Brain Mets Shrinking Yay, God!!

[NEDenise]

Yay! God!
Hooray, Penn Medicine!
Woo Hoo, Tykerb!

My MRI showed definite shrinkage in the two lesions. (Yay again!!)
In fact the smaller of the two is almost completely gone!! And the larger one looks smaller, and very unhappy. (Apparently, Gammaknife was a real buzz-kill for these tumors!!)

Even better than that...NO NEW LESIONS have popped up! That was my worst fear. But, either there weren't any other rogue cells floating around, or Tykerb is as good as it's reputation. I don't really care which...

I'M just SOOOOOO relieved! Overjoyed! Grateful!!

Thanks for all the prayers and positive energy (and good juju, Kelly!)...it all worked! The amount of love that pours out on this board never ceases to amaze me! Thanks to all of you for caring about me, and supporting me. I don't know what I'd do without you!!

Next MRI is in two months. Neck/chest/abdomen CT at the same time. Don't mean to be greedy, but I reeeaaallly hope those results are as good as these! And, in the meantime, I'm planning to let my mind rest...it needs a break from thinking about cancer, and scans.

Truly loving life tonight!
Love and hugs to all of you!
Denise

[Gerri]

WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL! So very happy for you Denise! Keep the good news coming!

[adelay]

I'm so happy for you!!!! What a wonderful thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Many blessings~

[Kellennea]

Yay!!! So happy for you!!!!

[Sdgirl]

Congratulations. Have been waiting for you to post. I am so happy to read good news

[carlatte7]

I've been thinking of you the past few days. This is really, really good news. Happy dance!!

[chrisy]

Woo hoo! On your way to being a Ned-head!

[LoisLane]

fantastic results Denise..you have certainly been in my thoughts and prayers, oh happy day! lois

[JillaryJill]

Denise,
I thought about you all day, checked posts a few times. Said prayers for you on Sunday. Lit a candle in church for you a few weeks back. I am so happy for you. The relief just "oozes" out of your post. Happy dance is right!!!!

[caya]

Doing the happy dance for you Denise!!

Thanks for sharing your good news...

all the best
caya

[Pamelamary]

Great news Denise - now for 2 months thinking about the better things in life!

[mimiflower07]

This is just the best news.... I'm so very happy. & so relieved! I'm dancing with you.
Just enjoy this joyous moment.
Best wishes
Suzanne

[Pray]

Praise Jesus! Gods blessings are all around you and in your beautiful, fabulous, wonderful fantastic HEAD! Many Many more blessings to you Denise. How absolutely wonderful for you and your wonderful happy happy family. (No doubt!) Peace my friend!

[Bunty]

Yee haa!! That's wonderful news Denise, and so good that you don't need to consider any other treatment regime!! Very, very happy for you and your family.
Cheers Marie xx

[sarah]

this is wonderful news, so happy for you
health and happiness
sarah

[Paula O]

I'm very happy with and for you. That's MARVELOUS news! :)

Paula

[JennyB]

So VERY VERY happy fantastic news!!

[Ellie F]

Brilliant news. I am just sooooooo happy for you.
Ellie

[LeahM]

Of course it is going away....you are NEDenise after all!
So happy to hear this news, you have made my day! And even tho my Michelle hates it when I dance, I stoop up and did a happy dance for you.

Much love to you Denise
Leah

[norkdo]

Popping the cork for you tonight and raising a toast high. Gigantic smile won't leave my face. Oh Denise, I read these congratulations and see us all linking hands in a big circle, dancing around you, lifting you up on a chair above us, this community of lovely, loving courageous women. You are fabulous and going to defy odds and live a long time. Prayers and love holding you up!!!!
Nora
xoxooxox

[mamacze]

Hey Denise! WAY TO GO! I am kicking up my heels and just over the moon for you! I love that Tykerb is working for you! This is the kind of victory to savor!!! I couldn't be happier! BTW, I used to live in Philly (although it was many many moons ago when I was a tender you thing at age 23)....11th and Lombard! How is the old neighborhood? (Now that you are kicking A#* with Tykerb, maybe you can go into town and celebrate a little!!! XOXO

[rhondalea]

Such a relief. This is wonderful news, Denise.

