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Kim in CA · 06-01-2014, 10:48 AM

Dear Marie,

So glad to hear they got clean margins on your surgery. There was no tumor left, only scar tissue, when they did my resection, so weren't able to get an ER status on mine.

I have been on Femara though since 2002 because my breast pathology was weakly ER positive. I think that between being thrown into menopause at 42 from my first chemo, then being on an AI for the last 12 years I am really feeling (and looking.....yikes!) older than my 59 years. My skin has become sooo wrinkly and crepe like, I don't even like to look in the mirror. I would really like to stop the Femara, but my doctor is afraid to "rock the boat" right now, hoping to keep things stable.

The other biggie is the joint pain. That is why I try so hard to stay active, cause it's really hard to get going again once I stop! Oh the price we must pay to keep this disease at bay! And I almost forgot.....my last bone density test was not so great, even though I've been taking my calcium and Vitamin D religiously for the last several years. Probably not what you wanted to hear about AIs, but that's my story.

Hugs to you,
Kim

06-01-2014, 10:48 AM	#10
Kim in CA Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: California's Gold Country Posts: 404	Re: Liver Resection Pathology Dear Marie, So glad to hear they got clean margins on your surgery. There was no tumor left, only scar tissue, when they did my resection, so weren't able to get an ER status on mine. I have been on Femara though since 2002 because my breast pathology was weakly ER positive. I think that between being thrown into menopause at 42 from my first chemo, then being on an AI for the last 12 years I am really feeling (and looking.....yikes!) older than my 59 years. My skin has become sooo wrinkly and crepe like, I don't even like to look in the mirror. I would really like to stop the Femara, but my doctor is afraid to "rock the boat" right now, hoping to keep things stable. The other biggie is the joint pain. That is why I try so hard to stay active, cause it's really hard to get going again once I stop! Oh the price we must pay to keep this disease at bay! And I almost forgot.....my last bone density test was not so great, even though I've been taking my calcium and Vitamin D religiously for the last several years. Probably not what you wanted to hear about AIs, but that's my story. Hugs to you, Kim __________________ Diag. Feb 1997 4.5cm IDC <10%ER+, PR-. 5 out of 36 nodes +. Mastectomy followed by 3 rounds Adriamycin/Cytoxin. 5/1997 Hi Dose Chemo w/ Stem cell rescue. Spent 4 weeks in isolation ward. Then 6 weeks radiation. 9/2001 widespread mets to liver. 8 mos Taxotere/Herceptin brought me almost to NED. Stop Taxotere & add Femara . 11/2002 liver resection to remove spot that turned out to be necrosis. Officially NED! 7/2003 Tumor markers rising add Xeloda Disastrous reaction, 8 days hospital, but tumor markers came back to normal! June -Dec 2004 UW Vaccine Trial. 7/2005 MRI single 11mm brain met 8/2005 Gamma Knife. Brain MRI @3 months NED! 2006-2011 brain/body still NED 8/04/11 Taking Herceptin break, will monitor with tumor markers. 6/20/12 Tumor markers begin to rise. CA15-3 is 31.3 and Her2 Serum is at 17.1 Decide to repeat in one month. 7/23/12 CA15-3 now 49.3 Her2 Serum 26.8 8/6/12 Back on Herceptin CA15-3 now 76 Her2 Serum now 49 11/7/12 Add weekly Taxotere for 4 cycles 2/2013 Stopped Taxotere added Perjeta. MRI shows approx. 50% reduction liver mets. CA15-3 still elevated @ 55. Will continue on just Herceptin & Perjeta. November 2014 Continuing on Herceptin, Perjeta, and Femara indefinitely. Guess I'm NED again, but watching those tumor markers carefully! Dec. 2015 PET scan reveals mass in perirectal area of abdomen.biopsy confirms. Still Her2+, but no longer ER+. Bye bye Femara Jan 2016 Begin Kadcyla March 2016 PET scan shows tumor now barely visible, still NED everywhere else. 2016/2017 continue Kadcyla November 2017 brain MRI reveals small focus of T2 hyperintensity with possible 4mm enhancing nodule. Short term follow up MRI suggested. Stay tuned...