Its Back
 

Just had a port put in for the seond time. Left lymphnodes
And specks on lungs. Will be starting treatment Sept. 14.

Hard to believe since nothing was in the lympnodes from the
orginal cancer, 2 tiny spects with lumpectomy and plenty of
clear margins, to find it on the opposite site in the lung.

To be told no cure no clinical trial for right now. Can only
beat in to remission for it to re invent itself at some point.

By the way nothing in my blood work either, found a swollen
spot on the side of my neck.

Re: Its Back
 

Ariana,
I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this again, but there are many treatment options for you.

If you like, you can post more information about your diagnosis and previous treatment in your signature and others who have been in situations similar to yours will be able to share their experiences and treatments with you.

Stay strong and come here to seek support and vent often. Many others have been down this road and will be happy to walk with you.

Re: Its Back
 

I also am so sorry to read this news Ariana and although I have no advice to offer on treatments I wanted to send you good wishes for a great response to treatment.xx

Re: Its Back
 

I am so sorry to read this, Ariana, this totally sucks. :( Like Tricia I don't have any advice on treatments but just wanted to let you know I am thinking of you and hoping for a good treatment response.

Carol Ann

Re: Its Back
 

I'm sorry you are going thru this again. Unfortunately, it sometimes happens. Cancer reoccurred in my lung on the opposite side as well after 3 1/2 years. Just wanted to give you hope, that was 5 years ago and I am stable.

Re: Its Back
 

Thanks guys, to be told no cure for this, I was shocked. Not sure how to go back and
add to the signiture part. If I would not have found a tiny lump in my neck
that even the Doc. had a hard to feeling, it would have gone unnoticed for sometime.

The lungs right now only have tiny dots in them right now. Like I said even the
blood work didn't show anything.

Re: Its Back
 

Diana MK, I'm sorry you are going thru this again. Unfortunately, it sometimes happens. Cancer reoccurred in my lung on the opposite side as well after 3 1/2 years. Just wanted to give you hope, that was 5 years ago and I am stable.

THANKS I NEEDED TO HEAR YOUR STORY !!!!

Re: Its Back
 

Ariana,

I sent you a private message about editing signature. Let me know if I can help.

Re: Its Back
 

Ariana,
I am trying to think of something nice and inspiring to say, but all I want to do is scream. My heart goes out to you, it is the news we never want to hear. My prayers will be for a quick and thorough response to treatment.

Re: Its Back
 

Adriana,

I'm so sorry. It is what we all fear. However, there are lots of women who do very well for many, many, years. You can be one of them.

Yes, it may not be "curable" but is it treatable like many other chronic diseases. I will be sending positive healing thoughts your way. May you respond well to treatment and may your side effects be minimal.

Take care,
Brenda

Re: Its Back
 

Thanks CRN, and Think positive It was hard news to deal with.

Re: Its Back
 

Dear Ariana,

Poor baby. It would be a huge shock to think it's over and then face such horrible news. I'm really sorry you're going through this.

There are actually some cancer centers who treat Stage IV with "curative intent." Officially it's "incurable," but many women live a long, productive life with Stage IV breast cancer. Some even die "with" it and not "from" it.

Don't get ahead of yourself, friend. Just keep doing the next right thing. Don't forget to breathe. Don't worry about anything until you have to.

Until you have a biopsy, it's not even certain those lung spots are mets. Everyone who lives in a city has lung spots.

HER-2 used to be the "bad" kind of breast cancer. Now there are lots of targeted treatments and more in the pipeline. "Incurable" doesn't mean hopeless. It is very manageable for many people.

We'll help you. Don't fret.

Re: Its Back
 

I wish someone would have told me that I'd be around for EIGHT years with my stage 4 of 4 cancer. I would NOT HAVE WASTED SO MUCH TIME worrying, searching and working so hard to survive. Looking back, I would have been much more relaxed about taking care of things, but without the hatchet over my head feeling. So, Ariana, consider that you might have low disease burden and get things under control, and have a normal quality of life for 8 years or more!! And while cancer is not curable, you can be slammed into remission - into NED (no evidence of disease) or just keep things mostly slow growing for the next 8 or 80 years. Just another perspective of what is possible. And yes, I get very weary of the "fight". (Somewhere is my not so old thread that says cancer is killing my spirit).