Here's to continued shrinkage and perfectly clear scans in two months.

[twosenuf99]

Denise

That is absolutely wonderful. So happy for you. Since I can NOT dance I am doing the happy slide for ya..

[candlegranny]

so happy for you Denise!!!

[Deb33]

You have been on my mind since your last post and most of yesterday. I have made you the focus of my daily Healing Qigong practice, filling your head with love and light and the firm knowledge that all is well and you are healing.
So glad you have had wonderful news.

[KristinSchwick]

May more shrinkage come your way! Congrats! Whoooowhhoooo

[yanyan]

Great news !!! Congratulations Denise !!

[Kim in CA]

Denise,
Big congratulations to you! Such a relief.
Very, very happy for you.
Kim

[Becky]

So happy for you. I have been sporadiac on the board. Still have no power from Sandy. There are trucks down the road but I have seen no poles yet. We need poles!!!

Keep on shrinking.

[KDR]

So HAPPY for you, dear Denise...I hope you are soon rid of this forever and ever,
Karen

[Mary Anne in TX]

Fabulous news for sure. And we'll be waiting to hear the next terrific news!

[Mandamoo]

And so may the shrinkage continue! Awesome news!

[meo]

Wonderful news, sending congrats and hugs your way!

[ammebarb]

That is indeed spectacular news, Denise. Big, big smile on my face!

[Redwolf8812]

Praise The Lord! So happy for you!

[fullofbeans]

Very pleased for you this is great news!

[vballmom]

Denise, I'm thrilled for you. This gave me goosebumps!

[ElaineM]

Congratulations !! I am happy for you !!

[chekmark]

Alright. I never had a doubt. So happy. Early christmas present for you.

[KsGal]

wtg Denise!!!! Woo hoo....So glad to hear the good news. Keep kicking its butt! ((hugs))

[lkc Gumby]

Great news! so happy for you.

[embur102]

Woot Woot!!
Happy Dancing for you, Denise!
peacelovehugs
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

[candlegranny]

so happy for you denise! Thank the Lord. i just had my surgery to tweek my belly boob and uplift and implant my real side. healing is slow but i got perky for sure!! and they match. i think i went from D to DD was not in the plan but had alot of belly fat to work with. So happy for you. bonita

[Rolepaul]

Denise talking to the tumors in her brain (with her Rocky III voice) "Your not so tough." Keep the eye of the tiger. Nina just celebrated three years since her surgery/Gamma knife/Xeldoa-Tykerb diet.

[Jackie07]

That's wonderful news! Congratulations and thanks for sharing.

[Joanne S]

Super news! Wishing your continued shrinkage and total tumor wipe out!!!

[Laurel]

Denise! Yippy-skippy! This is a nice holiday present for you and you deserve the good news!

I also would like to add that I appreciate your positive spirit and all that you have added to this forum. You are top shelf, kiddo! One of these days we have to meet up and have a cuppa joe together. We Pennsylvania gals have to make the time to meet face to face. Barb Amme and I met a few months ago and it was such a pleasure. My computer has been on the fritz recently so I am out of touch with everyone. How did you fare in Sandy? It sounds as though poor Becky had an awful ride.

[fauxgypsy]

Happy! Happy! Good news. I am so glad for you.

[vonny]

Denise, so very happy for you!! Just fantastic news! :) :) xx

[Jen]

That is GREAT news Denise and I am very happy for you....However I do have a ? in your status you say "Yay, God" if God is the "reason" your brain mets are shrinking isn't he also the "reason" for my Mother Sheila dying? I was raised Catholic and to have faith in "God" and all that BS I am really struggling here as i was raised to believe "God is kind and merciful but I don't see it because IF (he/or she) was truly kind and merciful why does he allow the innocent like my Mother Sheila or daughter Jasmine to suffer tremendously?

