HonCode

Go Back   HER2 Support Group Forums > her2group
Register Gallery FAQ Members List Calendar Today's Posts

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-02-2008, 08:05 PM   #1
vickie h
Senior Member
 
vickie h's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: san luis obispo, ca
Posts: 1,150
You Are Not Alone

For all of the pain and challenges we are facing, the longing for healing and wholeness again, I hear continued signs of hope, moments of joy in the midst of sadness and struggle; the presence of God being made known through the care and concern, love and prayers of friends and total strangers.

Please remember you are not alone, for even an instant. Sometimes we have to stand in the dark to see the light......
__________________
Love and Hugs, Vickie

Life's not about waiting for the storm to pass,
It's about learning to dance in the rain.


Feb 04 IBC IIIC/IV er-/pr- her2+++
3/04 TCH X4
7/ 04 MRM 9/04 Taxol/herceptin wkly 1 yr 33X rads
11/04 skin mets 33x rads,10/05 Avast/Herc. 11 mos.
8/ 06 PET mets lymphs, neck
9/ 06 Navelbine/herceptin
11/ 06 PET NED
2/ 07 skin mets, 4/07 Xeloda, 5/07 add Tykerb
2/ 08 Tykerb failed. Doxil /Herceptin 6 months
8/08 PET skin mets, 8/08 Abraxane/Avastin
11/ 08 PET prog., skin mets
1/09 PET/CT progress, 1/09 Ixempra, 2/09 add Xeloda and low dose Naltrexone
2/09 off Ixempra/Xeloda
3/09 navelbine/herc/cytoxin 4/09 PET shows regress.7/09 start Topotecan. Failed.
8/09 extensive mets rgt brst, back and torso. starting Pazopanib clinical trial.
vickie h is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-02-2008, 08:14 PM   #2
Bill
Senior Member
 
Bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 2,077
Amen, Vickie. Thank you.
__________________
For Nicola
Bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-02-2008, 08:19 PM   #3
sassy
Senior Member
 
sassy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Mountains of Virginia
Posts: 2,267
Images: 4
Vickie,

Thank you for this wonderful reminder.
__________________
Rhonda (Sassy)
dx age 45
DX 2/15/05 Stage IIb (at surgery)restaged IIIa
Left mast .9cm tumor 5 of 14 nodes
Triple Positive
4 DD A/C
12 Taxol/Herceptin
33Rads
Strange infect mast site one year aft surg, hosp 1 wk
Herceptin for total of 18 months
Lupron Monthly 4 yrs
Neurontin for aches, pains and hot flashes(It works!)
Ovaries removed 11/09 stop Lupron and Neurontin
Arimidex 6 yrs (tried Femara, no SE improvement)
Tried Exemestane-hips got so bad could hardly walk
Back to Arimidex for year seven
Zometa 2X Annual for 7years, Lasix
Stop Arimidex 5/13
Stop Zometa 7/13-Bi-lateral Stress Fractures in Femurs from Zometa
5/14 Start Tamoxifen
3/15 Stem cell transplant to stimulate femur bone growth/healing
5/15 Complete fracture of right femur/Titanium rods both femurs
9/16 Start Evista stopTamoxifen
3/17 Stop Evista--unwelcome side effects!
NED and no meds.......
14YEARS NED!
sassy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-02-2008, 08:53 PM   #4
Melissa
Senior Member
 
Melissa's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Virginia
Posts: 116
So true...
Most of the time I'm not signed in, just reading post, news etc. But I have to tell you, All OF YOU, not a day goes by that I don't think of ones struggling with cancer. I pray for them. I pray also, that if my cancer should return that I too will have courage like people I have read about here.
__________________
Melissa

04/06, (42), 2cm tumor, 7/13 nodes, one positive node under clavicle
mastectomy/reconstruction
grade 3, stage lllb, er-65+, pr-90+, her2+++(80%)
4/AC, 12wks TH then 6wks rads
40 wks herceptin, and tamoxifen.
onc test tamoxifen resistance = poor metabilizer
04/07 ooph & on arimidex
08/07 completed herceptin

