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11-09-2007, 03:21 PM
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#1
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Webmaster
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Home of the "Flying Tomato"
Carlsbad, CA
Posts: 2,036
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A Note about November 11th
For those of you that may not be aware, I am a communications engineer and work for the US Navy in and around San Diego.
Although citizens of this country are divided in their opinions on the current hostilities in Afganistan and Iraq one fact can not be overlooked. All of the members of our military are volunteers and are in the service because that is where they want to be. I have met many Navy and Marine veterans who have served in the middle east and have nothing but admiration for them and the sacrifices that they make on our behalf.
This weekend, let us pause and say a prayer for all of those who dedicated themselves to serve their country both past and present.
May they return home safely.
Regards
Joe
__________________
A Proud webmaster to the internet's most informed, educated, COMPASSIONATE and caring group of breast cancer survivors.
Illegitimi non carborundum
My Album
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11-09-2007, 03:36 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Oregon
Posts: 1,756
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Well said, Joe. My husband and his brother were both enlisted Navy men, as was their father. We always take time on Veteran's Day to honor the services of those who serve.
__________________
Sept.'99 - Dx.Stage IIIB, IDC ER/PR-, HER2+++ by IHC, confirmed '04 by FISH. Left MRM, AC x's 4, Taxol x's 4, 33 Rads, finishing Tx May 2000. Jan.'01 - local/regional recurrence, Stage IV. Herceptin/Navelbine weekly till NED August 2001, then maintenance Herceptin. Right Mast. April 2002. Local/Regional recurrence April '04, Herceptin plus/minus chemo until May '07. Gemzar added from Feb.'07-April '07; Tykerb/Abraxane until August '07, back on Herceptin plus Taxotere and Xeloda Sept. '07. Stopped T/X Nov. '07, stopped Herceptin Dec. '07, started Avastin/Taxol/Carboplatin Dec. '07. Progression in chest skin, stopped TAC March '03, started radiation.
Herceptin has served as the "Backbone" of my treatment strategy for over 6 years, giving me great quality of life. In 2005, I was privileged to participate in the University of Washington/Seattle HER2 Vaccine Trial.
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11-09-2007, 03:45 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 136
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Joe -
This is an easy request and well deserved one. I am very thankful for those individuals and their families for what they have done and are doing for our freedom. Amen
__________________
Debra
Diag. 11/05 at age 40 triple positive
3.8 cm tumor and 9 mm tumor
Stage IIb/SN positive(no other nodes)Grade 3
Bilat. mastect. 12/05 (Rt.prophylactic) followed with AC/taxol/Herceptin/tamoxifen then switched to arimidex after hysterectomy in 12/06. August 07 switched to Aromasin due to severe jt. pain from Arimidex. Nov. 2011 No more meds and NED!
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11-09-2007, 04:29 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Northern Calif.
Posts: 981
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Thank you Joe. My dad was a military man and I am so grateful for all that we have in the USA because of the bravery of our men and women.
Lexi
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11-09-2007, 04:41 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,519
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Thank you Joe! I agree with you wholeheartedly. I am a military brat and my dad was a career man. I am headed to San Antonio on Sunday to put flowers on his grave at the National Cemetary at Ft. Sam Houston. My niece (S&R helicopter commander/pilot, Air Force) has done 2 deployments to Iraq and one in Afghanistan. I will always have the deepest love, respect and gratitude for our military.
__________________
Brenda
NOV 2012 - 9 yr anniversary
JULY 2012 - 7 yr anniversary stage IV (of 50...)
Nov'03~ dX stage 2B
Dec'03~ Rt side mastectomy, Her2+, ER/PR+, 10 nodes out, one node positive
Jan'04~ Taxotere/Adria/Cytoxan x 6, NED, no Rads, Tamox. 1 year, Arimadex 3 mo., NED 14 mo.
Sept'05~ micro mets lungs/chest nodes/underarm node, Switched to Aromasin, T/C/H x 7, NED 6 months - Herceptin only
Aug'06~ micro mets chest nodes, & bone spot @ C3 neck, Added Taxol to Herceptin
Feb'07~ Genetic testing, BRCA 1&2 neg
Apr'07~ MRI - two 9mm brain mets & 5 punctates, new left chest met, & small increase of bone spot C3 neck, Stopped Aromasin
May'07~ Started Tykerb/Xeloda, no WBR for now
June'07~ MRI - stable brain mets, no new mets, 9mm spots less enhanced, CA15.3 down 45.5 to 9.3 in 10 wks, Ty/Xel working magic!
