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Old 09-28-2013, 02:52 PM   #1
debsing
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anyone else tried milk thistle for the liver?

Oncologist says kadcyla can be hard on the liver, plus I have liver mets and am hoping I can support its functions with milk thistle.. anyone else tried this?
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Old 09-28-2013, 03:36 PM   #2
'lizbeth
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Re: anyone else tried milk thistle for the liver?

I took it for years, but I never had mets.

I just got out of the habit.

I am one of those individuals who does not process pharmaceuticals very well - I feel it was helpful.
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Old 09-28-2013, 06:29 PM   #3
Laurel
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Re: anyone else tried milk thistle for the liver?

Seems to me StephN used it and did well. Try PMing her. Good luck with your treatment.
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Dx'd w/multifocal DCIS/IDS 3/08
7mm invasive component
Partial mast. 5/08
Stage 1b, ER 80%, PR 90%, HER-2 6.9 on FISH
0/5 nodes
4 AC, 4 TH finished 9/08
Herceptin every 3 weeks. Finished 7/09
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Old 09-29-2013, 01:15 AM   #4
debsing
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Re: anyone else tried milk thistle for the liver?

What an adorable Kitty! I love black cats!
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Old 09-29-2013, 04:22 AM   #5
hilsandglen
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Re: anyone else tried milk thistle for the liver?

Hi, I have had a lot of problems ( no mets ) with my liver since I had chemo in 2011. I will give milk thistle a go
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Old 09-29-2013, 03:15 PM   #6
StephN
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Re: anyone else tried milk thistle for the liver?

Hello -
Laurel is on the ball!
Yes, I did take it for a long time.

If memory serves, I did not take it when I was realy tired on one of my chemo rounds. But I did take it for a lot of my treatment time. My med onc felt that it was OK, so I did it with his say so.

Once I was finally off treatment I did take it for a few years. Like 'lizbeth I just began focusing on other things and stopped taking it. Just like to limit the number of supplements I take and felt I needed some others for heart health, etc.
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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.

Last edited by StephN; 09-29-2013 at 09:36 PM..
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Old 09-29-2013, 08:04 PM   #7
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Re: anyone else tried milk thistle for the liver?

I have been taking milk thistle every day since my diagnosis in 1999. I never had a liver met.
Good luck with it.
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Old 09-29-2013, 10:21 PM   #8
yanyan
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Re: anyone else tried milk thistle for the liver?

I don't take milk thistle but I take reishi mushroom capsules for my liver. In Asia reishi mushroom has been consumed for thousand of years to boost immune system and protect liver. Take it with vitamin c for better absorption.
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ER/PR-, Her2 +
TCH*6, Herceptin
BMX with immediate recontruction 5/2011 Lattismus Flap- Dx stage 3c 10/23 nodes
9/11 Radiation
3/12 Local recurrence to skin stage IV
Whole body scan CLEAR
4/12 Tykerb & Xeolda Skin mets slowly regressing
8/12 PET & Brain CT Clear
5/13 Skin mets progressing
6/13 PET scan chestwall recurrence in contralateral anxillary,internal mammary and ipsilateral subpectoral nodes
6/13 kadcyla
10/13 whole body scan -clear NED. previously resolved skin rash gone but 3 new lesions. Biopsy confirmed for skin recurrence
11/13 to 02/14 tykerb & herceptin
02/14 add abraxane/gemzar, 2 weeks on 1 week off at reduced dose
05/14 whole body PET clear/ brain CT clear but skin mets are getting worse, ready for new chemo
05/14 navelbine perjeta herceptin
07/14 skin mets progressing red rash worse
08/14 wide local excision with diep flap to close wound. Final path shows 2 positive margins showing inflammatory carcinoma Going back to surgery in 2 weeks
09/01/14 resection- clear margins
3 weeks after 2nd surgery, a new nodular rash found near drain incision with 2 small red spots behind the chest wall biopsy on 10/1. Positive for breast cancer
Radiation 11/2014 with xeloda then weekly cisplatin
11/14 brain MRI clean
12/14 finished 33 radiations burnt and very painful. Bedridden for 1 week
12/14 t current Herceptin and perjeta only
02/15 rash on upper back right side skin mets radiation planned
02/15 staring electron radiation *35
Stopped at 30 due to severe skin burn, resumed 10 days later
05/15 red patches appeared in between previously radiated area, skin mets. Ct and brain Mri clear. Simulation planned, radiation to start after trip to Alaska.
05/24 new spot identified in scar line on previously radiated reconstructed breast- electron on both side chest wall area and scar line
07/15 multiple skin and lung recurrence begin halaven
11/15 cough much better but very tired on halaven and starting to see some new red skin blotches-suspicious
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Old 10-02-2013, 04:57 PM   #9
KsGal
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Re: anyone else tried milk thistle for the liver?

I take milk thistle every day. I started out with a liver met a month after diagnosis. The liver met is gone now...but I take the milk thistle because my liver enzymes are elevated, and I am on Tykerb, which is hard on the liver. Right now I have to do a reduced dose of the Tykerb because of my liver enzymes, but the last few rounds of lab work they have slowly been creeping down.
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Diagnosed in October 2011 Stage IV with metastasis to liver.
January 2012 after double mastectomy, started taxotere, carboplatin and herceptin.
Clear.
December 2012 was diagnosed with five brain mets, and had whole brain radiation.
Around July 2014 two mets in brain, one a residual spot and one new one growing in size. Received Cyberknife on both areas
Clear/NED
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