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12-30-2012, 06:15 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 954
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My Two Anniversaries on Dec 30th
Today I have two anniversaries I'm celebrating. Hooray! 
December 30, 2012 marks 23 years of marriage to my best friend and love of my life through the sunshine and storms.
I wish my cancerversary also didn't fall on the same exact day as the other. Those memories aren't happy like my wedding day and marriage but I made it through the toughest time in my life and grew alot through it so that's a great thing I can be glad about.
Two years ago today was my Well Woman Checkup right before I was supposed to have an anniversary lunch date with my DH. That day my GYN felt the largest of the lumps of multifocal breast cancer and then I went directly from there for my annual mammogram. I was sporadic about self breast exams and regret that didn't catch it myself earlier. Exactly one year from the month I had gone from a "stable/normal" mammo (fibrocystic breast disease which had not changed) to one the radiologist described as "ominous" ( which turned out to be Stage 3A). That day was such a shockaroo.
I initially tried a few months of alternative natural cancer treatment while I monitored the status by ultrasound a few times to see if I could avoid all the measures I didn't want to do but ended up doing because it did not work. My surgeon told me on my first visit a few days after that terrible mammogram that without conventional treatment I would be dead in 6 months to two years. That was pretty sobering.
I'm very thankful to God to be alive and doing very well as far as I know.
As we gear up to a healthier 2013, help yourself to a piece of virtual anniversary cake: my favorite kind to make and eat. The base is a slab of seedless watermelon topped with a variety of fruit: guilt-free delishiousness!
Paula
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12-30-2012, 07:24 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 463
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Re: My Two Anniversaries on Dec 30th
Happy Anniversaries, Paula. Both of them. And what a beautiful cake!
Love,
Debbie Laxague
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12-30-2012, 08:26 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,477
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Re: My Two Anniversaries on Dec 30th
Happy anniversaries and, yes, nice cake !
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12-30-2012, 07:11 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 3,154
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Re: My Two Anniversaries on Dec 30th
Dear Paula,
You are truly blessed twice....
Your cake looks like an ad for a cookbook...hmmm hmmm good.
Sending you all the best wishes for many many more anniversaries to enjoy.
Hugs,
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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12-30-2012, 07:16 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Moultrie, GA
Posts: 431
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Re: My Two Anniversaries on Dec 30th
That cake looks delicious! So happy for you~
__________________
Diagnosed: 7/25/08 ~ age 63, no family history
Surgery: 8/14/08 Bilateral mastectomy; tumor left breast, node dissection; right prophylactic with expanders: 1/12/10 latisimuss dorsi flap on left side: 9/22/10 implants in
Pathology Report: ER/PR-; HER2+ (3+); Grade 3, StageIII; 3cm tumor plus 21/21 lymph nodes positive; 5cm DCIS
Chemo: A/C; Taxol/Herceptin/Tykerb; phase II study at Mayo adding Tykerb for early stage
Radiation: 25 rads
Vaccine: Walter Reed GP2/AE37 vaccine study ~ last booster 9/17/2012
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12-30-2012, 08:07 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 473
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Re: My Two Anniversaries on Dec 30th
Best wishes on this important anniversary!
Cheers Marie
__________________
dx Dec 2000 dcis 2.5cm clear sentinel node, ER/PR- Her-2+
lumpectomy, 6 cycles AC, 6 weeks rads
October 2007 three x 2.5cm lung mets. 8 months Taxol, started Herceptin and continue. Significant reduction in lung mets.
June 2011 3cm x 4cm liver tumour. Started Abraxane and continue with Herceptin.
November 2011. Finished with Abraxane, continue with just Herceptin. Liver tumour now reduced to 15mm x 12mm. Lung tumour now 10mm x 0.5mm
February 2012. Scans show everything stable, and brain scan clear.
July 2012. PET/CT scans show I'm in remission - no active cancer!
]Dec CT brain cllear, lungs stable, liver tumour has increased to 20mm. PET scans showed active liver met and active lung thinglet, and possible bone met.
Jan 2013 recommence Abraxane, continue with Herceptin.
June 2013 finish Cycle 6 Abraxane, continue with Herceptin. 30% reduction in liver tumour, everything stable.
December 2013. CA15-3 on rise.
February 2014. PET and CT scans show single liver tumour has increased to 35mm. No other activity.
March 2014. Planned for SBRT for liver met, but couldn't have treatment as tumour too close to bowel. Continue Herceptin.
April 2014. Surgeon advises that I am a good candidate for liver resection, so will have operation early May (after camping holiday). Tumour now 44mm x 29mm.
May 7, 2014. Two liver tumours surgically removed. Third of liver removed, and gall bladder. Am I NED?May 2014. Pathology of tumour shows it's now ER+ (95% staining).
