Saturday, January 18, 2014

First Infusion Day

We went to Houston on Wednesday evening, which was on the end of my second day on 300 calories during the fast. I was worried about traveling because of all the food and smells at the airport and on the plane but it was rather easy. We couldn't get any flights that worked with our timing so we ended up in "first class" on an airline I've never heard of...Spirit Airlines. Well I wouldn't really call it an airline except that it does fly planes with passengers and gets you to your destination. Everything is a charge up. It's like going to one of those manicure/pedicure places where everything is $5 dollars more. Oh you want a water? That will be three dollars. Even in first class, its not first class. It's the "big seat" as they call it but you DO get to bypass security as a "first class" passenger which is worthwhile. Anyway, I digress. It was actually good because the flight attendants weren't making smelly food for people and the food that people brought with them on board smelt greasy which I wouldn't have eaten anyway. David ate in front of me the next day at the hospital and I had my "soup" and I did just fine. I had to supplement days 2 and 3 with 5 almonds (38 calories) so I could take my medicines but other than that I stuck it out.

Houston results: nothing earth shattering. After an exam they said that my liver, despite the lesions, felt normal and the blood work shows normal liver function. Good news. They agreed with Dr. McAndrew's suggestion of Abraxane. Three weeks on, one week off that equals one cycle. After two cycles then they want scans, and of course monitoring of tumor markers through blood work.

My first infusion day was Friday at Tower, we showed up at 8:15 and as I checked in I asked who my nurse was and of course, it was Mary Lou. She is my rock! Everything went fine. Port access was a breeze thanks to her, it was very smooth.  I was talking to a staff member while they put the cold spray then inserted the Huber needle.  Piece of cake. I was very worried about it.  Here's what my arm looks like after the port placement and difficulty. He said there would be some bruising but it looks worse than it feels (although I'm not really doing much with that arm for the next two weeks so I can't be sure). I can now sleep on it and it isn't too sore which is a godsend when you are a side sleeper.



David took me to the infusion, my hero since he has been missing a lot of work to take care of me. Apparently he told me they like when he is out of the office though since he is "grouchy" when he is there...poor guy. He's got a lot on his plate. He was a trooper and very helpful so it was nice to have him there at the first infusion.

Since Cedars has taken over Tower Oncology things are a little different. They have an on-sire family therapist and social worker, on on-site nutritionist and dietician, insurance and billing staff, and more. It was a little odd that all these people kept coming over but all in all it was very welcoming. A sort of welcome back and look at all these things we have to offer now!

After the port access went so smooth, the only thing I was really worried about was the Penguin cold cap therapy. I have very mixed views on it. It is expensive and a huge hassle. I am doing it to keep things looking normal for the kids because I think now at Abby's age she would really understand that things were very different if I lost my hair. You can hire someone to be there at your infusions to change each cap for you because it must be done quick and every 30 minutes. It's very precise. The woman who helped me, Gail, was lovely and very helpful. The goal is to keep your scalp at -22 degrees. Here's what I looked like with the cold cap on.


I got the premeds, one for anti-naseau and some steroids, you know how I feel about those. I told them I thought you didn't need steroids with the Abraxane since it is encapsulated in fat and they said it was only a tiny amount...(Flash forward from infusion yesterday to this morning where I was up at 4:30 AM because of our house alarm and couldn't fall back asleep to the preparing an elaborate breakfast - roasted apples with agave and cinnamon, Dr. Mao's beautiful hot cereal, oatmeal and berries, paid bills, fixed the calendar, returned emails, played with kids...and on and on). They should not ever give me steroids. ROIDS!!!!  Anyway, the actual abraxane infusion is only 30 minutes. When they give you the Abraxane they cover your hands and feet in ice packs since it tends to cause bad neuropathy in extremities. Here's a photo of me in those.


So once I was finished by 11AM, I had to stay until 3pm so we could continue to apply the cold caps to my scalp. My scalp got very numb and it wasn't every very uncomfortable. They give you a nice warm electric blanket to keep you warm.  I will tell you though that given everything I have been through I can handle a lot. It's like "oh you want me to do what?...yeah, bring it on"... So we'll see how this goes. I plan to do it this first month but given that my infusion is so short I would kind of rather just lose my hair and wear my wig. I'm taking it to my hair girl to have it touched up so it doesn't look like last time with that thick bang fringe and all one color. I have highlights now so it needs to look somewhat the same...

