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How do you live well?
I am so very saddened by Brnda's death - a true warrior inspiration to me on this site it came to me in reading her tributes that she had much to share in her time with this disease.
So I am prompted to ask you all - how do you live we'll? What choices do you make? Be it smoothies, meditation, just getting on with things, advocacy, raising your family, traveling, diet, exercise?
I love this site because everyone here has an optimistic and supportive philosophy while not ignoring the downsides. That's what keeps me coming back. I fear however that our medicines are only part of our story and I wish to know and share more.
There is a selfishness here in this request too - I am feeling low, I feel the need build myself up again, fill myself up again ready to keep going, to remind myself that I can do this as others are, to keep living fully.
I will share first - I choose an integrative approach to my care and management of this disease. I use conventional medicine (tdm1 currently) and traditional Chinese medicine. I am learning Qi Gong, I try to practice mindfulness meditation, I drink green juice and lemon juice and vegetable juices and eat a diet that limits processed foods, sugar, animal products (meat and dairy), I exercise with walking, cycling and swimming, I love my garden and photography and of course my family!. Lately I am finding it hard to motivate myself as I am saddened by a number of deaths and wonder why I dare to be different. I have to keep trying though because miracles do happen and I just have to never give up so I can parent my children.
So - anyone else keen to share?
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Amanda xx
40 year old Mum to three gorgeous kids - son 5 and daughters 8 and 11
Wife to my wonderfully supportive husband of 17 years!
22 February 2011 - Diagnosed Early Breast Cancer IDBC Stage2b (ER/PR -ve, Her2+ve +++) - 38 years old
(L) skin sparing mastectomy with tissue expander, axilla clearance (2/14 affected) clear margins.
Fec*3, Taxotere and herceptin*2 - stopped due to secondary diagnosis
June 24 2011 Stage IV - Skin met, axilla node, multiple lung lesions
Bolero3 trial - Navelbine, Hereptin weekly, daily Everolimus/Placebo
February 2012 - July 2012 Tykerb and Xeloda - skin mets resolved, Lungs initially dramatically reduced but growing again
August 2012 (turn 40!) tykerb and herceptin (denied compassionate use of TDM1) while holidaying in Italy!
September 2012 - January 2013 TDM1 as part of the Th3resa trial - lymph nodes resolved, lungs slowly progressing.
January 2013 - herceptin, carboplatin and Perjeta (compassionate access)
April 2013 - Some progression in lungs and lymph nodes - Abraxane, Herceptin and Perjeta
July 2013 - mixed response - dramatic reduction of most lung disease, progression of smaller lung nodules and cervical and hilar nodes - ? Add avastin.
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