To Mickey - re Abraxane

[IRENE FROM TAMPA]

Hi Mickey -

Thank you for responding to my post. I am very sorry that the Abraxane has made you so sick. I see you have completed your third course now. Will you be rescanning soon to see how everything is going and how are your tumor markers.?

I just took my second treatment of my third course. I am doing the once a week for three weeks with one week off. I just took the treatment on Friday and I can't believe that I am feeling almost normal this time. My whites and reds were great which I could not believe either. I do not know why I feel this good. I usually start feeling tired around Saturday evening and continue until I feel energetic again on Tuesday. I am fortunate and have never had any nausea with any of my chemo's. I just hope this has not stopped working on me. I go see my ocn. in a couple of weeks and redo my markers.

My last check of my markers (after completing second course) showed my
CEA had gone done from 67 to 19 and my 15-3 had gone done from almost 70 to 54. I was very pleased since they had gone up after first course.

Keep me posted on how you are doing Mickey and hope everything goes well for you.

[mickey]

Thanks, Irene . I only got sick once from the abraxane and now am handling it well. My onc and I have been mostly concerned with my brain mets lately but after my news that they are reducing, I will be talking to him next week about the rest of me. I feel wonderful. My markers were going down at the time that my lymph mets were discovered, so I don't know if that means markers tell me nothing . Any ideas anyone? I will let you know what's happening. Irene, what mets did you have that prompted the abraxane?
Mickey

[IRENE FROM TAMPA]

Its good to hear that you are feeling good now.

I was started on Abraxane when we found a recurrence in a lymph node next to my Pancreas/Liver. I have been battling mets to my liver for the last 4 years.
I have had RFA and liver resection for that tumor but had recurrence earlier this year to the lymph node.My liver seems to be ok for now. My original breast cancer was in 1996. Has been pretty controlled but keep getting recurrences.

I think I have taken just about everything out there, so we are trying the Abraxane which seems to be the next chemo on the protocol. They have taken me off of Herceptin for now thinking that its just not working on me anymore (we will re-address once chemo completed) I am also checking on a drug called Avastin. I believe it works similar to Herceptin but on a different level. I don't really know much about it yet.

I just hope that this Abraxane does the trick since I believe I am running out of options for now. Will stay positive.

Take care Mickey and keep me posted.