I got a nice visit from another stage IV cancer thriver Paige and it was so awesome to finally meet her in person and give her a hug. We have a lot in common and I hope we can rely on each other for years and years and years while we go through this journey and raise our little ones. Love you Paige!!

I was so thrilled to start the transition back to a normal diet. I did yesterday, however, re-read portions of Keith Block's "Life Over Cancer" book and am adhering to a strict diet while off the fast. Anything I can do to shrink this cancer and get it gone for good I am doing.

Over and out.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Day One

Day one of fast went great. 1200 calories today. I like the food. I feel like an astronaut since it is all dehydrated...all you do is add water and voila - soup. Days two, three and four are only 300 calories. Hopefully you don't find me out in the yard trying to eat bark off the tree.... Leaving for MD Anderson tomorrow afternoon. Poor David is really scuuuurrreeeed to travel with me while fasting....

Monday, January 13, 2014

Deja vu

Yes, it's 2014 but I'm going back in time to 2010. I'm going back on IV chemotherapy. The Afinitor/Aromasin combination did not work for me. The Xeloda worked much better because I had shrinkage of the liver tumors and lymph nodes but moderate progression in the bones. When I left MD Anderson in October, three months ago, they seemed confident that this new FDA approved drug has been working "very" well for many people with advanced stage disease and that it should work for me. I feel it made mine worse. The results from the scans last week showed progression in the bones, lymph and liver (including NEW fucking lesions in the liver). Dr. McAndrew feels that it could possibly be two different "populations" of cancer - one that is ER+ and another that we haven't biopsied and identified yet. It has been a whirlwind period since Friday when I got the news and immediately went on the attack to find information to save my life.

As a reminder that is exactly what I am trying to do - SAVE MY LIFE. This is serious business. This is all hands on deck. I don't understand why the cancer likes my body so much. Guess what cancer? You are not welcome. To adapt one of my favorite lines from the Princess Bride: "My name is Jessica Berman. You killed my livelihood. Prepare to die"...

Here are updates:
  • I got my port installed this morning. This was almost, but not quite, as horrific an experience as last time. This time I got to use the fluoroscope machine for placement but the problem is that the last port caused scarring and damage to the veins in my arm. I requested the best doctor at the procedure center since I didn't trust Wittanable who did it last time (and of course who do you think they scheduled me with for the procedure, yep, Wittanable). Through this process I have learned to be my own advocate (so sorry to hurt your feelings Dr. W) but I wasn't going to let him install this port. I was told Dr. Ng was the best and after much waiting he was who placed the port. He tried for quite a long time, it just wasn't going through. It kept getting stuck in my clavicle/shoulder area. Well, he tried a few wires and yanked my arm a bit and got it through. If he hadn't I would have been cut open for nothing and then got scheduled for port placement in the operating room under anesthesia. Thank the Lord for watching over me in there today.
  • Due to the port being in a tight vein or having that difficulty they are placing me on the lowest dose of coumadin. Did you know coumadin is controversial at these low doses as to its efficacy and was originally a form of rat poison? Yippee.
  • I have also worked tirelessly with the help of several people to get in contact with Dr. Valter Longo regarding his study for fasting while receiving IV chemotherapy to increase efficacy and reduce side effects of treatment. Over the course of Friday evening with the help of my sorority sister Karen, and two friends Rebecca and Liz through connections at USC and CHLA I was able to 1) learn about the study; 2) learn I didn't qualify (from which I sank into a black hole) and then 30 minutes later 3) learn that Dr. Longo and his registered dietitian on the study would guide me through the study without being a participant in the actual NCI study. I cried tears of joy and was shaking because of that stupid roller coaster. It is emotionally suspenseful and exhausting. One minute you are running to catch the bus but...crap, you hopped on the wrong bus, get off and a free luxury shuttle offer you a free ride to save the day. STRESSFUL.
  • I am now meeting the RD to go over the fasting protocol and will then start the fast tomorrow.
  • I have done all the work and paid for the penguin cold cap therapy to try during my infusions so I can keep my hair. At this point I don't really care that much about my hair, I felt fine with the wig last time but I think the more I stay looking the same the less the kids will be curious and concerned about my treatment.
  • I am flying Wednesday late afternoon to Houston for a Thursday AM appointment at MD Anderson to seek a second opinion on the next course of treatment. Dr. McAndrew recommended Abraxane (over Gemzar, Halaven, Navalbene, and Exempra). 
  • I am not interested in getting into a stage 2 or 3 trial. I am more interested in the tried and true drugs that have proven to kick the crap out of cancer's butt (even though the side effects are more challenging).
  • I think the oophorectomy isn't needed any more. I am still doing the lupron injections in the meantime to suppress the ovaries. Still waiting for an opinion on that. 
  • I'm wondering if there is a way to biopsy the bone lesions to see if the cancer has changed receptors or form thus the liver lesions responding to treatment but the bone lesions increasing their activity. 
  • As a result of all this research, emailing, phone calls, scheduling, surgery, emotional roller coaster that causes fatigue and mild depression I haven't spent much time with the kids and it makes me crazy. I miss them and wish I could get this resolved so I can focus on what REALLY matters to me. This family. These kids. 
  • I am scheduled for my first infusion this Friday at 8:30AM at Tower with the cold caps but not entirely sure which chemo I will be having...The infusion with cold cap therapy can take 8 hours. I will be there all day. Another day away from the kids AND after being gone Wednesday through Thursday. I hope I have time and feel well enough (strike that) - I plan to be with them for dinner Thursday night and sing silly songs before bed. 
There was this weird moment where I was stretching in the operating room while waiting for the doctor today. I thought gosh, I really feel great. I already feel better after stopping the A/A combo. The soreness and aches in my bones is getting better and my mouth sores have cleared up. You could go on in your life while cancer is growing inside and feel just amazing. It's the treatments and drugs that makes you so ill. They kill you to try to kill the cancer. Either the cancer dies or you do. It seemed that simple to me in that moment. Well, fuck you cancer. Prepare to die. I'm not going anywhere.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Natural disasters...

