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Oops, sorry PZ! I forgot the final follow-up post! Probably because the last two treatments were like.... nothing happened!
I did day three and still felt a little tired, slightly agitated, and that mild queasy post taxol/carbo feeling, but nothing out-landish or debilitating. It all did continue to dissipate every day like the rads onc predicted.
Day 3 was a Friday, so I had the weekend off. I felt just generally crummy all Saturday and Sunday (like mild flu or bad allergies). It was tolerable, not terrible, but no-one likes feeling yucky, so I nursed it with a lot of sleep and TV...
Monday morning I woke up and felt (get this) 100% better and normal! I was thrilled. I went in for IMRT, and powered through with no SEs at all. Then went again Tuesday morning for my final treatment and again felt terrific. No SEs at all. Nothing. Nada. I even attended the Austin City Limits Music Festival for 3 days starting on Friday (walking for miles every day, in minor heat and dust) and NOTHING. I was a good as new.
I guess those two days over the weekend were really all my body needed to recover, rebuild and re-strengthen and get used to the beams... and it was really a breeze on day 4 and 5.
We will do a follow-up MRI in 5 weeks (6 weeks from finishing) to see the results. He said we should see 5 necrotic spots and not to expect sloughing off of them for about 6 months.
All in all, I couldn't ask for a more painless and tolerable brain radiation. A few days of mild crumminess. Like I haven't already had to live through that for months and months at a time! LOL
Today I am off to my first Herceptin treatment since we suspended it to start Tykerb/Xeloda 18 months ago. So now it is Tykerb/Herceptin... and I am keeping all my fingers and toes crossed.
__________________
Brenda
NOV 2012 - 9 yr anniversary
JULY 2012 - 7 yr anniversary stage IV (of 50...)
Nov'03~ dX stage 2B
Dec'03~ Rt side mastectomy, Her2+, ER/PR+, 10 nodes out, one node positive
Jan'04~ Taxotere/Adria/Cytoxan x 6, NED, no Rads, Tamox. 1 year, Arimadex 3 mo., NED 14 mo.
Sept'05~ micro mets lungs/chest nodes/underarm node, Switched to Aromasin, T/C/H x 7, NED 6 months - Herceptin only
Aug'06~ micro mets chest nodes, & bone spot @ C3 neck, Added Taxol to Herceptin
Feb'07~ Genetic testing, BRCA 1&2 neg
Apr'07~ MRI - two 9mm brain mets & 5 punctates, new left chest met, & small increase of bone spot C3 neck, Stopped Aromasin
May'07~ Started Tykerb/Xeloda, no WBR for now
June'07~ MRI - stable brain mets, no new mets, 9mm spots less enhanced, CA15.3 down 45.5 to 9.3 in 10 wks, Ty/Xel working magic!
Aug'07~ MRI - brain mets shrunk half, NO NEW BRAIN METS!!, TMs stable @ 9.2
Oct'07~ PET/CT & MRI show NED
Apr'08~ scans still show NED in the head, small bone spot on right iliac crest (rear pelvic bone)
Sept'08~ MRI shows activity in brain mets, completed 5 fractions/5 consecutive days of IMRT to zap the pesky buggers
Oct'08~ dropped Xeloda, switched to tri-weekly Herceptin in combo with Tykerb, extend to tri-monthly Zometa infusion
Dec'08~ Brain MRI- 4 spots reduced to punctate size, large spot shrunk by 3mm, CT of torso clear/pelvis spot stable
June'09~ new 3-4mm left cerrebellar spot zapped with IMRT targeted rads
Sept'09~ new 6mm & 1 cm spots in pituitary/optic chiasm area. Rx= 25 days of 3D conformal fractionated targeted IMRT to the tumors.
Oct'09~ 25 days of low dose 3D conformal fractionated targeted IMRT to the bone mets spot on rt. iliac crest that have been watching for 2 years. Added daily Aromasin back into treatment regimen.
Apr'10~ Brain MRI clear! But, see new small spot on adrenal gland. Change from Aromasin back to Tamoxifen.
June'10~ Tumor markers (CA15.3) dropped from 37 to 23 after one month on Tamoxifen. Continue to monitor adrenal gland spot. Remain on Tykerb/Herceptin/Tamoxifen.
Nov'10~ Radiate positive mediastinal node that was pressing on recurrent laryngeal nerve, causing paralyzed larynx and a funny voice.
Jan'11~ MRI shows possible activity or perhaps just scar tissue/necrotic increase on 3 previously treated brain spots and a pituitary spot. 5 days of IMRT on 4 spots.
Feb'11~ Enrolled in T-DM1 EAP in Denver, first treatment March 25, 2011.
Mar'11~ Finally started T-DM1 EAP in Denver at Rocky Mountain Cancer Center/Rose on Mar. 25... hallelujah.
"I would rather be anecdotally alive than statistically dead."
Last edited by hutchibk; 10-01-2008 at 08:18 PM..
Reason: spelling
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