Aug'07~ MRI - brain mets shrunk half, NO NEW BRAIN METS!!, TMs stable @ 9.2
Oct'07~ PET/CT & MRI show NED
Apr'08~ scans still show NED in the head, small bone spot on right iliac crest (rear pelvic bone)
Sept'08~ MRI shows activity in brain mets, completed 5 fractions/5 consecutive days of IMRT to zap the pesky buggers
Oct'08~ dropped Xeloda, switched to tri-weekly Herceptin in combo with Tykerb, extend to tri-monthly Zometa infusion
Dec'08~ Brain MRI- 4 spots reduced to punctate size, large spot shrunk by 3mm, CT of torso clear/pelvis spot stable
June'09~ new 3-4mm left cerrebellar spot zapped with IMRT targeted rads
Sept'09~ new 6mm & 1 cm spots in pituitary/optic chiasm area. Rx= 25 days of 3D conformal fractionated targeted IMRT to the tumors.
Oct'09~ 25 days of low dose 3D conformal fractionated targeted IMRT to the bone mets spot on rt. iliac crest that have been watching for 2 years. Added daily Aromasin back into treatment regimen.
Apr'10~ Brain MRI clear! But, see new small spot on adrenal gland. Change from Aromasin back to Tamoxifen.
June'10~ Tumor markers (CA15.3) dropped from 37 to 23 after one month on Tamoxifen. Continue to monitor adrenal gland spot. Remain on Tykerb/Herceptin/Tamoxifen.
Nov'10~ Radiate positive mediastinal node that was pressing on recurrent laryngeal nerve, causing paralyzed larynx and a funny voice.
Jan'11~ MRI shows possible activity or perhaps just scar tissue/necrotic increase on 3 previously treated brain spots and a pituitary spot. 5 days of IMRT on 4 spots.
Feb'11~ Enrolled in T-DM1 EAP in Denver, first treatment March 25, 2011.
Mar'11~ Finally started T-DM1 EAP in Denver at Rocky Mountain Cancer Center/Rose on Mar. 25... hallelujah.
"I would rather be anecdotally alive than statistically dead."
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11-09-2007, 05:01 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 95
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Joe,
What a wonderful thread. Thank you for posting this. My work takes me to Walter Reed Army Medical Center on a regular basis. There I see so many YOUNG men and women who have recently returned from battle with truly profound injuries -- often with multiple missing limbs. To a person, they have such courage and pride. I found them all to be so inspirational as I battled through my own cancer treatments. I am truly humbled by their selfless willingness to serve our country. I echo your call to honor our brave service members this Veteran's Day.
Best,
Cynthia
__________________
Cynthia
Diagnosed 9/03 @ 43 years (pre-menopausal)
Her2+++
4 nodes +; High Grade
ER+/PR+
Bilateral Mastectomy; Reconstruction
CAF x 6; Radiation; One Year Late Herceptin
Oophorectomy; Arimidex
Completed E75 Vaccine Trial; Completed E75 Vaccine Booster Series
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11-09-2007, 05:29 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: CHARLOTTE NC USA
Home town (ECUADOR) South America
Posts: 542
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My husband is a veteran from Irak (golf persic war).
__________________
Lily Diag April/06 5 months after give birth my son Max stage IV mets on liver (5 tumors) 38 year old, her2+++ and ER+PR+ from32 nodes 4 positives mastectomy right breast chemo before surgery herceptin/carboplatin/taxotere ,clear and surgery have radiation 20, `& then herceptin and tamoxifen NED until Aug/07 body only then 'n June 04-06-07 .1 lesion of 1.6 cm on cerebellum ...novalis ,open sugery 5m.m brain met again novalis, 4mm.In the liver. Waiting 2 months now 3 tumors enroll on T-MCC trial start first infusion Nov 5/07 at Dec 17 scan show one tumor despair the 2nd and 3th diminish Doc said great results until March/08 ct scan show progression 03-05-08 start tykerb & xeloda
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11-10-2007, 06:26 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Newton, MA
Posts: 951
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Thank you for this tread, Joe. We had a serious discussion in my third grade classroom this week about honoring and respecting Veterans' Day. We also chose to honor all veterans who have served their country in the military since I have so many students in my class from other countries.
