liver mets people all please come out

[Gina]

HavahJ,

Rhonda e-mailed me your post along with a Happy New Year's e-mail earlier today and asked me to come back on the board and send you out a note.

If you search my name and liver mets "Gina Liver" you will probably find a lot of information that may calm you down. Of all mets, I think liver mets are the easiest to get rid of with Herceptin, but unfortunately, I have been off the board and don't know your complete history and you may have complicating factors, so if you like, please send me a quick e-mail to my home at Gpopp@comcast.net and tell me whatever you can about your case...especially what happened in the last 3 months leading up to your rapid tumor marker increase and I will see what we can come up with just for you. I would not panic, but I would stay on top of the situation and start learning all I could as fast as possible. Education, positive mind set and perseverance are key to managing this illness for the long haul.

Happy New Year to ALL,
Gina

[doh2pa]

Hi HavahJ,

I do know the despair and fear that you feel right now. Liver mets are scary and back 10 years ago before herceptin and tykerb and other new therapies, the prognosis was not good. However, there are many inspirational women on this sight living with liver mets. I was first diagnosed with liver mets in September 2005 and I am still here. I work, volunteer, travel, take care of my family and enjoy life. It is a constant battle, I've been on and off chemo and luckily every regimen I have been on has put me into remission. They do keep coming back but I still have lots of tools left in my tool chest and I am not ready to give up. So I live by 2 hopeful mantras:
1. Research in breast cancer is amazingly forward thinking lately. New therapies are looking for ways to help us live with metastatic disease just like any other chronic disease. Although I would much rather have my old chemo-free life back, I just need to try to stay as healthy as possible and hope that the research gurus find that one thing that will work for me. I have HOPE!
2. None of us knows what tomorrow brings. Whenever I feel like having a pity party for myself I think about the fact that life does not come with a crystal ball for anyone. I have come to face my mortality and it has helped me to examine what is really important in my life, not to sweat the little stuff and to love my friends and family as much as I can.

It's a process getting to an acceptable place with this. I'm a few years ahead of you in that regard. Just keep on fighting, we all draw strength from each other here and know that we are here for you and we UNDERSTAND!
Stay strong,

[kareneg]

HavahJ,

I have been battling liver mets for 6 1/2 years. Don't give up hope at all. There are many many treatments out there for you. My liver is still a whole tumor but I will never give up this horrible fight. This past summer I went for a catscan and with in three weeks I was so sick I could barely move had tumor fever's and I felt like it was the end. So I had another catscan and my tumors doubled in size. Being Her2pos is a big factor in that. But I went on a new treatment and I am still here!!!!!!! If you need me please email me at keg5294@aol.com I will always be here for you!

[Vanessa]

When I was initially diagnosed with mets after my surgery, I had extensive liver mets. My doctor put me on taxotere, carboplatin and herceptin. I was only able to take the carboplatin for a couple of months, because I was allergic to it, but doctor was confident that the taxotere and herceptin was still a good combination. I went the Tuesday before my petscan and had Dodie Osteen pray for me, on Thursday had my petscan and the next week found out that all my mets were gone. My doctor kept me on chemo a bit longer. I was NED from September to May and then I had a reoccurance in my lymph nodes. My liver mets have not ever returned. I am thanking God for that. Good luck to you and I will keep you in my prayers.