 |
03-17-2008, 10:40 PM
|
#1
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Misty woods of WA State
Posts: 4,128
|
Canserversary and other "birthdays"
Hi everyone -
Just wanted to post about a little celebration we had on Sat. night. A good friend just had a major birthday and my hubby will be having the same one very soon. Friend's wife just passed her 10th year since surgery for her breast cancer.
We thought it was a good occasion to dress up and have a good meal together to mark these joyous occasions.
Kathy was the first person (besides my great aunt's daughter, who was an older lady then) I ever knew to have breast cancer. Kathy was then barely 40 years old, working, with 3 children at home. She did her "whole 9 yards" of treatment and took her tamoxafin for 5 years. Walking is something she has been very serious about and she is in great shape.
Seeing her come through her battle and out the other side gave me courage and a real life role model when I got my diagnosis shortly after she got back a full head of hair and a sparkle in her eyes. I saw that she was "herself" again and I would be too.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening!
__________________
"When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest." H.D. Thoreau
Live in the moment.
MY STORY SO FAR ~~~~
Found suspicious lump 9/2000
Lumpectomy, then node dissection and port placement
Stage IIB, 8 pos nodes of 18, Grade 3, ER & PR -
Adriamycin 12 weekly, taxotere 4 rounds
36 rads - very little burning
3 mos after rads liver full of tumors, Stage IV Jan 2002, one spot on sternum
Weekly Taxol, Navelbine, Herceptin for 27 rounds to NED!
2003 & 2004 no active disease - 3 weekly Herceptin + Zometa
Jan 2005 two mets to brain - Gamma Knife on Jan 18
All clear until treated cerebellum spot showing activity on Jan 2006 brain MRI & brain PET
Brain surgery on Feb 9, 2006 - no cancer, 100% radiation necrosis - tumor was still dying
Continue as NED while on Herceptin & quarterly Zometa
Fall-2006 - off Zometa - watching one small brain spot (scar?)
2007 - spot/scar in brain stable - finished anticoagulation therapy for clot along my port-a-catheter - 3 angioplasties to unblock vena cava
2008 - Brain and body still NED! Port removed and scans in Dec.
Dec 2008 - stop Herceptin - Vaccine Trial at U of W begun in Oct. of 2011
STILL NED everywhere in Feb 2014 - on wing & prayer
7/14 - Started twice yearly Zometa for my bones
Jan. 2015 checkup still shows NED
2015 Neuropathy in feet - otherwise all OK - still NED.
Same news for 2016 and all of 2017.
Nov of 2017 - had small skin cancer removed from my face. Will have Zometa end of Jan. 2018.
|
|
|
|
03-17-2008, 11:41 PM
|
#2
|
|
Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Toronto
Posts: 14
|
Hello all.. have another silly question: After 2 years of diagnosis and treatment my onco only follows up with blood tests... I am in Ontario, Canada.... is this the normal procedure? I have been having some headaches lately and getting scared.
Love all
LILI
__________________
Lili7
|
|
|
|
|
03-18-2008, 02:40 PM
|
#3
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: indianapolis, indiana
Posts: 1,544
|
Tell your onc, your pcp or anybody. You need to have that checked out!
__________________
dxd 9-04, lumpectomy,
st 1, gr 3, er,pr-, her2 +,
2 tac,33 rads,6 cmf
1 yr herceptin,
|
|
|
|
|
03-18-2008, 02:50 PM
|
#4
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 3,154
|
Steph,
I wish you many more celebratory dinners. Cancerverseries are wonderful to have, then to combine
birthdays, well now your really have a party! Cancerverseries and birthdays, heck we will take dozens of them.
Kind Regards,
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
Last edited by Jean; 03-18-2008 at 02:52 PM..
|
|
|
|
|
03-18-2008, 03:01 PM
|
#5
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ireland
Posts: 3,463
|
Hi Steph, I always love to hear of any long term survivors, it really gives my confidence a boost as what we hear all too often is the bad news people have with this disease. Glad you had such a nice evening too.
Lili, I live in Ireland but my onc also just does follow up of general blood tests every six months. I don't get scans unless I have symptoms that are worrying for a while. I think this is farily normal.
__________________
Tricia
Dx July '05 IDC 1.9cm Triple positive 3/9 nodes positive
A/C X 4 ..Taxol/Herceptin x 12 wks then herceptin 1 yr
Rads x 36 ..oophorectomy August '06
Currently taking Arimidex..
June 2011 osteopenia/ zometa x1 yearly- stopped Zometa 2015 as Dexa show normal bone density.
Stopped Arimidex July 2014- Restarted Arimidex 2015 for a further two years on the advice of my Onc.
2014 Normal Dexa scan
2018 Mammo all clear, still NED!
|
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:19 PM.
|
Linear Mode
