new diagnosis in addition to bc?
I continue to be plagued with fluid build up, rash, severe loss of strength & fatigue. I've been off all chemo since mid Aug. the thinking from my onc. being that I was having a toxic reaction to chemo. But nothing has improved & he's sent me for different tests & different doctors. Today I saw a dermatologist and I think he's really sharp and may get somewhere. He took 2 biopsies of different rash areas and 7 tubes of blood. He suspects a disease called dermatomyositis, a totally separate autoimmune / connective tissue disease. No cure, treatable with prednisone or other drugs I haven't heard of. I won't know if this is it until all the tests come back but the descriptions I'm reading sound exactly like what I'm experiencing. It sounds chronic and not easy to overcome especially with dealing with chemo drugs too. Not good news, but maybe at least we're getting to some answers and some help to relieve my symptoms which are miserable and debilitating right now. I'm also seeing a rheumatologist next Monday. I'll post again when I know more.
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Pam
6/01 IBC er+ her2+stage IIIb; mastecomy
7/01 AC, taxol; radiation
2/02 tamoxifen
9/02 stage IV bone mets femara
1/03 taxotere/herceptin/aredia
6/03 herceptin, aredia & faslodex
1/04 navelbine, herceptin, aredia
2/05 herceptin/aredia
7/05 xeloda/herceptin/aredia
3/07 xeloda/tykerb/aredia
5/08 taxol/avastin/aredia
2/09 gemzar/herceptin/zometa
7/09 Taxol/Carbo/Herceptin, zometa
10/09 navelbine/herceptin & zometa
2/10 herceptin & tykerb & zometa
4/10 add xeloda &aromasin
10/10 dx with dermatomyiositis triggered by cancer
11/10 restart herceptin, tykerb, zometa
12/10 surgery-place rod in R femur to stabilize bone
1/11 radiation to R femur - 20 tx
2/11 2nd surgery - rod in Left femur
2/11 tx eribulen -- suspended dx brain mets
3/11 brain mets wbr 20 tx
4/11 halaven; discontine 8/11 not working
8/11 radiation to left femur 20 tx'
8-9/11 rad to lower spine
9/11 abraxane/herceptin/zometa
9/12 xeloda/herceptin/zometa
12/12 ablation of liver
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