[NEDenise]

Dear Jen,
I hear the pain and betrayal in every word. I have been where you are. I lost my beloved mom/best friend in the world to small cell lung cancer. We only had 18 months from diagnosis to the end of her life...all of it filled with terrible chemo-side effects. Then, I was diagnosed only a few months later.
If you really want my take on all of this...please PM me. If, on the other hand, you're venting, and don't really want anyone's opinion...I totally respect that too. You are certainly entitled to feel all the things you are feeling so passionately. So, either way, I'd never try to convince you that one way of thinking is better than another. Sounds like you've had enough of that to last a lifetime anyway!
Right now, it seems to me, that you are deep in the heart of an "Oreo cookie of horror"...you're the "cream" caught in the middle...having to watch helplessly as your mom suffers on one side, and your precious child on the other. (sorry if that ruins Oreos for you)
My heart goes out to you, Jen.
With love,
Denise

[NEDenise]

Laurel...I would love to meet up with you...and Barb...for a cuppa, or lunch...or whatever! We could get Leah in on it too. Maybe even some of our Jersey girls live close enough! We could meet in New Hope, Peddler's Village...
of course, I love Chocolate World...
King of Prussia has all kinds of things right near the Turnpike exit...
and we talked about Shady Maple before too...
or I'm open to anywhere else that's not too far for us all.
Heck, I bet Amy would even come down from Boston again! And Marie (Bunty) is planning a trip to the states soon!

It would be so great to hug you ladies in person! Maybe I should start a thread about this?

Leslie,
So great to see your face pop up! Happy Thanksgiving! Is "Santa" working hard for the Christmas season yet?
Denise

[karen z]

Ned-head !
Nice Chrisy- I like it.


CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!

[LeahM]

A meet up with my HER2 Sisters? Count me in!

[Jean]

Dear Denise,
What a wonderful Thanksgiving gift!!
Continues blessings.
Jean

[BonnieR]

Darn, why didnt this east coast meet up happen when I was back recently? Would love to give you a hug in person. All of you!
This is a great early Christmas gift you have received! I am so happy for you.
Keep the faith.

[Becky]

I might be able to meet up too. I am near enough.

BTW - I did make it thru Sandy okay generally. I got power back after 13 days. Alot of debris and trees lost but our house was fine. It looked like a war zone on my street but nothing like the photos you see down the shore.

[NEDenise]

Oh yeah...I forgot to respond to Laurel's question about Sandy!
We're fine! Lost power for 2 days, but the freezer stayed frozen. Used the fireplace for heat. Lost 3 trees, but they didn't do any damage when they fell, so no big deal (IMHO our yard has about 10 too many trees anyway!)
No water in the basement...and got 3 days off from school because my school district lost power! All in all...we didn't do badly at all.
And...seeing how much others are suffering has really sparked the spirit of giving around here. I'm sorry anyone is suffering, but it's very encouraging to see all the generosity.
The elementary school where I teach "adopted" a hard-hit school in Belmar, New Jersey. In one week's time we collected 32 new and gently used winter coats, $720 in grocery gift cards, more canned goods than we could pack into the two vans sent to deliver them, and a 55 gallon trash can filled to the brim with shampoo, toothpaste, etc...
The most heartwarming part of the collection for me was when one of my students...a child from a very disadvantaged family...who would almost certainly have qualified for a Thanksgiving food basket themselves...sent in two grocery bags full of canned goods for the Hurricane Sandy food drive. It brought a tear to my eye to see how proud she was to be able to help.

Hope all of you did okay too!
Denise

[Mtngrl]

Denise,

I've been off the site for awhile. I'm so happy for your wonderful news! I've been wondering about you and praying for you.

Peace,

[Laurel]

Denise,

I have been out of commission trying to get a new laptop up and running as mine sustained a premature death (no idea how or why....bewildered) so I missed all the discussion regarding a meet up somewhere on the eastern coast/Philly-general area.

I guess we should wait until after the holidays. What does everyone think? Maybe I should start a new thread for us to try to arrange a location somewhere outside of Philly and date for a late lunch. I can hop on the Pike and get to you folks easily enough. Denise, do you want to give some serious consideration to a location for us? Maybe we could occupy a side room at an eatery if we have several of us who can make it. Let's hope the day we choose has good weather!

Holy cow! I am excited about this! It will be terrific to meet outside of cyberland!

[norkdo]

Update please Denise!!!!