|
Deceased
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Virginia
Posts: 113
|
What to expect
Dear Sweet Kate,
I can only tell you about my experience thus far with WBR and what a woman told me in chemo who has been through WBR & Cyberknife. We both have experienced hair loss, dry skin, trouble concentrating, fatigue during/after coming off of steroids and muscle weakness in our legs, mostly upper thighs. The steroid is like being on Meth I am told. You have plenty of energy (like being on speed, you feel like superwoman), very emotional ups & downs, can cause temporary diabetes in some people, all of these side effects depend on the dosage given, strange dreams, puffiness of the face and abdomen, feel loopy in the head, trouble with short term memory. All of these side effects are supposed to go away after the steroid and radiation have had time to get out of your system. They recommend doing leg exercises afterwards to regain muscle tone. Not certain if they put you on a steroid for Cyberknife or not but they do for WBR and perhaps these side effects are more related to WBR too. Best to talk with someone on the boards who has had only had Cyberknife.
The fitting for the mask takes no time as it is a light meshed flat piece of plastic that they warm up and place over your face, it takes the shape of your face and then they cut out eyes, nose and mouth holes. The actual radiation takes a short time to receive and is completely painless.
The woman I talked to at chemo had started with 6 brain tumors and went through WBR that left her with one small stubborn brain met that they then went in and Cyberknifed. She is doing great now, as far as brain mets she is NED.
I know that this Cyberknife is going to blast that little sucker into history and that you will do just fine because you my Dear are a true warrior with an Angels spirit. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you take on this new battle that is sure to be a victory!
If there is anything that I can do other than lifting you up in prayer please let me know Sweetie. A great book to read while going through any part of fighting this ugly disease is called "The Doctor and the Word" by Dr. Reginald Cherry, MD. I can't praise this book enough. It teaches you how to heal yourself through the promises of Christ in the Bible, the Holy Spirit, the use of modern medicine and God. It also teaches you all about the natural ways to prevent and treat disease and illness by means of diet, exercise, prayer, and supplements. He teaches you that God can use both supernatural and natural means to heal. I love his loving spirit and inviting style of writing, I can't put the book down it is so good. The miraculous testimonies of his own patients will build your faith, and his practical medical guide will get you started on your pathway to healing today. I can testify to this myself and I have only been practicing what he teaches for a short time. Look for my new post called "Kicked in the Teeth Once Again" to understand what I mean, it ends up turning out okay.
Love, Hugs & God Bless,
Nicola
PS: Sorry if I have offended anyone with my belief in incorporating God and Christ into every aspect of life. Personally I don't know how anyone could go through life or the battle with a terminal illness without Him.
Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I (God) will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.
(Ex. 23:25-26)
__________________
March 18, 2004, Age 36
Diagnosed: High Grade DCIS, Microcalcifications, Solid and Comedo type, Nuclear grade 3 with 1mm margins, ER+, PR+, Stage "0"
3-8-04 Left breast lumpectomy.
4-1-04 thru 6-24-04 Adjuvant XRT.
11-29-05 Gallbladder attack.
12-01-05 Surgery to have gallbladder removed, discovered cancer spread throughout liver in both lobes, HER2+ amplified by FISH and interestingly enough negative for ER and PR.
12-9-05 Clinical trial consisting of Tykerb, Taxol and Herceptin along with Zometa once a month. On clinical trial for 15 months before liver mets started progressing. Started on Navelbine 3-9-07. Navelbine failed, switched to Gemzar July 07. MRI of the brain on July 7, 07. Results revealed multiple brain tumors. Taken off of Gemzar immediately and began 15 rounds of WBR which I completed on July 26, 07. CT scan on 7-26-07 significant progression in the liver mets. I am now getting ready to start on Xeloda along with Herceptin and Zometa once a month.
|