So....talk about.....CANCER SUPPORT THREAD !!

[CoyoteMagic]

Here's the newest update. Oncolgist was talking on the phone with surgeon when we got there this morning. He wants the surgeon to take out the nodes right away. However, if he can't do that, we are going to shrink them down first then take them out. Either way I'm still going to have chemo. I'm going to have to have the Herceptin(gene suspression therapy) every 3 weeks for the rest of my life!!!

This is NOT what I wanted to hear!!

 

[3goodeggs]

we are here for you! I hope the surgeon and surgery go quick and extremely well. goes well. I am thinking of you a lot.

 

[Patchesnposies]

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Oh Coyote, I am so sorry. If it helps, try not to focus on "the rest of your life" and remember you just have to get through whatever comes your way.... one day at a time. Or, one month at a time, if that makes facing it any easier.

I am praying for you.

 

[Patchesnposies]

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Gambler, I am sorry to read about all you have been through. I pray 2009 and 2010 have been much kinder to you.

Hang in there and keep on fighting!

 

[jjthinkagain]

Coyote

What a pain, I was hoping you'd have a less life intrusive road. With new developments happening all the time, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it isn't all that long before they come up with a less intrusive less time consuming way to get the desired gene suppression effects. Hope so.

JJ

 

[3goodeggs]

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2008 was a rotten year for everyone I know. what was that? a big cosmic wave of-bad stuff. I think we are through it. I hope so, things are getting better for most of us. Hang in there. I can not imagine leaving children for anyone. I am so sorry.
I hope you do better.

 

[Lunachick]

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Coyote, I did a search for Herceptin therapy because I know nothing about breast cancer. From what I gather that therapy shouldn't be too bad. Tell me if I'm wrong but it's only a 30 min procedure (instead of 4 or 5 hours) and it's NOT chemo but has a little taxol type derivative in it (?) The side effects shouldn't be too bad. Is this a definite thing? My oncologist is also a blood specialist, when I went in for chemo there were a few people in there for some kind of iron problem they had (all women) they would get hooked up to a very small bag of blood (?) and be out of there after 25 mins. And yes, they had to do this for the rest of their lives.

How will they shrink the nodes ? Radiation or chemo? Do you know how long your chemo has to be this time?


Hey sweetie, you know we are going to be here for you.

 

[Lunachick]

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I hope things get WAY better for you!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

They will use the Herceptin to shrink down the tumors. When I was first diagnosed in '08 they gave me 4 rounds of chemo (toxatere and carboplatin) and Herceptin. The tumor shrunk down from this golf ball size lump to down to the point you couldn't really feel it. They did this so that if there was something floating around some place it would kill it off. 2 months later I had my surgery. 3months after that, I was back on the Herceptin for another 9months.

My cancer is HER2+. Everybody has the HER2 gene, I just one of the lucky *snort* ones whose gene decides to get wonky. The gene starts reproducing it's self over and over and over making the tumors. It's the most aggressive type of cancer. Some folks can get whacked back into place with the year of Herceptin.

What's got me really ticked is, I had this CT back at the end of May. I know my pulmonolgist didn't read the report until I went for a visit, but what about the folks that did the CT? It had to be read by a Radiologist. WHY didn't the radiologist call us or my pulmonologist to tell us that something showed up??!! I didn't make to my appointment the first week of July because I just wasn't able to do anything. Just lost Spook the 24th of June. Then the doc himself was sick and we couldn't get an appointment until the one we did in mid-Sept. All that time it kept growing and growning. I"M ticked!!

I love my Pulmonologist. He, my Endocrinologist and Cardiologist all work under the same "umbrella" organization. They are very good at checking everything that may be connected to each of their specialties. My Endo researches the research of others!!

 

[OrpingtonManor]

CM, you must feel very frustrated right now. Vent!!! We're listening.

eta - oh, and the first thing that came to mind when you said Herceptin every 3 weeks for the rest of your life was, Wow, that's a lot of Herceptin, since she's going to be around for a long, long time. (just figure there's got to be a silver lining in this somewhere.)