I have this strange obsession with movies about the end of the world. I'm talking about crazy, natural disasters that expose what it means to be part of mankind. Movies that make you feel that you are really only a small, insignificant piece of a vast and expanding universe. For some reason, this gives me a macabre sense of peace because if anyone were to die this way, it wouldn't matter who, if anyone, was rich or poor; smart or dumb, good or evil, sick or healthy...

Some of my favorite disaster movies are 2012; the Day After Tomorrow; and Deep Impact. Of course there is also my go to science fiction favorites like Contact, Independence Day and my absolute newest favorite, Gravity. There's an element of surprise to a swift exit like a natural disaster. No drawn out good byes or lengthy fights for survival. It feels totally random who lives and who dies. The wrath of mother nature instead of the wrath of years and years of chemotherapy and the like...

Really, what I have is a certain preoccupation with death and dying; and what that means about life and living.  In these movies there are two types of reactions; those that stay and wait to let the disaster take them from this life. As in those that see the wall of water or flying meteor coming and embrace those they love for impact. Or there are those that run away towards safety hoping with every fiber of their being to survive.

How appropriate that as I start to sit and type this blog entry about my preoccupation with dying that on the TV in the background is "Meet Joe Black"... Another movie I really enjoy.  Death as a kid in a suit.

William Parrish: It's hard to let go, isn't it?
Joe Black: Yes it is, Bill.
William Parrish: What can I tell you? That's life.... 
William Parrish: Should I be afraid?
Joe Black: Not a man like you.  
William Parrish: It's not what you say about Drew, it's what you don't say.
Susan Parrish:  Maybe you're not listening.
William Parrish: Oh yes, I am. There's not an ounce of excitement. Not a whisper of a thrill. This relationship has all the passion of a pair of tit mice. I want you to get swept away out there. I want you to levitate. I want you to sing with rapture and dance like a Dervish.
Susan Parrish: Oh, that's all?
William Parrish: Yeah. Be deliriously happy or at least leave yourself open to be.
Susan Parrish: Okay. Be deliriously happy. I shall... uhh... I shall do my utmost.
William Parrish: I know it's a cornball thing, but love is passion. Obsession. Someone you can't live without. I say fall head over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy, and who'll love you the same way back. How do you you find 'em? Well, you forget your head and you listen to your heart. I'm not hearing any heart. Because the truth is, honey, there's no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love, well, you haven't lived a life at all. But you have to try, because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived.

