To Elisabeth

[Lisa]

I went back and read your recent posts. You have certainly been through a lot. And I understand your need for quality of life. Back when I started Navelbine and for a few months afterward, my QOL wasn't great. But I waited it through, and it gradually got so much better. I hope the same happens to you as you face the WBR.

In talking with friends who've had it, initially you may feel very scared and frustrated. And tired. Expect exhaustion. But you WILL get past all that. The radiation's effects don't work all at once. But you probably already know all this.

I assume you had more mets than could be treated with Gamma or Cyberknife? When do your treatments start? Please keep us posted so we can ride the rollercoaster beside you.

Love and light,

Lisa

[Elisabeth]

Thank you for you encouragement Lisa. My Navelbine experience was complicated by the fact that what started out as a week delay for a trip to Florida just before Christmas turned out to be an additional cycle delay because my sister was diagnosed with a very aggressive brain tumour and had surgery. So, I put treatment aside to cope with all that. When I saw my onc again, lung mets were becoming more symptomatic and liver bloodwork was rising so we switched to taxotere/herceptin.
You are right, I am afraid of the concept of my whole brain being radiated but if it wasn't for sites like this and a few others I frequent, it would be worse. I have read of many others who have walked this path before me. Best of all I have the strong arms of my Heavenly Father to carry me.
I have 2 mets- left occipital, right temporal. I live in Ontario and there is no cyberknife program here, I would have to to to Winnepeg Manitoba or the Michigan and I am not prepared to do that. There is a stereotactic program in Toronto. Perhaps if I was not dealing with mets liver and lung it would be a more tempting option. My children are 14, 12 and 9 and I want to maximize my time with them and my husband too! I am certainly blessed my him- he has been at home with me for 2 years now and it's been great.
I see the rad onc tomorrow, hopefully he can give me an idea of how fast I will react side effect wise. That will determine when I start treatment. WE have a trailer booked at a family resort for a week starting Aug 14. This will be our 7th summer and I don't want to be feeling crappy. WE need that time together.
Thanks again for your encouragement. May you be blessed.
Elisabeth

[celina]

Hi Elizabeth,
It’s great to see a post from “my neck of the woods�…just moved to Montreal from Oakville. My sister, who lives in Ottawa (Dunrobin, actually) completed WBR 2 months ago. She, too, has three children (17, 15 & 9) Although it was quite debilitating, she is over the effects now and feeling better. By the way, I heard that they were doing Gammaknife at one of the hospitals here in Montreal. Did you say that you already had a stereotactic procedure done?

[Elisabeth]

Celina, good to meet a fellow Canuck! No, I have not done the sterotactic thing and do not think that I will. I was not aware that Montreal had Cyberknife. I contacted Princess Margaret Hospital, they gave me the info I got.