PET Scan results
 

"IT LOOKS REALLY GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
:)That's the response I got back from the Nurse Practitioner after my PET scans yesterday when I emailed her to ask her to keep an eye out for results.
All those CAPS & exclamation points - it's gotta be good news!
I don't have any additional info, haven't seen the report, but since I trust them infinitely, I know I can completely relax, knowing they're pleased with the results and we'll discuss them when I see them tomorrow.
Anything that's not bad is good, and so long as I don't have to scramble & search for another treatment combo, and we can stick with the status quo, I'm happy & relieved.
While I don't want to speculate what the report might say, I still hold out hope for NED, or his close 1st cousin MED - Minimal Evidence of Disease! (HA! I made that up).

Successful treatment for anyone of us is a victory for ALL of us!

Keep the Faith~

Jessica
Dx-5/17/02 - 33 yo; Stage IV
L IDC w/single liver met
Herceptin + Navelbine x 8 weeks - No response; progress to innumerable,immeasureable liver mets
ISIS 2504 + Herceptin - 6 mos, partial response
Taxol + Herceptin x 13 weeks to NED!
NED for 1 year
9/04 - Single liver lesion recurrence
Taxol + Herceptin - on/off to beat back lesion
12/05 - R Hepatectomy; Liver NED until 2009
3/06- Local recurrence - Left breast, IDC & DCIS, but holding treatment while continue to heal from Hepatectomy.
12/06 - L mastectomy + reconstruction through 8/07
10/07 - Recurrence - supraclav nodes
Gemzar + Herceptin - on/off controlling nodes thru
9/08 - 7wks rads to supraclav nodes
10/08 - Acute Renal Failure - nodes in belly stricturing kidneys. placed permanent ureteral stents
Back on Gemzar + Herceptin, but no longer responding.
05/09 - Tykerb + Xeloda - partial response x 5 mos
10/09 - Xeloda + Herceptin - no response, disease progresses
2/10- Ixempra + Herceptin - partial response x 12 wks.
Discovered single brain lesion x 4mm & liver lesions growing while screening for TDM1 + PI3Kinase study.
6/10 - Novalis to treat brain met - SUCCESSFUL!
6/10 - Chemo-embo directly to liver w/Adriamyacin to de-bulk liver lesion.
8/10 - Screened & Started TDM1 EAP
Immediate response, disease in belly responds dramatically.
2/11- questionable progression of lung nodules
Discontinue TDM1
3/11 - PI3Kinase + Herceptin - intial good response in 1st 6 weeks but LFT's elevated & major GI & colon spasms
7/11-Discontinue PI3Kinase + Herceptin study;
Disease progression - 2 small lesions in colon – docs have never seen this before in BC!
8/11 –Start new combo Halaven+Herceptin
10/14/2011 -Completed 3 cycles (9 wks)Halaven+Herceptin...
10/18/2011 - Scanxiety time -1st scans since starting this regimen

Re: PET Scan results
 

That is WONDERFUL news!! (i love "MED")

- Kelly

Re: PET Scan results
 

Fantastic news Jessica! Can't wait to hear the final outcome - NED or MED http://her2support.org/vbulletin/images/icons/icon7.gif - I'm hoping for NED, but either one will be great news!

Re: PET Scan results
 

Great news Jessica, lovely to hear of such a good result.

Re: PET Scan results
 

Love it! Love your NP, too!

Re: PET Scan results
 

Jessica
That is amazing....Halaven is a good drug...I had an immediate response to it.....the girls in San Antonio watched my skin mets melt away! Hoping it brings you to NED, or MED.....any good news is worth celebrating!

Re: PET Scan results
 

Jessica, That is such wonderful news- I pray for a good scan result for you! MED is a great term- love it!
Best of luck- you have been through so much, time for your luck to change!

Re: PET Scan results
 

Jessica,
This is fantastic news!! Go Halaven. NED would be fantastic, but I am with you on thinking MED was Ok too.

