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Old 01-11-2008, 02:37 PM   #1
dhealey
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: moved to Lancaster, Pa in June, 2010
Posts: 576
Laurie, Congratulations! You deserve to celebrate. I had my last herceptin this week and my onc wants me to keep my port in for another year. Oh well. Just glad to be done with treatments. I noticed you are from Massillon, Ohio I grew up in Canal Fulton, Ohio ( jsut down the road from you) Moved to North Carolina 23 years ago. Some of my husband's family still lives there. Small world. Best of luck to you!
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Debbie in North Carolina
Diag 10/2006-high grade invasive ductal carcinoma- mastectomy L breast
2.5 cm tumor ER/PR pos-Her2+++
4 rounds A/C, 4 rounds Taxol
Herceptin every 3 weeks until Jan. 2008
6/18/07 prophylatic mastectomy R breast
8/2007 started aromasin/stopped arimidex (side effects)
12/07 stopped aromasin due to side effects (now what?)
Finished herceptin 1/8/08
started tamoxifen for 2 years then will switch to femera
allergic to tamoxifen started femera 4/2008
June 20, 2008 portacath removed
Learnig to live life to the fullest!
Stopped Femera due to side effects
July 28, 2008 start trial for breast cancer vaccine
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Old 01-11-2008, 06:31 PM   #2
Lolly
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Location: Oregon
Posts: 1,756
Congratulations Laurie! It's fun having the port for "show and tell", but be sure and keep it in a ziplock baggie so people aren't acutally able to touch it, mine still had fluid in the resevoir when I took it home. They had put it in a special ziplock bag with orange and black marks and "Biohazard" written on it, which I was glad for. It was fun for awhile, but I eventually gave it back to my main oncology nurse, and she was happy to get it as she planned on using it for a demonstration for a class she was teaching.

<3 Lolly
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Sept.'99 - Dx.Stage IIIB, IDC ER/PR-, HER2+++ by IHC, confirmed '04 by FISH. Left MRM, AC x's 4, Taxol x's 4, 33 Rads, finishing Tx May 2000. Jan.'01 - local/regional recurrence, Stage IV. Herceptin/Navelbine weekly till NED August 2001, then maintenance Herceptin. Right Mast. April 2002. Local/Regional recurrence April '04, Herceptin plus/minus chemo until May '07. Gemzar added from Feb.'07-April '07; Tykerb/Abraxane until August '07, back on Herceptin plus Taxotere and Xeloda Sept. '07. Stopped T/X Nov. '07, stopped Herceptin Dec. '07, started Avastin/Taxol/Carboplatin Dec. '07. Progression in chest skin, stopped TAC March '03, started radiation.

Herceptin has served as the "Backbone" of my treatment strategy for over 6 years, giving me great quality of life. In 2005, I was privileged to participate in the University of Washington/Seattle HER2 Vaccine Trial.
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Old 01-11-2008, 08:28 PM   #3
Andrea Barnett Budin
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: LAND OF YES! w/home in Boca Raton, Florida Orig from L.I., N.Y. Ever hovering IN THE NOW...
Posts: 1,904
Wink Wanna See??? No... Not Really....
Okay, I'm not reporting you -- this time! Biohazard... Not good. My surg asked me as he was removing my port in his office if I wanted to see. I was looking away and said, If I could wait in the waiting room, I would. I did not want to even look at it. HEY THIS IS REALLY COOL. COME ON. TAKE A PEAK. No thank you. Just get it out and let me go. Thank you for everything, but I could skip this part...

Now -- I would have liked to have seen. A chemo nurse had one semi recently and showed it to me. It wasn't MINE, so somehow I was fine. Interesting. I am on Port #2 (since '98). BARD PORTACATHETER. I like it. It likes me. We have a good relationship. No issues.

When I had my kidney stone that it took 10 wks of serious effort to pass on my own, at my insistence, refusing surgery, before lipto... I wanted to have it made into a ring or something. I was so proud! But, better to have it crushed and analyzed so they knew what was causing the larger than life thing that ripped my urethra to shreds and caused Hawaiin Punch to color my pee...

A port is a great invention and a super aid in accessing veins otherwise determined to remain undetected, collapsing, blowing out, rolling over and befuddling all nurses who were sure they had a good one. I love my port... The simplest things in life make me happy... Andi
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'95 post-meno dx Invasive LOBULAR w/9cm tumor! YIKES + 2/21 nodes. Clear mammo 10 mnths earlier. Mastec/tram flap reconst/PORT/8 mnths chemo (4Adria/8CMF). Borderline ER/PR. Tamoxifen 2 yrs. Felt BLESSED. I could walk and talk, feed and bathe myself! I KNEW I would survive...

'98 -- multiple mets to liver. HER2+ 80%. ER/PR- Raging, highly aggressive tumors spreading fast. New PORT. 9 mnths Taxotere Fought fire w/fire! Pronounced in cautious remission 5/99. Taxotere weekly for 6 wks, 2 wks off -- for 9 mnths. TALK ABOUT GRUELING! (I believe they've altered that protocol since those days -- sure hope so!!)
+ good old Vit H wkly for 1st 3 yrs, then triple dosage ev 3 wks for 7 yrs more... The "easy" chemo, right?! Not a walk in the park, but not a freight train coming at 'ya either...

Added Herceptin Nov '98 (6 wks after FDA fast-tracked it for met bc). Stayed w/Vit H till July '08! Now I AM FREE! Humbly and eternally grateful for this life-saving drug! NED since '99 and planning on keeping it that way. To hell w/poor prognosis and nasty stats! STOPPED VIT H JULY '08...! REMAIN STABLE... Eternally grateful...Yes is a world & in this world of yes live (skillfully curled) all worlds ... (e e cummings) EVERY DAY I BEAT MY PREVIOUS RECORD FOR # OF CONSECUTIVE DAYS I'VE STAYED ALIVE. Smile KNOWING you too can be a miracle. Up to me and God now...
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