My father is still alive at 89 and is a veteran from WW2. In spite of how we feel about war, veterans deserve this respect.
Thanks again,
Barbara H.
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11-11-2007, 04:19 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,851
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Joe, Thanks for bringing it home. Both my father and brother were in the Marine Corp. My father was in the Pacific in the Solomon Islands, and my brother was in Viet Nam for 13 mos., with a one-month leave for shrapnel in Hawaii. Today, he's a grandfather. God bless.
__________________
Diagnosed stage 2b in July 2003 (2.3 cm, HER2+, ER-/PR-, 7+ nodes). Treated with mastectomy (with immediate DIEP flap reconstruction), AC + T/Herceptin (off label). Cancer advanced to lung in Jan. 2007 (1 cm nodule). Started Herceptin every 3 weeks. Lung wedge resection April 2007. Cancer recurred in lung April 2008. RFA of lung in August 2008. 2nd annual brain MRI in Oct. 2008 discovered 2.6 cm cystic tumor in left frontal lobe. Craniotomy Oct. 2008 (ER-/PR-/HER2-) followed by targeted radiation (IMRT). Coughing up blood Feb. 2009. Thoractomy July 2009 to cut out fungal ball of common soil fungus (aspergillus) that grew in the RFA cavity (most likely inhaled while gardening). No cancer, only fungus. Removal of tiny melanoma from upper left arm, plus sentinel lymph node biopsy in Feb. 2016. Guardant Health liquid biopsy in Feb. 2016 showed mutations in 4 subtypes of TP53. Repeat of Guardant Health biopsy in Jana. 2021 showed 3 TP53 mutations, BRCA1 mutation and CHEK2 mutation. Invitae genetic testing showed negative for all of these. Living with MBC since 2007. Stopped Herceptin Hylecta (injection) treatment in March 2020. Recent 2021 annual CT of chest, abdomen and pelvis and annual brain MRI showed NED. Praying for NED forever!!
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11-11-2007, 04:29 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 215
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Joe
Thanks for this thread. My father was at Dunkirk, one of the last ones to leave, he was rear guard. My brother did 32 yrs in the British army. My husband was a career Navy man. We had 3 sons and 1 daughter in the USMC at the same time. My daughter is now married to a Battalion gunner in the USMC. I am extremely proud of all of my family for there service to this country. God Bless all our servicemen and women, Jeanette
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11-11-2007, 07:03 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: St. George, UT
Posts: 582
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Thank you for starting this thread, Joe. My husband was a career USAF officer who was in pilot training until he was injured and couldn't fly. He remained in the Air Force for many years, serving in NORAD and teaching at Air University until forced to retire medically. He also served in the Army before he joined the Air Force and served during both the Korean and Viet Nam wars. We have a son who is a major in the USAF serving in the medical field in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a son-in-law who has been deployed several times to Iraq. We have been apalled at the hatred shown for the military among many today---no one likes war, but these young men and women are willing to give their lives to keep the terrorists at bay and they deserve our support and appreciation. Tricia
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11-12-2007, 06:59 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: RHODE ISLAND
(Ed getting me a latte on 2nd Cancerversary Cruise 2008)
'BELIEVE': To accept as true or real, To have faith in, To presume
ALWAYS BELIEVE
Posts: 2,999
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How did I Miss this??
