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Re: NY Times article on stage IVs with stats and singling out her2+ breast
I read this article yesterday and it gave me a jolt because I have tried to not pay any attention to the statistics (I passed my 5 year mark as a Stage IV back in October and according to the stats, I shouldn't be here now...happy to say that I am living proof that the stats don't apply to all and I CAN be that 1 in 4 who makes it past 5 years :-).
What I liked most about the article was that it gave a good picture of what Stage IV folks have to live with...it is not just a blip in the course of our lives...rather we live scan to scan and may not get the happy ending that others in our lives will get. In a strange way, however, I feel that I will have a happy ending because I took the time to re-evaluate my life's purpose and have had more blessings that I can count since I was diagnosed (not sure that any of that would have occurred if I was healthy).
Here's to 5 more!
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Diagnosed 10-03-2005 (34 wks pregnant, 38 yrs old)
Lumpectomy Nov-2005. 10/18 Lymph Nodes impacted
Mets to liver, spine & femurs (thus being stage IV right from the get-go)
ER-, PR-, HER2+
Taxol/Herceptin/Zometa started Dec-2005. 11 cycles of Taxol.
Sept-2006: PET/CT scan of mets to liver, spine and femurs - Stable. Activity in R breast & mediastinum (not seen in prior scans).
Navelbine (3 wks on/1 wk off) as of Oct--2006 & continued Herceptin (every 3 wks) & Zometa (every 6 wks)
Jan-2007: PET/CT Scan - Stable. Continued Nav. through March-2007, then Herc./Zom. only after that.
June-2007: PET/CT Scan - activity in mediastinum. Back on Navelbine as of July-2007.
Scanned Quarterly since Oct-2007 - a few small scares, but otherwise stable due to continuing weekly Navelbine, Herceptin and Quarterly Zometa.
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