You've been so strong for so long I am hoping you can settle in and just cruise for a while. (think big pink cadillac)

Please keep us posted.

Lori

Re: PET Scan results
 

Thrilled for you Jess!! Hoping for NED - (but I love MED, if we can't have NED).

all the best
caya

Re: PET Scan results
 

Jessica,

I couldn't be happier for you! That sounds like fantastic news! Keep the Faith!

Your Friend,

Nancy

Re: PET Scan results
 

Will send some extra good wishes for a great appointment tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up that you have a positive response to new treatment. If it is MED then NED may not be far behind.

Re: PET Scan results
 

Great to hear your good news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: PET Scan results
 

Wonderful news! Here's to NED lady.
Enjoy the day,
Emelie

Re: PET Scan results
 

Jessica!
Congratulations!!
Thanks for sharing your good news! (love MED!! Very clever!)
Stay strong!
Denise

Re: PET Scan results
 

Yay!!!! We're all pulling for you!!!

Re: PET Scan results
 

I love MED too. Glad to hear your good news. I have scans Tuesday. You offer me some Hope.

Amelia

Re: PET Scan results
 

Truly good news !! I have my fingers crossed for a good meeting with your doc tomorrow. Take good care of yourself.

Re: PET Scan results
 

FANTASIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did I get in as many exclamations as the nurse?
Trish

Re: PET Scan results
 

Great news....you have gone through a lot! Haven't we all?! Bring on Ned.........yeah, Little Med is welcome,too! Ceesun

Re: PET Scan results
 

Best wishes Jessica from across the pond! You are awesome.
Ellie

MED, pleased to meet you, again! Re: PET Scan results
 

Thank you everyone for celebrating with me!
Such a relief to get good scan news, after so many scary disappontments in the recent past few months!

So the visit with my Onc was somewhat anti-climactic:(
The NP that sent the email was out of the clinic for that day, so I didn't feel like I got to celebrate with as much enthusiasm.
Since it's that time of year when all the MD students, residents, fellows and those types do clinic visits with the MD's, they're usually the first to come into the room before my onc, and the guy that came into the room personifies my least favorite type of doc. And seemed offended when my sister asked when my doc would be in.
This guy read the overview of my treatment history, picked a few details to ask me about, but really doesn't know me or my history. And maybe because I feel like everyone at my cancer center treats me with such warmth & familiarity - after 9 yrs I know lots of folks there - I've come to anticipate that type of treatment.
To add insult to injury the PET report was pretty ambiguous. I think the radiologist that read/dictated it must have had low blood sugar & just wanted to go to lunch, bc he just seemed to blow through the dictation in one long run on sentence & didn't make any direct correlations to the findings of the previous report from Aug, but did pick some random new findings that hadn't previously been reported, like something about my adrenals & new supraclav nodes. And he said "due to technical difficulties" they didn't have any SUV values! UGH!
AND he didn't say anything about my liver- that would by my liver that has been one of our primary focuses over the years, that's been resected, that's been chemo-embo'd, that's been RFA'd...NOTHING. So annoying.
Even my Onc said "Yeah, this is kind of a weird report."

My frustration is that I don't have a really good sense of where my disease is right now, so we're having another Rad read/dictate a new report with some more precise comparisons.

Overall, it IS good news. I think when looking & comparing the scans, it's clear to see there is much, much less lighting up on this scan, but it just doesn't translate well in the report.
I have gone back and re-read the report, and it seems that where there had been a lot of stuff going on in my lungs and abdominal nodes last August, the disease has now receeded to just a few small nodes, like the supraclav, etc.
So, I'm still happy.

But then the NP just emailed me and said that it's time for another brain MRI since it's been a while:(
So now it's time for MRIanxiety. Boo.
Keeping fingers crossed and hoping that Novalis last year is still holding fast & clean.

Ultimately, anything that isn't bad is GOOD.
Hallelujah Halaven + Herceptin!