Joe I posted respect on the 'Keeping Your Mind Off Of Breast Cancer'. I have taken the entire day and reserved it for pray and tribute. Semper Fi dear friends. And the military has celebrated a birthday. November 10 is the Marine Corps 232nd Birthday. Happy Birthday to all!!>Believe51
__________________
9/7/06Husband 50yrs=StageIV IBC/HER2+,BoneMets10/06TaxotereX10,'H'1X wk,Zometa,Tamoxifen4/12/07Last Tax5/18/07Pet=Rapid Cell Activity,No Organ Mets,Lytic Lesions,Degeneration,Some Bone Repair5/07ChemoFail6/01/07Pleural Thoracentisis=Effusions,NoMalignantCells6/19/07+7/2/07DFCI
6/25/07BrainMRI=BrainMets,Many<9mm7/10/07WBR/PelvisRad37.5Gx15&Nutritionist8/19/07T/X9/20/07BrainMRI=2<2mm10/6/07Pet=BoneProgression
10/24/07ChemoFail11/9/07A/Cx10,EndTam12/7/07Faslodex12/10/07Muga7512/13/07BlasticLesions1/7/08BrainMRI=Clear4/1/08Pet=BoneImprovement,
NoProgression,Stable4/7/08BrainPerfect5/16/08Last A/C8/26/08BrainMets=10(<9mm)9/10/08Gamma10/30/08Met=5mm12/19/08Gamma5mets5
12/22/08SpinalMets1/14/09SpinalRads2/17/09BrainMRI=NoNewMets4/20/09BoneScan5/14/09Ixempra6/1/09BrainMRI=NumerousMets6/24/09DFCIw/DrBurstein6/26/09Continue
Ixempra/Faslodex/Zometa~TM now lower7/17/09Stop Ixempra By Choice9/21/09HOSPICE10/16/09Earned His Deserved Wings And Halo=37 Month Fight w/Stage 4 IBC, Her2+++,My Hero!!
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11-12-2007, 05:11 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Bradenton,FL
Posts: 977
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Amen to that!, Joe, Amen!
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11-12-2007, 05:40 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,843
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I totally support your sentiment Joe.
RB
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11-12-2007, 06:46 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 154
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Joe, did you serve? I didn't know that is what you did (other then the site). That's awesome
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11-12-2007, 07:19 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 3,154
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Thank you Joe,
My father was a Navy Man also and a Vet from WW 11.
We owe so much to the brave men and woman who give us the gift of being safe at home while they place themselves in the face of danger.
God Bless all of them and bring everyone home soon.
Jean
__________________
Stage 1, Grade 1, 3/30/05
Lumpectomy 4/15/05 - 6MM IDC
Node Neg. (Sentinel node)
ER+ 90% / PR-, Her2+++ by FISH
Ki-67 40%
Arimidex 5/05
Radiation 32 trt, 5/30/05
Oncotype DX test 4/17/06, 31% high risk
TOPO 11 neg. 4/06
Stopped Arimidex 5/06
TCH 5/06, 6 treatments
Herceptin 5/06 - for 1 yr.
9/06 Completed chemo
Started Femara Sept. 2006
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11-12-2007, 08:05 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 203
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Thank you Joe for your amazing service to your country, and to the men and women touched by breast cancer all over the world.
Cannon
__________________
Dx 8/06 Age 43 Stage IIIA multifocal throughout breast, largest tumor 5 cm, grade 3, comedo, ER+PR+HER+++
Neoadjuvant A/C 4X Dose Dense
11/06 Bilateral Mastectomy (no choice on the right, my choice on the left)
Taxol+Herceptin weekly x12, continuing with Herceptin, finished one year in 12/07
33 Rads
Femara for 5+ years, staying on (started with Arimidex, switched after about a month, much happier)
Abnormal brain MRI shows no cancer, but "extensive white matter diease" - unknown cause
BRCA negative - lots of cancer in my family
survivor of thyroid cancer
also have Crohn's disease
CT and bone scan say NED as of 5/13
dx with severe cardiomyopathy 5/12 (likely due to chemo and Herceptin), ejection fraction in low 20's, now up to 40, went to 50, latest read 12/13 is back down to 35
1/13 Acute pancreatitis - are you kidding me?
9/13 started Humira for Crohn's. starting to have some energy again
B12 and Vit D both needed supplementation
Cataracts in both eyes noted 6/12 - surgery in the next 2-4 years?
4/14 Kidney stones/blockage/infection - related to Crohn's Disease
5/14 My aunt passed away - she was diagnosed after I was with Stage I - not Her2+, then Stage 4 for about one year
6/14 Scans - still NED, thank God. However, broken rib (I didn't notice) lots of bone degeneration osteopenia/osteoporosis. I also still have cardiomyopathy secondary to chemo.
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