Hi All~
First off, thank you so much for a warm welcome back to the board. I've been spending the past year trying re-adjust to life after 49 weeks of chemo, happily w/NED. Yet, with or without NED, I'm not sure why I stayed away...this is such a wonderful, nuturing, supportive place.Inspite of the current circumstances, I'm comforted to have such a safe place to come back.
As things have turned out, NED has gone AWOL-for now. I'm experiencing a recurrence after 1 year of NED.It's a small one-11mm in my liver-only one, Thank God, but a recurrence nonetheless.I've already started back on Taxol/Herceptin-2nd wkly tx today.T/H was the combo that got me to NED last year, so we all have high hopes & grand optimism & expectation for the same results. I am also researching having RFA.Unfortunately I'm not a candidate for straight RFA b/c the lesion is only 4mm from the Vena Cava & I'm told it has to be atleast 1cm from a major blood vessell.So now I'm researching IntraOperative RFA, possible Alcohol Ablation or Acetic Acid Ablation. Anyone have any wisdom to share?
I am adamant that I want to combine some type of surgical intervention, like RFA, w/chemo.It just seems like a much more efficient approach.I'm grateful to have some chemo to clean up any insidious creatures floating around, but I would really like to keep my hair this winter! I've gone 2 consecutive winters without hair and I'm not interested in doing that again!My understanding is if I have RFA(of some type)I may only have to do 4 txs of Taxol/Herceptin.That would be grand!
Since discovery of this new spot, I've been researching like crazy. As it turns out there is a link between Insulin resistance & breast cancer recurrence.After struggling w/continuous weight gain, fatigue, sluggishness, just overall not feeling like myself(all symps of insulin resistance) and being put-off by my onc, I pursued a ton of tests w/an Endocrinologist, I have tested positive for insulin resistance.I was quite shocked & frustrted to find all the information about the positive link between insulin resistance & breast cancer resistance & mortality.Additionally, I discovered an article on the ASCO website that indicates insulin growth factor can block herceptin receptors, rendering herceptin (in the face of insulin resistance & increased insulin growth factor in the blood stream)ineffective. THAT IS HUGE NEWS FOR ALL OF US HERE.
I brought the info to my onc, but she's been out due to her father's passing, so I haven't gotten any feed back. I'll keep you posted.
Hope this note finds all of you in good spirits & peace.Take good care to all & continued
Prayers, Faith & Courage!
Jessica
ps-lolly-i don't know how to link the article re:insulin growth factor to this site.may i email them to you to be posted here?thanks.j
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