04/2022 - 16 year survivor!
Melissa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-02-2008, 09:51 PM   #5
Sherryg683
Senior Member
 
Sherryg683's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,014
Thank you, sometimes I need to be reminded that all of this is out of my control and i must have faith and hope..sherryg683
__________________
Sherry

Diagnosed: December , 2005 at age 44
13+ positive lymph nodes
Stage IV , Her2+, 2 small mets to lungsChemo Started: Jan, 2006
4 months Taxotere, Xeloda, Hercepin
NED since April 2006!!
36 Rads to follow with weekly Herceptin indefinately
8 years NED now
Scans every year

Life is not about avoiding the thunderstorms, it's about learning to dance in the rain!
Sherryg683 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-03-2008, 05:42 AM   #6
schoolteacher
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,486
Your words were beautiful. Thank you for the reminder that we have a higher being to help us through this journey.

Amelia
schoolteacher is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-03-2008, 07:35 AM   #7
Mary Jo
Senior Member
 
Mary Jo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Sheboygan, WI
Posts: 2,582
Dear Vickie,

What a beautiful post. Yes, you are right....we are not alone....God and all those who belong to Him are with each of us each day as we go along this journey. Sometimes it's a happy, peaceful journey and other times it's a struggle and the Peace seems absent. It's through those struggling times I think we learn the most and it's at those times that we grow closer to God. Although at those times it's often when we feel the farthest away from God or even worse, when we feel He may have abandoned us. But, like the "Footprints" saying says ...it's those time when He carries us and we don't even know it.

Thanks Vickie.....you are a special child of God and He used you today to bring His love and His reminder to us, which is.....WE ARE NEVER ALONE!

God's continued Peace and Joy be yours...

Mary Jo
__________________
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Dx. 6/24/05 age 45 Right Breast IDC
ER/PR. Neg., - Her2+++
RB Mast. - 7/28/05 - 4 cm. tumor
Margins clear - 1 microscopic cell 1 sent. node
No Vasucular Invasion
4 DD A/C - 4 DD Taxol & Herceptin
1 full year of Herceptin received every 3 weeks
28 rads
prophylactic Mast. 3/2/06

17 Years NED

<>< Romans 8:28
Mary Jo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-03-2008, 08:28 AM   #8
Ceesun
Senior Member
 
Ceesun's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 869
Beautiful, Merci! Ceesun
Ceesun is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-05-2008, 03:33 AM   #9
Mary Anne in TX
Senior Member
 
Mary Anne in TX's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 2,357
Sometimes, I think the purest of joys comes in those "light" moments in the midst of the dark. Oh, that we could be the light for others more often! May there be many more for all of us. ma
__________________
MA in TX.
Grateful for each and every day....

Diag. 12/05 at age 60
Stage II, Grade 3, 4.5 cm primary tumor
ER/PR- Her2 +3 strongly positive
Her2 by FISH 7.7 amplified
vascular invasion
Ki67 20% borderline
Jan - March '06 Taxotere/Adriamycin X 3 to try to shrink tumor - it grew
April '06 Rt Modified Radical Mas, 7 of 9 nodes positive
April - Aug. '06 Herceptin/Taxol/Carboplatin X 8 (dose dense)
Sept - Dec. '06 Navelbine/Herceptin x 8 (dose dense)
Radiation & Herceptin Jan. 22 - March 1, 2007
Finished Herceptin Dec. 10 '08! One extra year.
Port removed August, 2012.
8 1/2 years since diagnosis! 5 1/2 Years NED!
Mary Anne in TX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-05-2008, 09:09 AM   #10
Believe51
Senior Member
 
Believe51's Avatar
 
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
We are standing here united. It is so special to know we all hold hands together through the darkest dark and the brightest light. Thanks Vickie for making me feel safe and loved today. I am having a real hard time lately and it is love like this that holds me together at the seams.