I think that what's so difficult for me is that I am not actually afraid of the death and dying part. Dying means letting go and resting in peace. I am more afraid of what I will be missing when I am gone. I still want to have some control over things here that are important to me!!!  I have been very blessed and privileged in this life. There are things I will miss dearly. I'm not talking about the creature comforts even though they have been most wonderful. The most important thing I will miss is being with this family. Being with my kids and watching them grow up. I so desperately want to be involved in their lives as long as possible. To teach them. To be there when they ask "why" and "why not"...To help them form into little empathetic, intelligent, and compassionate people that can make respectable decisions. Help them learn. Help them find their passions. Watch them make mistakes. See who their friends are. See who they become. See what their interests are. Watch them fall in love. Watch them build their own lives and achieve their own successes and failures. I want to be William Parrish telling his daughter Susan to seek passion and love and happiness.

What provides me some peace is that I know I have lived and continue to live my life doing things and being with people that make me happy. I worked hard in school despite the usual hiccups like mean girls, hormones and boy drama to graduate high school and go to college. I worked hard in college to get the right internship, the right degrees and the right job post graduation. I sacrificed fun, good relationships, various opportunities trying to make my way in the world and to find out what did and didn't make me happy. I am still working on that today. I fell in love a couple of times, I broke hearts and got mine broken too. I learned to take care of myself. I got lucky sometimes but I worked hard too. I learned that I didn't "need" a man to make it in this world but that I wanted one to share this life with.  I got married and had three wonderful babies. I experienced grief and pain beyond anything I could have imagined when we lost our son. At the same time I gave thanks that I had a beautiful little girl that needed me to help ease that pain. Oh I how love watching her grow into this independent, curious little being. And then to be blessed with another son, how amazing. Even though he might struggle in this life I know that he will overcome his difficulties and shine to become a brave little warrior. I hope that as I march down this path as a warrior myself that I impart that spirit and drive into my children. Don't give up. I love knowing that they will always have each other for support too.

At this moment I wonder about the quality of life I will continue to have during treatment. When I learned over a year ago about a local woman who passed away from cancer after an 11 year fight I kept thinking, is that what it is going to be for me? Will this be a decade or more of fight? Could I be so lucky? Could I endure it? How exhausting. How exhausted she must have been. Right to the very end. Fighting. Struggling. Hoping. And then eventually knowing that it was the end. No more tomorrows.

I keep asking myself. Who will I be? The person who stops and watches the disaster take place? Or the one who runs up the mountain hoping to survive? I already know the answer.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Health in 2014

Happy New Year!

I have to say that it is nice to eat healthy, be sober and exercise regularly. Then when people ask you if you have any resolutions you don't have to stretch to anything too demanding or pie-in-the-sky. What I would wish for more than anything in 2014 is for great health. My goal is to become NED, which is an acronym for "no evidence of disease".  Since my last post I have just stayed very busy with life, the usual things plus the addition of holidays, hanukkah and Thanksgiving that bled into Abby's birthday celebration at school then our trip to New York and then Leo's birthday celebrations at school and at home followed by Christmas and New Years...it has been very busy.

I have started to utilize the Stage IV message boards on the breastcancer.org website and they have been a god-send. It is so wonderful to connect with women who understand what it is like to live with this disease and all the various treatments. They offer advice, what has and hasn't worked for them, they check in on other members that are actively posting but then disappear for sometime (all of us having the same fear that perhaps they aren't posting anymore for the worst possible reason) and support each other. They share hopes and joys, tips and experiments and research, research, and research. I have been pouring over a ton of research that is a result of information I find on these boards. Thank you!!

Each member that posts on the boards has to have a profile. The profile lists your medical information and will look like something like this:

Dx 7/10/2012, IDC, 6cm+, Stage IIIa, Grade 3, 2/2 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2+Dx 8/2013, IDC, Stage IV, mets, ER+Surgery Mastectomy (Right); Lymph Node Removal: Sentinel Lymph Node Dissection (Right)Chemotherapy 09/11/2012 Adriamycin, Cytoxan, TaxolTargeted Therapy 11/01/2012 HerceptinRadiation Therapy 02/28/2013 ExternalHormonal Therapy 05/28/2013 TamoxifenRadiation Therapy 09/09/2013 ExternalSurgery 10/17/2013 Prophylactic Ovary Removal (Both)Chemotherapy 11/01/2013 TaxotereTargeted Therapy 11/01/2013 Perjeta
OR

