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12-17-2014, 07:20 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 362
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Blood test question
How many times a year do you all get blood tests? I feel like I'm always asking my doc if I should get cbc and chemistry labs done. I use to get them every three months but it feels like lately it's every 6 months
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DX 10/2011
PET Scan + MRI 10/2011
Lumpectomy 11/11/11
Stage 2B +++ ER+(10%), PR+(5%), HER2+++(1 positive node, 1 micromets to second node)
AC started 12/2011 ended 1/2012
Taxol + Herceptin weekly for 12 weeks ended 4/2012
30 zaps of radiation done 6/2012
Tamoxifen 6/2012
every 3 weeks of Herceptin for another year.
Metformin Trial 8/12
10/12 MRI- CLEAR
01/13 BRAIN MRI- CLEAR!
01/13 Neck MRI- CLEAR!
FINISHED HERCEPTIN 1/9/2013...Woot Woot
Starting Walter Reed Vaccine Trial 2/13
CT Scans + ultrasound of abdomen CLEAR-5/13
02/2015 through 11/2015 emergency D&Cs for Tamoxifen induced uterine polyps which caused uncontrollable hemorrhaging
12/2015 blood clot to left leg caused by Tamoxifen. No longer taking it. On Xarelto, a blood thinner
12/2015 Ablation to prevent hemorrhaging from potential issues with Tamoxifen residue in my system
1/2016 continuing journey without hormonal therapy. Reevaluating the option of a hysterectomy and oopherectomy.
4/1/2018 2mm stroke. Yes, stroke! No cause ever found but they believe it was a migraine that went bonkers and created a tiny clot. No deficits. I was back to normal with 24hrs. Now on baby aspirin for life.
7/27/2018 hysterectomy and oopherectomy
01/07/2019 Mastectomy and expanders put in
3/22/2019 Vtach, almost died. Cause unknown.
7/22/2019 New perky boobs put in
7/21/2020 Off of all drugs but a baby aspirin because of the stroke in 2018.
www.mychemobag.org
www.facebook.com/mychemobag
8 YEARS NED
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12-17-2014, 07:27 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Mountains of Virginia
Posts: 2,267
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Re: Blood test question
I got them every 3 months until I was around 6 years out, the went to 6 months.
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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.......
14 YEARS NED!
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12-17-2014, 09:30 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Somerset, NJ
Posts: 487
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Re: Blood test question
My onc sees me every four months; I have no idea why. (Perhaps because my fired onc let me go an entire year without a single visit.) He does a CBC and CMP every time. But it's worse than that. I see the endo every three months, and he does the same, plus thyroid, plus whatever else strikes his fancy. My PCP, thankfully, only does blood work once a year. Nonetheless, I'm having labs at least 8 times a year, unless I can combine the tests, which doesn't happen very often.
Oh, and I almost forgot the labs for the study, so that's one more set. Not to mention that if I have to see any other doctor for any little thing, you can bet another trip to LabCorp will be in the offing.
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2/6/09 Core needle biopsy: negative; Mammos through 2010: no change
3/30/11 Pea-sized lump in left breast at site of prior biopsy; mammo negative, sonogram not so much
4/14/11 Core needle biopsy: negative for cancer
5/18/11 Excisional biopsy 1.2 cm tumor, LVI, positive margin; ER+60%,PR+20%,HER2/CEP17 5
6/15/11 BMX: Left DCIS & LH; Right ADH; SNB: 2/3 nodes: 1.4 cm and 1 mm; ALND L1&2: 0/10; Stage IIa, Grade 3
7/14/11 CT/Bone scans NED; MUGA 66%
7/19/11 Biweekly dd AC w/Neulasta; done 8/30/11
9/13/11 Transfusion (Hemoglobin 8.6); MUGA 64%
9/20/11 Start Taxol + Herceptin; Taxol done 12/6/2011; continue Herceptin until 9/4/2012
12/27/11 Radiation - 6 weeks; 2/27/2012 - DONE! Yayyyy!
2/29/12 Start Tamoxifen 20 mg/day; continue until 2/28/17
5/16/12 Start five-years Metformin trial
6/19/12 MUGA 61%
8/21/12 Brain MRI NED (head still hurts, brain still fogged)
9/4/12 Herceptin done!
9/6/12 Port out!
7/11/13 Aricept 5mg for cognitive impairment; increased to 10mg as of 8/23/13; back to 5mg 12/2013
5/2014 Add Namenda 7mg
9/2014 Stop Aricept and Namenda; Neuropsychological evaluation
10/24/14 Start cognitive rehabilitation therapy
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12-19-2014, 08:02 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: El Paso ,Tx
Posts: 436
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Re: Blood test question
I was every 3 months now being 4.5 years out I am at every 6 months assuming when I hit 5 yrs I may go to once a year.
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 dx: DCIS 6/8/10, HER 2+ 7/26/10; Stage I Age 41
Double mast w reconstruction
6 TCH w 1yr herceptin
Tamox.
25 radiation tx
Removal of expander on L due to infection. Tried to save it had 3 bouts of antibiotics and went to see plastic surgeon 2-3x wk to get drained. Saving it was my idea not his. But lost it anyway.
