bigger, and, after examining the area, he told me that he would be sending me for an ultrasound in order to determine the size of the pimples. He will then send me for another one in three months in order to see if they have grown. If they have, we will know that they are cancer. If they haven’t, we can assume that they are scar tissue. I wish my oncologist had done this for me when I first told her about the pimples in January, as she knows how much stress and anxiety these pimples have caused me. On another note, I noticed this morning that it was one year ago today that I had my first chemo treatment. Who would have thought that I would still be getting treatment a year later. Certainly not me! I guess I’ll have to get used to these treatments, as it looks like I’ll be getting them for the rest of my life! ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ 12/15 – First mammogram 01/16 – Second mammogram and ultrasound. 01/16 – Meet surgeon and go for third mammogram, second ultrasound and biopsy. Surgeon confirms cancer in left breast and lymph nodes and sets surgery date. 01/16 – Chest scan and bone scan done– all looks good. 02/16 – Surgery - left breast mastectomy and 16 lymph nodes removed (8 had cancer). 02/16 – CT scan done – small nodules on lung but Doctor advises it’s post surgical. They will continue to monitor just in case. 03/16 – Meet radiation oncologist and find out results of Pathology Report. I’m told that I have locally advanced breast cancer, based on the size of my tumour (7 cm!) and the fact that they found cancer cells in eight lymph nodes. I’m also told that I’m HER 2 positive, with high levels of estrogen and progesterone and that my cancer is stage 3, grade 2. 03/16 – Meet oncologist and am told that my cancer is actually grade 3, and that I should have done chemo before surgery. Too late now! 03/16 – Start first of six doses of chemo (Carboplatin and Docetaxal) and Herceptin (for 18 months). 04/16 – Have port put in. 04/16 – Get second dose of chemo, but Docetaxal is left out due to liver enzymes being high. I was unable to get a full dose of Docetaxal after my first treatment. 06/16 – Finished chemo! One month off and then I start radiation. 06/16 – Start Tamoxifen. 07/16 – First radiation treatment – 24 more to go! 08/16 – Went for Genetic Testing to see if I have the BRCA gene. Tested negative for BRCA I and II 08/16 – Radiation oncologist biopsies “scar tissue” on my chest wall. I am told that I have a local recurrence and need to have rush surgery. 09/16 – Meet surgeon who advises that I need to meet with a plastic surgeon, as they will need to do a skin graft to close me up after surgery. Meet plastic surgeon and all looks good. A surgery date is set for October 4. 09/16 – Go for rush ultrasound, bone scan, breast MRI and CT scan. 09/16 – Meet oncologist who advises that the ultrasound and bone scan results look good, and that MRI shows three small masses at surgery site, but lymph nodes are clear. Still awaiting the results of the CT scan, but we are positive it will look good. 09/16 – Get a call from my oncologist, who advises that CT scan shows small spots on my lungs, and a large lymph node in the middle of my chest. This means the cancer has spread! She looks into getting me funded for TDM-1 and cancels my surgery. 10/16 – Meet oncologist, who advises that I have to take Perjeta before I can take TDM1. I start Perjeta/Herceptin every three weeks for an indefinite amount of time, and Taxol, which I will take two weeks in a row with one week off and then two weeks in a row for 8-16 treatments. Stop Tamoxifen. 10/16 – Meet surgeon, who reviews my CT scan and advises that the spots on my lungs may not be cancer, and that he doesn’t see a lymph node in my chest. He thinks it’s a spot on my lung. I’m feeling very confused! He advises that my oncologist doesn’t want me to have surgery to remove the three small masses on my scar line, as she wants to use them as a way to determine if the treatment is working. He advises that if they have not shrunk in 6 months, he will revisit surgery. 10/16 – CEA blood test to determine Tumour markers. Results were normal (2.7). My doctor advises that this could mean two things: (1) that the treatment is working, and the tumours are shrinking, or (2), that I'm one of those people who never get elevated CEA levels. Given that some people never get an elevated CEA level, this test doesn’t seem very accurate to me! Asked for PET scan, but am told I don’t qualify. 10/16 – Brain MRI – NED! 11/16 - CA-15-30 blood test – Tumour markers are normal at 19. 11/16 – Second CEA blood test – Tumours markers are still normal at 1.6 Second CA-15-30 blood test – Tumour markers are still normal at 19 11/16 – Develop lymphedema and have to wear a sleeve 12/16 – CT Scan shows that the tumors on my lungs and the lymph node in the middle of my chest are shrinking, and that some have resolved. Also, the small masses along my scar line are no longer visible. This means the medication is working! 12/16 – Small “pimple” shows up where old tumour on chest wall was located. Doctor is going to monitor it for now. 01/17 – A second “pimple” shows up on chest wall, as well as a small lump under the skin. My doctor thinks it’s scar tissue and will monitor it for now. 0/17 – Started to develop severe back pain – worried the cancer has spread to my spine. 03/17 – Third CEA blood test and CA-15-30 blood test – Both normal at 2.5 and 25 03/17 – CT Chest scan to see if there’s improvement to chest and lungs – awaiting results. If results are good, I get to stop taking Taxol! 03/17 – Second brain MRI scheduled for end of month.