Praying for NED!
 

My insurance company approved my lung RFA procedure, which is scheduled for Aug. 14.

Please pray that the procedure eradicate's the met in my left lung and that I'll be dancing with NED!

I'm anxious now to get this done and it's going to be a long wait from now until then.

I had a PET/CT on April 15. Yesterday I went for a follow-up CT of the chest, and I hope there are no other nodules.

I chose RFA over a lobectomy because I felt that even though the surgical procedure would be very "curative," since I'm dealing with MBC and not lung cancer, I'd prefer to preserve as much of the lung as possible in the event that the MBC spreads to the other lung.

My onc is in total disagreement with my choice, but she's great anyway. I think she gets frustrated with me sometimes but then gets over it quickly.

I'm also considering adding Xeloda, which several of you suggested to me as insurance. My onc suggested this as well.

I'm relieved that it's finally settled.

Love you all, Joan

Hi Joan,

I'm happy you got approval from your insurance company. I know how badly you wanted this procedure.

Yes, I will (and do) pray for you. I do ask God to let it all be a complete success and that NED is your dancing partner for a LONGGGGGGGGGG time.

Love and Peace to you Joan,

Mary Jo

All my love, my prayers and my fingers crossed that everything will be alrighth and that you will soon be dancing with NED. Have faith Joan.

Paty

Count me in. Praying for many, many years with NED.

Tonya

Count me in!

ME TOO ...I will pray for you NED (coming soon event) and this Sunday on church I will write down your name for petitions

Me 'Three' :)

Joan,
I have been having a difficult time getting on the site
and just read your post.

I can feel the wait for you Joan and I wish it was tomorrow...just to have it done and over. I often
believe the waiting is the worst part.

Will give you a call!
You are in my prayers.
Jean

Joan, I'm glad you got your insurance on board with this. We have enough things to fight without dealing with our insurance companies over these things.

I can't wait till you have this all behind you. I will be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. (Keep an eye out for NED...I have a feeling he's closer then you think.) :)

Chelee

Joan
 

Joan
What is RFA? I am sending you healing thoughts and
you will be in my prayers. The waiting is the worst.
I am reading the book The Power of Now and just
try to live day by day but let me say, this is very hard.
Best of luck to you.
patb

Joan,
You will be in my prayers and thoughts. I will be asking our Great Healer to remove all the cancer successfully in your lung. Get those dancing shoes ready, because you are going to need them for your dance with NED!!

Hi Joan! So glad you got your choice! I'm praying for NED and a positive, blessing filled wait for you til August 14! Make each day special in some way! Out maneuver(how do you spell that) that waiting day! Have a ridiculous amount of FUN! Love and prayers, ma

Radiofrequency Ablation


For cancerous tumors, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) offers a nonsurgical, localized treatment that kills the tumor cells with heat, while sparing the healthy breast tissue. Because of the localized nature of this treatment, RFA does not have any systemic side effects. Radiofrequency ablation can be performed without affecting the patient's overall health and most people can resume their usual activities in a few days.
In this procedure, interventional radiologists use imaging to guide a small needle through the skin into the tumor. From the tip of the needle, radiofrequency energy is transmitted into the target tissue, where it produces heat and kills the tumor. Most patients experienced mild to moderate discomfort during the 15 minute RFA time. Following the RFA, the dead tumor tissue shrinks and slowly forms an internal scar. Because there is no surgical incision, RFA barely affects the appearance of the breast. http://www.sirweb.org/images/patient...ablation_1.jpghttp://www.sirweb.org/images/patient...ablation_2.jpghttp://www.sirweb.org/images/patient...ablation_3.jpgClick on images to enlargeEfficacy


Depending on the size of the tumor, RFA can shrink or kill the tumor, extending the patient's survival time and greatly improving their quality of life while living with cancer. RFA can extend patients' lives or in a small number of cases cure patients.
Because it is a local treatment that does not harm healthy tissue, the treatment can be repeated as often as needed to keep patients comfortable. RFA is a very safe procedure, with few complications. It is effective for small to medium-sized tumors, and emerging new technologies should allow the treatment of larger cancers in the future. One study showed 100 percent tumor cell death using RFA, with no complications after the procedure. 10 RFA is often reimbursed by insurance carriers.
Currently, the protocol is to "ablate and resect," in other words, to kill the tumor with heat and then remove the dead cells to ensure all the cancer cells were destroyed. As research progresses, the treatment pattern will become "ablate and follow"-simply treat the patient with RFA and track their progress over the following years.
For some women, surgery is not an option, due to other health concerns. For these patients, RFA is an excellent treatment option. In one study of postmenopausal women 60 years of age and older, 95 percent of women would be willing to have RFA again and 95 percent would be willing to have RFA without definitive surgery if it was known that RFA could kill their entire tumor.
Although the use of RFA in other organs, especially in the liver, has shown promising results for killing cancer cells, the technique is not a mainstream treatment option for breast cancer patients. Current research is underway to further explore this treatment and the long-term effects on the disease and patients. http://www.sirweb.org/images/patient...before_RFA.gif
BEFOREhttp://www.sirweb.org/images/patient..._after_RFA.gif
AFTERA LIVER TUMOR TREATED WITH RFA

Dead tissue appears larger and darker than the living tumor. Over time, the tumor shrinks as the body absorbs and excretes dead cells

Benefits

• Has low complication rates
• May be performed under conscious sedation or general anesthesia
• Is well tolerated. Most patients can resume their normal routines the next day and may feel tired only for a few days.
• Can be repeated if necessary
• May be combined with other treatment options
• Can relieve pain and suffering for many cancer patients
• Causes minimal postprocedure pain

http://www.sirweb.org/images/patient...ing_cancer.jpg
Interventional radiologists use special X-ray equipment to guide therapy directly to the site of tumors

Thank you for your prayers thoughts and support. And, Jackie, what a great idea to post the information on RFA. You are all very special to me.