Reconstruction set for December 21st,2011
Finished chemo 12/2010
Finished Herceptin 8/26/11
Reconstruction 12/21/11
Expanders exchanged for silicon 3/19/12
Nipple reconstruction 5/18/12
Nipple tatooing- 7/9/12- All done yay!
11/22/12-Went back to get scar tissue stretched to even the outside of breast, didn't work due to it being radiated skin.
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12-19-2014, 10:04 AM
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#5
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 23
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Re: Blood test question
Before being metastatic I used to get it once every 6 months. It depends which ones are done. CBC and all basic stuff are simple, but won't tell you much about cancer coming back. Important are all 4 liver functions: AST, ALT, ALP and LD (or LDH) - if they go up our liver has a problem or there is activity going on (or something local with the liver, maight not be cancer related... but if they double there is a problem!). And of course tumor markers - if they watch them - in my case they did not. I would now watch CEA and CA15.3... but that is the doctor preference - they don't always show disease, it depends on the person. You had positive nodes, I would watch them for a while every 3 months.
They told me it does not matter when you find mets. It does -you can make better decisions when cancer has not spread everywhere...
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2011/03 - dx IDC (15 weeks pregnant), Rx mastectomy, 1.5 cm, stage 1B, grade 3, ER-/PR-/HER2+, 1/20
2011/04 - started 3xFEC while pregnant (2 sessions)
2011/06 - daughter born healthy @36 weeks
2011/08 - 3xTaxotere & Herceptin, followed by 1 year of Herceptin, no rads
2013/09 - mets to liver, bones & lungs, started weekly Taxotere + Herceptin
2013/10 - stopped Taxotere after 4 weeks due to severe side effects, stay on weekly Herceptin, pleurodesis to right lung (previously 2 x thoracentesis)
2014/01 - Dec CT scan shows good liver response but progression to bones, Pamidronate plus Herceptin only
2014/01 - brain & spine MRI (symptomatic) shows very large number of mets in the brain, do urgent WBR (20Gy/5 fractions)
2014/02 - Herceptin, Perjeta, Abraxane, XGeva
2014/08 - stopped Abraxane, stayed on Herceptin, Perjeta, XGeva
2014/12 - brain mets progression, second round of WBR (25Gy/10 fractions), lungs stable, light activity in liver
2015/02 - progression in lungs (lymphangitic carcinomatosis), stop Herceptin / Perjeta, start TDM1
2015/07 - stable on the extra cranial disease (lungs, abdomen)
2015/07- brain MRI show tumors went to the leptomeningeal area and also new one started to grow deep brain, still on TDM1, not sure of next step ....
2015/08 - looking for help to get IT Herceptin in Canada
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12-19-2014, 10:15 AM
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#6
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Banned
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 17
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Re: Blood test question
I'm a big advocate of serum HER2 monitoring. Three years out and NED, baseline and then 6 or 12 month intervals. Progressive disease, more often. You might look at Nuclea Biotech or Hertestonline websites.
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12-19-2014, 11:49 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 645
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Re: Blood test question
I get bloodwork every time I see my oncologist, which is every 3 months - CBC, CMP, Vitamin D & CA15-3.
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March, 2000: 48, Post menopausal (5 yrs HRT) Left breast, IDC 3mm/DCIS 1.6cm, ER+/PR-/Her2+++, mod differentiated, MIB low, lumpectomy, node neg via SNB, rads=33 Stage 1a
June, 2000: Tamox 4.5 years,Femara for 5 years (end in Jan. 2010)
Sept, 2012: 61, Via mamm, ultrasound, biopsy, right breast, 2.3cm tumor, ER+/PR-/Her2+++, poorly diff, KI67 60-70%
BRCA 1 and 2 negative
October, 2012: Bi Mast with tissue expanders, port placement
Final Path: IDC 2.8cm, DCIS, 1/4 sentinal nodes positive (@#$%). Stage IIB
Nov 29, 2012: Begin TCH/6x/every 3 wks, H for 1 year/every 3 weeks.
March 14, 2013: Finished chemo
April 9, 2013: Begin radiation 28x
May 22, 2013: Finished rads
June 1st, 2013: Started Aromasin for 5 yrs.
July 15, 2013: Switched to Letrozole (Femara). Probably for the rest of my life
October 16, 2013: Exchange surgery
October 31, 2013: Finished Herceptin
December 5, 2013: Port removed
Glad this year is over!
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12-19-2014, 12:10 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 293
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Re: Blood test question
When they scheduled my first herceptin only treatment they didn't order blood work. I contacted the oncologist's scheduling multiple times and was told I no longer would get blood work. When I saw the oncologist two weeks ago I went with my blood work results from my endocrinologist but asked the doctor if I still needed blood work and she said "Yes, you had it done today, didn't you? I saw lab work." I told her I had brought those. No blood work was ordered for my future treatments either. The anastrozole requires blood work monitoring but I was told that would be the responsibility of my PCP. When I read how often others are getting blood work, it concerns me.
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