June 2014. CA15-3 has decreased to 18 from a pre-surgery reading of 59!
June 2014. Started Femara, continue with Herceptin.
July 2014. Stop Femara due to severe Osteoporosis. Commence Tamoxifen, continue Herceptin. Waiting to hear if I can have Aclasta infusion.
August 2014. CA15-3 has decreased further to 12 - YAY!
October 2014. Aclasta infusion for Osteoporosis. November 2014, CA15-3 decreased to 11. Scans of liver all clear, something new showing up on lung, but just watching at the moment.
November 2015. Started SBRT on solitary lung met.
November 2015. Bone density scan showed very good improvement so back on Femara - yay!
December 2016. 6 treatments of SBRT radiation on lung. Seems to have had some effect.
June 2016. CA15-3 still stable and low at 9.
June 2016. Started subcutaneous Herceptin replacing infusion.
Jan 2017. LVEF dropped to 46%. Stopped Herceptin.
Feb 2017. Started ACE Inhibitor and BETA Blocker. Still off Herceptin.
Aug 2017. Two new mets - Portacaval lymph node and mediastinal lymph node.
Aug 2017. Blood tests show extremely elevated liver enzyme levels. Many tests to investigate.
Sept 2017. Portacaval lymph node blocking liver bile duct causing liver enzyme and Bilirubin problems.
Oct 2017. 8cm stent inserted into liver bile duct. Procedure caused pancreatitis, and hospitalised for 3 days. Liver enzymes improving rapidly.
Nov 2017. Commenced 4 weeks of radiation on Portacaval lymph node. 5 week break before chemo.
Jan 2018. CT scan. 11 new small liver mets, and new superclavical lymph node med.
Jan 2018. Start Kadcyla. CA15-3 426.
Apr 2018. First scans since starting Kadcyla. All tumours reducing. CA15-3 dropped to 30 from 426.
Dec 2019. Still on Kadcyla, but two small brain mets have been treated in the past month with SRS. CA15-3 stable for 12 months at 11.
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12-30-2012, 10:31 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Port Hedland, Australia
Posts: 382
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Re: My Two Anniversaries on Dec 30th
Happy Anniverseries enjoy your cake xx
__________________
Diagnosed Nov '10 IDC whilst pregnant with 2nd child
Her 2 ++ ER/PR + but weak and patchy 50% + 5%
Left mastectomy Dec '10, 6cm tumour 1 of 2 lymph (micro mets)
Clear margins but lymphovasculer invasion
Stage 3a Grade 3
Fec 100 x 3 Jan '11 Taxotere X 3 and Herceptin X 1yr
Staging scans - CT brain & body and bone - May '11 - NED!!
Start Femara - in chemo induced menapause
25 Rads June '11
Dec '11 Menstruation resumed - zoladex inj monthly and Tamoxifen
Feb '12 Back on Femera and Zoladex
March '12 CT brain & body & bone scan all clear
Zometa x2/yearly
April '12 - Oopherectomy
Praying the Herceptin is as good as its hype!!
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12-30-2012, 11:54 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: TN
Posts: 83
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Re: My Two Anniversaries on Dec 30th
Happy Anniversaries! Love the cake!
__________________
DX 5/17/10 IDC & DCIS
BMX 6/3/10-Stage 1, 0/2 nodes
ER+/PR-, Her2+
Chemo 7/8/10-10/21/10
FEC X 3, T X 3, Herceptin weekly for 9wks
Start Arimidex for 5 yrs-11/22/10
12/16/10 NED!!!!!
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12-31-2012, 06:51 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 954
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Re: My Two Anniversaries on Dec 30th
We had a very nice anniversary. Thanks for the well wishes!
Just to clarify because I don’t want to falsely take credit, that was not my cake posted yesterday. I was playing around when I was offering you a piece of VIRTUAL anniversary cake–it was a sample picture I had handy but was not my cake. Watermelon is out of season right now so it’s pricey and not tasty and I did not even make one yesterday.  We did have a lovely surprise of a beautiful edible arrangement arrangement of a fruit bouquet my sister had delivered in celebration yesterday afternoon. (Those pictures not uploaded).
I’ve gotten lots of mileage on the watermelon cake idea over the years–I’ll show you a couple of old pictures below of a few of mine which are not nearly so professional as yesterdays but I’m happy with them and they are scrumptious and healthy. In case you’re interested in making one, if you choose a bigger melon than mine in these shots and go for the middle portion rather than the end, both top and bottom will be flat rather than curved on the sides as these are.
Welp, I see where you can insert an image from the internet but not sure how to attach a picture from my own file here--ah well.
Paula
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