Mother of 2 - Daughter age 6, Son age 3; Liver mets
Dx 7/24/2012, IDC, Stage IV, Grade 3, 7/17 nodes, mets, ER+/PR-, HER2-Surgery 08/02/2012 Mastectomy (Left); Lymph Node Removal: Axillary Lymph Node Dissection (Left)Chemotherapy 09/11/2012 Adriamycin, Cytoxan, TaxolRadiation Therapy 01/21/2013 ExternalHormonal Therapy 03/01/2013 TamoxifenSurgery 03/20/2013 Prophylactic Ovary Removal (Both)
OR
Dx 03/2013 @ 36 years old, Stage IV inflammatory breast cancer, triple negative, mets to brain, lung, liver, bone. Doing this for my amazing hubby and 2 kids (5 and 1 years old)
Chemotherapy 04/01/2013 Abraxane, carboplatinSurgery 08/09/2013 Mastectomy (Left); Lymph Node Removal: Axillary Lymph Node Dissection (Left)Chemotherapy 08/19/2013 TaxotereTargeted Therapy 08/19/2013 HerceptinTargeted Therapy 08/19/2013 PerjetaRadiation Therapy 08/20/2013 ExternalRadiation Therapy 10/22/2013 3-D conformal external beam radiationChemotherapy 11/25/2013 Xeloda
OR
Stage 4 in 2009, mets to liver, lungs, bones, and brain.
Dx 8/12/2002, IDC, 1cm, Stage IIb, 3/12 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-Dx 4/2/2007, IDC, 1cm, Stage II, ER+/PR+, HER2-Dx 9/1/2009, IDC, Stage IV, mets, ER+/PR+, HER2-Chemotherapy 10/01/2002 Adriamycin, CytoxanChemotherapy 01/01/2003 TaxolHormonal Therapy 05/01/2003 TamoxifenRadiation Therapy 05/01/2003 ExternalSurgery 05/01/2007 Mastectomy (Both)Chemotherapy 06/01/2007 Cytoxan, fluorouracil, methotrexateSurgery 05/01/2008 Reconstruction: Tissue expander placement, Latissimus Dorsi flap (Both)Targeted Therapy 09/01/2009 AvastinChemotherapy 09/01/2009 AbraxaneHormonal Therapy 06/01/2010 FemaraChemotherapy 09/01/2011 XelodaHormonal Therapy 01/01/2012 FaslodexChemotherapy 06/01/2012 NavelbineChemotherapy 05/01/2013 GemzarHormonal Therapy 06/01/2013 AromasinTargeted Therapy 08/01/2013 AfinitorChemotherapy 10/28/2013 Halaven
This is my profile:
Dx 9/18/2010, IDC, 6cm+, Stage IIIc, Grade 3, 15/19 nodes, ER+/PR-, HER2-Dx 9/28/2012, IDC, 1cm, Stage IV, ER+/PR-, HER2-Chemotherapy 09/01/2010 Cytoxan, Epirubicin, fluorouracilChemotherapy 01/07/2011 carboplatin, TaxolSurgery 03/11/2011 Reconstruction: Breast implant (permanent) (Left)Surgery 04/11/2011 Mastectomy (Left); Lymph Node Removal: Axillary Lymph Node Dissection (Left); Reconstruction: Tissue expander placement (Left)Radiation Therapy 06/07/2011 ExternalChemotherapy 06/07/2011 XelodaHormonal Therapy 09/03/2011 TamoxifenHormonal Therapy 10/25/2013 AromasinTargeted Therapy 10/25/2013 Afinitor

I have been living in the dark as far as the cancer details go. I haven't been reading my reports. I remember Dr. Mao telling me of studies where researchers told various cancer patients that they were either fine or not on a piece of paper (even though they were all in the same health position) and those that were told good news went on to be happier and do better that those who were given the (fake) bad news. I am so conflicted. I decided a few weeks ago to read my report after I got a call from my oncologist saying that my tumor markers are still on the up tick. Apparently they are still rising but the rate at which they are rising seems to be slowing some (but not enough in her opinion). I am scheduled for scans on January 8th. 

