Chemo and crossing brain barrier

[Lyn]

When I saw my heart specialist this week, she is a lovely American and I am in Australia, I mentioned that chemo doesn't pass the brain barrier and she said that when she was treating children with cancer she used to put the chemo in through the spine so it did cross the brain barrier, anyone heard of this, didn't ask what made her change to being heart specialist instead of oncology.

Hugs Lyn

[*_Celina_*]

One of my sister's doctors mentioned the possibility of doing this procedure to target some of the cancer on her optic nerve, which has caused much of her loss of vision. Apparently, it is a very painful procedure and not always accurate. I was under the impression that it would target one area, but I may be wrong about that.

[StephN]

Celina -
You have brought up something that I wanted to do a New Topic on. You mentioned that your sister's cancer has reached her optic nerve and is causing severe vision problems.

I had my annual eye exam last week. My doc was a little surprised to hear that I had two tumors discovered in my brain and had Gamma Knife. But, he said from now on he will do a more thorough check of the back of my eye, as the cancer can get in there. He mentioned that breast cancer is somewhat common to that area once it is on the move.

[Gina]

YES,

Let's get this her-2 and eye involvement topic going. I don't know too much about it but I added my comments to another thread about it when I first clicked in tonight. Lyn, I would love to learn more about your case history...I was reading parts of it in other posts..WOW, what a story...My home e-mail is GPOPP@Comcast.net and I always enjoy hearing from folks from the site. I am usually crazy busy and don't always check the e-mail daily, but I do try to respond to each person who writes in. I have been working with folks in the Washington-DC area with cancer, especially her-2 related ones. An area that I am trying to start a topic on is A negative or other negative blood and the surprising frequency with which it goes hand in hand with Her-2. My story is LONG and BORING...nutshell version is original DX in 97...severe liver METS in 99, Herceptin alone plus diet/supplement regimen since. Now take Herceptin once every 6 weeks and "feel" like FINALLY, I have my "LIFE" back, if you know what I mean....I own my own company and do quite a bit of research--love to type LONG posts and e-mails nahhhh smile... Would enjoy getting to know you as I appreciate your posts. Take care every body, GINA

[lyn]

I thought it would be a painful procedure, is there a reason for not putting the patient to sleep, same for lumber punch?

Hug Lyn

[Lyn]

Hi Gina, anbd thanks, I have never heard of 6 weekly Herceptin, does that mean you have 6 doses on the one day and over how long? I am working on my other shoulder theory now, the thickening in the neck, hard to swallow, neck pulling to the right and breathlessness to name a few. So glad when brain and MRI were quite good. My bone scan was free of mets but mentioned sternoclavicular joint so I looked it up on the net to see damage, symptoms and treatment, so what I thought has been mets to the neck and radiation damage may well be from the clicking in my so called good shoulder. I told my heart specialist and my onc and doc that I was short of breath and heart checked out brilliant and lungs clear so big chance this is what I have, but who is going to fix it, my Orthopaedic is in a large public hospital and I don't think he would appreciate me telling him what I think is wrong, he is always on the defensive when I see him, he was a victim of a hit and run a few years back, injured quite badly but he was outside the hospital when it happened and he had to plead his case to get back to work and surgery, so I think underneath he is an angry person who feels he is being judged. I am even going to see if my chiropractor is able to help but when I look up treatment it may be painful. I will keep in touch Gina.

[Gina]

Hi, Lyn,

Thanks for catching up with me...sorry I have been off site for awhile but school is starting here and I have a lot to do to get my son ready for his first year in high school. First of all, I take 6mg/kg of herceptin per my body weight one time every 6 weeks--a 90 minute infusion. This is NOT protocol. But as I had had mets for many years and am a single mom who owns her own company, it was very difficult to maintain a weekly or even 3-week herceptin schedule and still be able to work enough hours to bring in the kind of money necessary for survival in the DC area, where the cost of living is very high. As you know, here in the States there is no socialized medicine, so I must also pay for my health insurance and part of my herceptin which right now is running me about $30,000 a year. My onc agreed to the 6 weeks thing because I am very healthy and use a more or less proven effective for myself diet and non-toxic supplemental regimen and have a track record of being very receptive to herceptin when I do get into trouble. Fortunately, I have been on the 6 week thing for a year and a half now. I also monitor all my tumor markers as well as I can and if they go up, I go back to the standard 3-week regimen. This is working for me so far...for how long??? who knows??? I was dx in 1997 5cm tumor right breast 6 of 14 positive lymphs and spot on liver...had CAF (many rounds) Taxoterre radiation etc...bought me 5 months NED, then horrible spread to the liver...blah, blah, blah so have used some form of Herceptin dosing off and on since early 1999. There was one woman somewhere on this site who gave a name of a condition in the chest similar to what you are describing...may have started with the letter "c"?? we both need to learn more about this. Will write again, it is late here...Take care, Gina