I love you 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!!
Believe51 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-05-2008, 10:40 AM   #11
WomanofSteel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 889
That's right I agree Marie. Do you remember that old song by The Brotherhood of Man?

United we stand
Divided we fall
And if our backs should ever be against the wall
We'll be together, together, you and I.
__________________
dx aug 03
invasive dcis 1 cm
er/pr/her2+
bcs 8/4/03
bcs 8/21/03 0/16 nodes
tx 4x ca 36 rad tam
postmenopausal 06 aromasin
sept 07 biopsy node in neck
muga/pet/cat/bone mets to lungs nodes and liver stage iv
tx hki-272
tx not working switched to taxol herceptin
Taxol not working switched to navelbine
navelbine is causing bad neuropathy
starting gemzar
gemzar quit on me now on Ixempra due to increasing number and size of liver mets
another progression starting tykerb/xeloda
WomanofSteel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-05-2008, 07:55 PM   #12
vickie h
Senior Member
 
vickie h's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: san luis obispo, ca
Posts: 1,150
The fire

Thank you for your inspirational posts. I love you all so very much.
Last night I spent part of the evening sitting in front of a crackling fireplace in the living room. I was thinking about how mesmerizing a fire could be...how you can watch it for hours. How is it that something so potentially dangerous and destructive can elicit such a sense of peace and calm? And I came to the realization that as destructive and overwhelming cancer has been to so many of us, it has also brought us here together...to times of peace, love, strength and wisdom...to the safety of God's light in the utter darkness.
As individuals struggle, and our world faces so many changes and unknowns, it seems appropriate for all of us to come together in hope, instead of fear...to sit before that fire and hold each other closely. Very closely.
Much love to you, Vickie
__________________
Love and Hugs, Vickie

Life's not about waiting for the storm to pass,
It's about learning to dance in the rain.


Feb 04 IBC IIIC/IV er-/pr- her2+++
3/04 TCH X4
7/ 04 MRM 9/04 Taxol/herceptin wkly 1 yr 33X rads
11/04 skin mets 33x rads,10/05 Avast/Herc. 11 mos.
8/ 06 PET mets lymphs, neck
9/ 06 Navelbine/herceptin
11/ 06 PET NED
2/ 07 skin mets, 4/07 Xeloda, 5/07 add Tykerb
2/ 08 Tykerb failed. Doxil /Herceptin 6 months
8/08 PET skin mets, 8/08 Abraxane/Avastin
11/ 08 PET prog., skin mets
1/09 PET/CT progress, 1/09 Ixempra, 2/09 add Xeloda and low dose Naltrexone
2/09 off Ixempra/Xeloda
3/09 navelbine/herc/cytoxin 4/09 PET shows regress.7/09 start Topotecan. Failed.
8/09 extensive mets rgt brst, back and torso. starting Pazopanib clinical trial.
vickie h is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2008, 04:37 AM   #13
Mary Anne in TX
Senior Member
 
Mary Anne in TX's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 2,357
I've thought that same thing about living on the water so many times! We run from storms at least 1, 2, or 3 times a year and always wonder if our home will be there when we return. Insurance costs tons and often doesn't pay anyway, but the view and charm of the coast always lures us home! As I went to bed last night, I thought to myself how wonderful it would be to have a cracklin' fire close by to join in the cold and holiday lights across the canal. When we were young and in the backpacking phase of life, we always ended our days around a little sage fire (Wyoming) with tea. I used to think as I sat on some log or rock how amazing life is and how little control we really have. Fires, storms, and now cancer...they all give and take from us. It's finding the way to pull out the good when the dark tries to take over.
Vickie, hope your news was good and you're beginning a good holiday month. ma
__________________
MA in TX.
Grateful for each and every day....