Keepin the Faith~

Jessica
Dx-5/17/02 - 33 yo; Stage IV
L IDC w/single liver met
Herceptin + Navelbine x 8 weeks - No response; progress to innumerable,immeasureable liver mets
ISIS 2504 + Herceptin - 6 mos, partial response
Taxol + Herceptin x 13 weeks to NED!
NED for 1 year
9/04 - Single liver lesion recurrence
Taxol + Herceptin - on/off to beat back lesion
12/05 - R Hepatectomy; Liver NED until 2009
3/06- Local recurrence - Left breast, IDC & DCIS, but holding treatment while continue to heal from Hepatectomy.
12/06 - L mastectomy + reconstruction through 8/07
10/07 - Recurrence - supraclav nodes
Gemzar + Herceptin - on/off controlling nodes thru
9/08 - 7wks rads to supraclav nodes
10/08 - Acute Renal Failure - nodes in belly stricturing kidneys. placed permanent ureteral stents
Back on Gemzar + Herceptin, but no longer responding.
05/09 - Tykerb + Xeloda - partial response x 5 mos
10/09 - Xeloda + Herceptin - no response, disease progresses
2/10- Ixempra + Herceptin - partial response x 12 wks.
Discovered single brain lesion x 4mm & liver lesions growing while screening for TDM1 + PI3Kinase study.
6/10 - Novalis to treat brain met - SUCCESSFUL!
6/10 - Chemo-embo w/Adriamyacin to de-bulk liver lesion.
8/10 - Screened & Started TDM1 EAP
Immediate response, disease in belly responds dramatically.
2/11- questionable progression of lung nodules
Discontinue TDM1
3/11 - PI3Kinase + Herceptin - intial good response in 1st 6 weeks but LFT's elevated.
7/11-Discontinue PI3Kinase + Herceptin study;
Disease progression - 2 small lesions in colon – docs have never seen this before in BC
8/11 –Start new combo Halaven+Herceptin
10/14/2011 -Completed 3 cycles (9 wks)Halaven+Herceptin...
10/18/2011 - Scanxiety time -1st scans since starting this regimen
10/20/2011 - "IT LOOKS REALLY GOOD!!!!!!!!!!"

Re: PET Scan results
 

Hmm. See your point about anti climax. I'm hoping that not mentioning the liver means it is unremarkable which would be REALLY good news given what you've been through.
Keep celebrating and just take the next scan in your stride.
Trish

Re: PET Scan results
 

Jessica - Great news on the pet results. About time for you to get this news! The current tx is doing good work. I agree with you though on the incomplete or casual report you got from the radiologist. I had that happen once and I was angry with the lack of detail. I asked the onc to have it redone and it was with much more specificity and comparison to the previous. Like you said, with the liver issues you've had, to not even mention the liver is good if unremarkable, but it would be wonderful to see an 'all clear' in writing. Pam

Re: PET Scan results
 

Yeah, sometimes it seems like they just phone it in! I'm lucky I guess that the only person who gets more annoyed by that than me is my doctor, who has on more than one occasion made them go back and look at it again.

Of course, the radiologists all know this about her, so sometimes they go overboard "finding" things that are nothing, just because they want to have a nice comprehensive report! Like one time, they "found" a mole that I have had since I was a child...just to mess up a report that was essentially NED!

But I agree, it sounds like pretty good news overall - keep up the good work and celebrate inspite of the poopy would-be-doctor~!

Re: PET Scan results
 

Well, that sounds kind of like an anti-climax although it does sound more like good news than not. I don't understand the lack of focus on the liver.

I will definitely be thinking good thoughts as you have your brain examined. NED NED NED NED with a zillion exclamation points. :)

Re: PET Scan results
 

Best wishes, I am sure it will all be the best news! You deserve it!

Re: PET Scan results
 

Jessica,

So happy for your good news and positive attitude. I love the 'Hallelujah Halaven + Herceptin!' statement.
(I'm a firm believer in the statement "positive attitude increases the release of endorphin which aids in healing and reduces pain...")