Hello,
I've been following this board a few weeks after a 6 year hiatus from the breast cancer merry-go-round. Long story short, my mother came out of remission from BC about 8 weeks ago with spinal mets that quickly spread hot spots through her skeletal system, sparing only her cranium and arms and legs. Pain was increasing/helped only by round the clock opoids--a first for her, help with mobility was necessary and this all happened suddenly. Prior, she had been working at the fitness center 2x week and walking 3 miles per day. Her tumor markers Ca27.29 skyrocketed from 30's to over 300 in the space of three weeks.
Now...she had her first dose of Abraxane on last Wednesday (5 days ago.) She could tell a difference 48 hours later. By Sunday morning, she did not need help getting out of bed. Today, she has taken no opoids, says she has twinges instead of pain, and walked outside for the first time in 4 weeks. Except for constipation caused by the premeds and the opoids, she has had no side effects from the Abraxane yet.
She previously (7 years ago) had a whole cocktail of chemos, followed by rads followed by Taxol, then tamoxifen for 5 years, another hormone drug that escapes me right now, then a third when her condition exacerbated suddenly.
Now she is just getting the Faslodex shots once per month and the Abraxane every three weeks.
I am utterly amazed and did not expect this type of response. I really don't care if it placebo or otherwise, because she is suddenly and totally so much better and functional again.
Felicia
wfldke@aol.com
daughter of Mom with lobular breast CA, mast, 14/21 nodes in 1998
chemo rads taxol tamoxifen
change of hormone 2003 after 5 years on tamoxifen
NED until 01/04 two vertabra questionable
09/05 mets to spine change of hormone
suddenly symptomatic on 09/14/05 w/ pain and weakness
10/05 mets to skeleton
Abraxane/Faslodex