Diag. 12/05 at age 60
Stage II, Grade 3, 4.5 cm primary tumor
ER/PR- Her2 +3 strongly positive
Her2 by FISH 7.7 amplified
vascular invasion
Ki67 20% borderline
Jan - March '06 Taxotere/Adriamycin X 3 to try to shrink tumor - it grew
April '06 Rt Modified Radical Mas, 7 of 9 nodes positive
April - Aug. '06 Herceptin/Taxol/Carboplatin X 8 (dose dense)
Sept - Dec. '06 Navelbine/Herceptin x 8 (dose dense)
Radiation & Herceptin Jan. 22 - March 1, 2007
Finished Herceptin Dec. 10 '08! One extra year.
Port removed August, 2012.
8 1/2 years since diagnosis! 5 1/2 Years NED!
Mary Anne in TX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2008, 07:47 AM   #14
Believe51
Senior Member
 
Believe51's Avatar
 
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
Talking Vickie

Throw another log on the fire and I'll get the throws cause we are all in it for the long haul. Let's all hang tight together and we will somehow make it through!! I love you all also!!>>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!!
Believe51 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2008, 09:39 AM   #15
Lori R
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Evergreen, Colorado
Posts: 454
It is one of those wonderfully cold snowy days here in Colorado, so the image of sitting with everyone on this web site, covered in the warmth of a fuzzy blanket, sipping hot chocolate (maybe with some peppermint schnapps) comforts my heart and sole.

While I typically read with a small amount of posting....I do want you all to know how much I rely on you all to lift my spirits and encourage me to relish each and every day.

Thank you all from the most sincere place in my heart. Here is a toast to everyone on this site with a big mug of hot chocolate .... topped with marshmellow!!

Love you all....Lori
__________________
2007
Oct - Diagnosed - Stage IV
5 c.m. IDC - Left Side er/pr- Her2+++
Node + 2/14 - Single Liver Met
Double Mastectomy
Nov - Begin T+H
2008
Feb-Complete 6 cycles- T&H- NED
March - Continue - Herceptin Only
April - Rads for 6 weeks
2009
Continue Herceptin - Continue NED
April - Recurrance- 3 cm. Liver Met
May - Cryosurgery
June - November - Abraxane + Herceptin
Aug - PET/CT - CTC = 0 Back to NED
2010
January - Continue NED
July - Recurrance - 3 cm Liver Met CTC=1
August - Cryosurgery #2
August - November Navelbine
November - Back to NED - End Navelbine
2011
Feb - Recur - 4 cm Liver Met - Same Left Lobe
March Surgery it is -Couldn't get a clean margin
July - Confirmed continued liver involvement
August - Begin Herceptin + Tykerb
October - Mixed results from H+T
Add Abraxane + H + T - Nov - April
2012
January PET Scan - It's working!!
April - Back to NED
July - Recurrance
August - Begin TDM-1 Trial (Taxol + TDM-1)
Lori R is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2008, 03:40 PM   #16
ElaineM
Senior Member
 
ElaineM's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3,142
Wink You Are Not Alone

Very beautiful thoughts Vickie.
You are right. We are not alone, not even in our darkest moments or in our brightest moments. We are being guided by an unseen force way beyond ourselves. Tha force also guides those around us.
__________________
Peace,
ElaineM
12 years and counting
http://her2support.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=48247
Lucky 13 !! I hope so !!!!!!
http://her2support.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=52807
14 Year Survivor
http://her2support.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=57053
"You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." author unknown
Shared by a multiple myeloma survivor.
ElaineM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2008, 05:59 PM   #17
Paty
Senior Member
 
Paty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Cordoba, Mexico
Posts: 672
Very beautiful,....your words bring peace to my heart girls, thanks for being there.

Paty
__________________
Dx. June 30th, 2006 at age 43
Lumpectomy rt breast
2.2 cm tumor, 13 nodes all negative
ER-PR+,her2+++
6 FAC
32 Rads
Dx. Lung fibrosis due to radiation
Ended 1 year herceptin in March, 2008
Paty is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 04:09 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright HER2 Support Group 2007 - 2021
free webpage hit counter