If it were I, I would play it out a bit and see if treatment will work again.

Re: Its Back
 

Thanks MntGirl and SoCalGal, Wise words. Will be trying to find your
old thread So CalGirl.

Re: Its Back
 

Ariana,

How are you doing? How was treatment? What's new?

Amy

Re: Its Back
 

Hi Mtngrl, so far it seems to be working Mixture of Taxol,Perjeta, and Herception.

The first round, the lump on my neck shrank and by the second round, it
disappeared . Just had my third installment today, I hope what it's doing
to the lymph nodes-that it's working on my lungs as well with the 6 spots that I have.

I had been offered a clinical trial at the time I finished up, but was in good shape
and was afraid of unwanted side effects. SINCE NOTHING WAS IN THE LYMPH NODES
I felt safe. Had there been a problem there with having to remove any, I would have
assumed that the cells would be or could be hiding even with radiation. I would have went for the program. Different drugs that have been used I think have been canceled
like kdyle sorry the spelling is awful . Those that are on can stay and that's it. Theres nothing being offered right now except what we have. I thought things like Dendrite cell
therapy actually meant something. What we have can keep it at bay for awhile, buts far from a cure.

Thanks for asking, mentally I am holding up, its a matter of being vigil from now
on. I had gone in for a ct for side effects of the Arimidex, and they did from top to bottom and that was a year ago this coming Nov.. Nothing in the blood work.
It happened so fast and unexpected . No mention of the use of radiation right now
just the chemo, and if it fails to do its job I will have to repeat with something else.
BUT if the neck is any indication of how the lung is reacting to it, I should be OK.

Re: Its Back
 

That sounds really good, Ariana! I'm so glad.

I'm on Abraxane (related to Taxol), Herceptin and Perjeta right now. I don't have a shrinking lymph node to indicate how things are going. I'll have a scan in a few weeks and find out.

Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Re: Its Back
 

YES AMY FINGERS CROSSED. Mine should be around the end of Dec.
Wish it was sooner. Just read your profile, you took Kadcyla?? Thats the word
I was trying to spell. A lady with triple neg, said it was being dropped. Those
who were on it, it could stay. But no new people .

Re: Its Back
 

Hi Ariana, where do you live, that they are saying you can't have the kadcyla? That sucks!!

But I am so glad to hear your lymph node is going down, etc, that is fantastic!!

Carol Ann

Re: Its Back
 

Carol Ann, A friend of mine Brenda Ann, was talking about this on facebook.

I didn't realize that she was talking about the UK and Europe.

Breast Cancer Now with Toni Clayton and Linda Johnson
September 4 · Edited · You may have seen in the news that NHS England has announced its latest review of which drugs will and will not be made available through the Cancer Drugs Fund. We are bitterly disappointed to learn that Kadcyla and Avastin will, from November, no longer be made available through the fund on the basis of cost. This leaves just three drugs specially targeting secondary breast cancer left on the fund.

While nobody currently receiving a drug through the fund will lose their treatment, no new applications for Kadcyla or Avastin, or any of the drugs removed from the fund, will be accepted. As with in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, women in England may in some cases still be able to get access to these drugs via individual funding requests by their healthcare team, but this is done on a case by case basis.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive at Breast Cancer Now, said:

“This is a dreadful day for breast cancer patients. Kadcyla is a one-of-a-kind drug proven to extend life, and the fact is that, because government, the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry have failed to agree realistic prices for new drugs, some women will die sooner.

“Despite many families relying on it, the CDF has unfortunately failed, and today’s delisting will further reduce the NHS’ ability to keep pace with Europe in the treatment of breast cancer.

“It’s time that the Government showed leadership on this issue and held the pharmaceutical industry to account. We need a sustainable structure fit for the 21st Century, and we hope that the upcoming CDF consultation will finally make this a reality.”


I hope its still an option here in the U.S. and health insurance will still cover it.