Quick note to Linda W from JoJo
 

Wow Linda,

I just glanced at your signature. Constant chemo for 4 straight years? If I read it right, how could you have survived this? You must be a Wonder Woman! :-)

I am currently on weekly Abraxane. Although, it's giving me a good response, nowadays I'm usually pulling half days, due to chemo-related fatigue.

Keep up your fight! :-)

Dear jojo

Thanks for your supportive message.Had to keep trying different chemo's in the hope it would send the skin mets away.
Skin mets are strange . I am told they don't kill you but they make life really difficult. i have been dressing weeping patches for about a year and then radiaiton in the middle of it made things worse for a while. Just starting to get to the point where the two patches at the base of my neck may be clearing up - so I can stop dressing them and where a little more open neck shirts - cooler in the hot Australian weather ( 41 c the other day and heaps of smoke from bushfires) so i am lucky. the Lapatinib is great for me and it helps not to keep looking at my poor old body with such obvius signs of the skin cancer - psychologically challenging.
but I am lucky - things are looking up for now and the side effects ( apart from the good old hand and foot thingy from the xeloda) aren't too bad.

Also i am lucky the side effects have not prohibited me from working full time - with the odd sick day.
I am a children's therapist and work with children who have expereinced domestic violence and sexual abuse - compared to them my life is tolerable.

love
linda

Thanks for the thoughts.