Nothing back as yet from my scans but

IRENE FROM TAMPA · 08-31-2007, 11:44 AM

I had my PT/CT scan done yesterday and have an appt. with my onc. for next Wed to get results.

Good thing is that my insurance company has approved for me to start on AVASTIN if that is what I want. We are thinking Tykerb/Avastin for now to see how that goes for me.

I am set up to begin my first treatment next Friday IN THE EVENT THE SCANS PROVE TO HAVE PROGRESSION and we will decide. Meantime, things getting ready to go for next plan of action.

WOW what a war of our own we all are fighting. Let's all keep the faith .

Will update everyone on Wed and thanks to all of your support.

Sheila · 08-31-2007, 12:46 PM

Irene
I hope if Tykerb/Avastin is the route you take, that irt works great for you as it seems to be doing for Chrisy...be sure to watch your B/P though with the Avastin...mine slowly crept up to the point where I needed meds... as did Chrisy's, but an easy drug to take, except it is an infusion

tousled1 · 08-31-2007, 12:52 PM

Irene,

Thanks for the update as I've been thinking about you. I'm still praying that the scan shows everything is stable. It's good that you have a plan of attack in the event that you need it.

IRENE FROM TAMPA · 08-31-2007, 01:00 PM

My onc. did mention the possiblity of my blood pressure elevating. Did yours go up very much? I know when I was on couple of other chemos my pressure was higher then normal. Right now it runs around 128/68ish

Did you lose your hair with the Avastin? Any other side effects. We were also talking about combining the two with Xeloda or something else but I think (and this all depends on my scan) we will start off with the combo to see. Don't want it to progress too much though.

Thanks again. Will keep you all posted.

Everyone take care.

Believe51 · 08-31-2007, 01:13 PM

I just pulled up your previous post asking for an update. Be careful what I wish for..LOL! I am so glad you are keeping us posted and have a back up plan in order, hope things go as well as I pray for them to go for you. Keep up that Warrior Spirit and practice your NED dance. We are all meeting there for dancing and celebrating. Remember, if you get there first keep our seat warm!! And yes Darling, let's all keep the faith!

Love and prayers>>Believe51

chrisy · 08-31-2007, 03:36 PM

Irene,
You never cease to amaze and impress me! Sounds like you are all set to not miss a beat should the scans show progression. Which, don't forget, is still not certain.

My pre-avastin BP was about the same as yours, averaging around 124/72. On avastin, I monitored it pretty closely at home and it crept up to high 130's/80's. Of course, at UCSF it was always higher (140's/90's) - a bit of "white coat" syndrome combined with the nearly 2 hour drive in rush hour traffic! So my doctor put me on a low dose (5 mg) lisinopril and yesterday in the infusion room it was 116/67! I've had no noticeable side effects from it.

Avastin is not a "hair challenging" treatment. Although after a year on Tykerb/Xeloda you may find going back to the infusion room cramps your style a bit! For me even going from 3 wk to 2 wk complicated my travel schedule LOL. But it is a short infusion, first 90 min, then 60, then 30 minutes.

It's a super easy combo (for me, anyway) and although I haven't seen any regression yet, it is keeping everything stable.

Keep us posted, Irene, and have a great weekend.

ellen · 08-31-2007, 03:47 PM

So glad to hear you got approval for avastin. Yes, my bp also went up and I had to monitor it every day and I am now on atentol ? 25 mg. I always had low blood pressure so this was quite a shock. I just started it two days ago because pressure was running around 140/80 and doctor was concerned about the kidneys. The side effects to avastin and tykerb are mild, no hair loss, but you may get the runs with tykerb. I take 2 immodium to keep it under control. Wishing you the best. Ellen