I tried going up to the 7.5mg of Afinitor and I can't do it. The mouth sores come back after two or three days. I had such a great time finally meeting and spending quality time with another Stage IV survivor Stefanie, whom I had previously talked to when I was first diagnosed with mets and who seriously scared the bejesus out of me back then...but she is the most radiant, spiritual and beautiful person inside and out and I'm thrilled to have her in my corner.  She was just diagnosed with her third recurrence and before she decided to try the Afinitor/Aromasin ("A/A") combo she connected with other Stage IV women who had provided a list of pros and cons. I am so happy that she sent me that list because I learned that some women were having good results on the A/A combo and on the 5mg dose. SO...I emailed Dr. McAndrew and my MD Anderson oncologist Dr. Moulder and asked what dose I should be on. Dr. Moulder came back with 5mg. Dr. McAndrew came back with 7.5mg because she thought that I wanted to up my dose from 5mg....ugh. I am NOT the medical professional here. I want to kill cancer but I also want quality of life. I'm certainly not qualified to make decision on my medications so why does why leave it up to me?!?!? Anyway, I've also noticed wheezing in my lungs while on the A/A combo and according to the list of A/A combo women some experience lung damage (a major side effect listed is lung and/or breathing problems) so why if I am already having wheezing would I want to up the dose? So yeah, I'm staying on the 5mg and if it isn't working (I'll know end of next week) then we are switching to some kind of chemotherapy instead of "targeted" therapy like A/A.
I have been having a lot of bone pain. I have been walking a ton as my regular exercise. I haven't done much ballet or anything else. With the kids being out of school it is much simpler to walk with them or bike with them to keep in shape and keep them entertained at the same time. When I saw Dr. McAndrew and told her about the bone pain she immediately ordered a bone scan. I had that right before Christmas. Merry Christmas! The scans showed that there wasn't much change from the Pet/CT I had 2 months ago and that the smaller lesions that showed on the scan didn't show on the Bone Scan. I think that is good news but I can't tell for sure; Dr. McAndrew called when I had just fallen asleep so I can't remember the whole conversation. Typical. However, something I learned through Stefanie's list and through my message boards is that the second A in the A/A combo, aromasin causes major joint and bone aches. That made me feel so much better. It's very disheartening when every little bone or muscle ache gets immediately attributed to the big C.  Instead, it could be one of the many medications I took and am taking that could cause me to feel like a centenarian. 
I sat down and printed out a diagram of a skeleton plus a detailed diagram of the spinal cord anatomy to understand where the lesions are in my body. Here is what I have in my report and what I should change my message board profile to read:
BONES:Right ScapulaRight 7th RibPelvisSymphysis PubisBilateral Hips (i.e. both hips)Bilateral Femora (i.e. both femurs)Thoracic Spine T4, T6, T12Lumbar Spine: L2, L3, L5Cervical Spine: C4 
LIVER AND LYMPH:Liver - dome of right hepatic lobe; medial segment of left hepatic lobe; caudate lobeLymph - retroperitoneal, mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes
When I meditate and pray I am going to envision each of these areas being clear and NED. It's not pretty. There are so many little lesions in the bones. It really freaks me out. 
I am scheduled to have an oophorectomy on January 27th. We are going to use information from the scans on the 8th to determine if I should proceed with the surgery. Dr. McAndrew feels that if I am not having success with the targeted therapies (that is the drugs that work to bind to the hormone receptors of the cancer cells) then perhaps the cancer has become resistant to these drugs and to the hormones so surgery would be unnecessary. On the one hand, yay that I get to keep my ovaries and perhaps leave my hormones alone, stop taking lupron and attempt to get my hormones in balance; on the other hand, boo that these targeted hormone therapy drugs aren't working on me since they can have the least side effects. Such a mixed bag. I have this feeling deep down that getting my hormones in check might actually help my body. Estrogen keeps bones strong. I have lesions in my bones. I need strong bones. BUT if estrogen is feeding the cancer that is in my bones then WTF choice do I have but to get rid of all estrogen in my body? Ugh. Time to head back to MD Anderson as well...I have so many questions. I've also heard about a study that showed that for women with late stage breast cancer treatment with Estradiol, yes oestrogen (synthetic estrogen) can shrink the cancer and then re-sensitize the cancer cells to hormonal therapy. I've found some people on the message boards that this has worked for as well. I'm compiling a list of questions and studies that I will present to both McAndrew and Moulder for their thoughts as well... I'm also getting in with Dr. Kenneth Conklin to review supplements that help combat the side effects of treatment; this will also be followed up with a visit to Dr. Keith Block at the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment. I've wanted to go for about three years and NOW is the time.
2014 is going to be the year that I get this disease in check. Happy New Year!!