Update re Dr G

I saw Dr G a few days ago and learned from the scan reports that my cancer has stayed the same in my brain, but the mets in my liver have grown significantly. My tumor marker also went up by 100 points. So it's definitely time to start another chemo. As Dr G put it, Xeloda clearly worked on my brain, but not so well on my liver. The PET/CT scan also showed a new metastasis in my left elbow, as persistent pain there indicated to me night be the case.

So I start Abraxane with Avastin this week, once a week for three weeks in a row. Somehow we fit Aredia (every three months) and Faslodex (monthly) into the schedule as well.

I feel good, and hope that next week's chemo will start to make a difference quickly!

Scan stable/improved

My recent CT scan shows improved and stable disease in my liver - yay! There is some concern about my bones, especially since my rib fractured just before we went to Hawai'i. I will see my orthopedist tomorrow and get his opinion on what to do about the fracture, if I should go back on a bisphosphonate, and whether we would get more information from a bone scan.

Dr G is going to talk with both Dr Flugstad and Dr Winston, my specialty dentist, about the potential impact of Aredia on my jaw. The oldest of the bisphosphonates and actually the least powerful (we looked it up today), Aredia might be a good choice, but all the docs have to weigh in.

More news tomorrow!

Tumor markers down

The third (and slightly reduced) cycle of Xeloda appears to have worked. My tumor markers went down about 60 points. I'll have a CT scan in a week or so and we'll see what that says about liver mets.

Although I am now on the "off" week, I'm still fatigued and have had diarrhea the past two days. Still, this is nothing like what I went through in the second cycle. I gave myself the pleasure of a day off today to do household stuff (ironed 12 shirts!), catching up on some TV meanwhile, and read a bit. I also took what seems to have become my daily nap.

Every afternoon between 3 and 4 PM, my body says to me, "Sleep....Sleep..." So I am taking my own advice and getting a daily nap.

The hand-foot syndrome bothers me but staying off my feet today seems to have helped. Plus wearing these UGG slippers with the fleece lining makes a difference over regular shoes, even with the fancy lined socks. I swear I'd wear them out of the house if it wouldn't look so dorky and if it wasn't still so cold here that my ankles would freeze.

Scan results and new plan

The results of yesterday's scans show I have one new tiny brain met (3mm), two slightly larger liver mets,  and my tumor marker went up a few points. The Afinitor+Aromasin+Faslodex+Avastin combo appears to have stopped working. 

Dr G wants to stop the Afinitor, start me on eribulin (Halaven) and continue the Aromasin, Faslodex and Avastin. His thinking is that my cancer responded well to taxanes, except for the eventual neuropathy. Eribulin works in the same way as taxanes, hopefully without that toxicity.

Eribulin is given via IV push or five minute infusion, two weeks on and one week off in a 21 day cycle with the usual chemo side effects. Avastin is given every other week. It appears I will be tethered to the chemo chair for a while. Hopefully I can try to coordinate the schedules. Eribulin is a newish drug, recently approved for metastatic breast cancer.

More later, as I process this latest bump in my personal cancer merry-go-round. 

Just when I had gotten used to having hair again!

Bob was snuggling with me when I took this pic.