tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66203825098701917552024-03-12T19:54:19.393-05:00Aymz BlogA place to share my thoughts while I deal with my Stage IV metastatic breast cancer.aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.comBlogger272125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-59852045574222365302015-07-19T11:49:00.003-05:002015-07-19T11:55:54.030-05:00This is Amy's husband Jesse..<br />
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It saddens me to say that Amy lost her battle with Metastatic Breast Cancer on June 13, 2015 at 11:24 AM.<br />
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If you would like to donate to our family please go to the following link. Any donation would be greatly appreciated.<br />
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<a href="http://www.gofundme.com/amycancerfund" target="_blank">Amy's Cancer Fund</a><br />
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Thank youaymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-10374020865633952172015-04-15T19:23:00.001-05:002015-04-15T19:23:14.903-05:00LBBC Conference and ChemoI went to the Living Beyond Breast Cancer Conference in Philadelphia, PA this weekend. There were a few good speakers, some interesting vendors, and some interesting new metsters (people with metastatic breast cancer) to meet. I was worried about handling the flight, but managed it without too much trouble.<br />
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Today, I had like my 4th or 5th Halavan chemo treatment. It started out with me getting sick, but they quickly got that under control and the rest of it went smoothly. I now have to get a pre-liver panel done and three post neupogen shots(for low white blood cells). Hopefully this stuff is working.<br />
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The also increased my pain meds to three Oxycotin doses a day and told me to take the liquid morphine when I got to level 5 pain instead of 8. This is is in an effort to better control my stomach pain.aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-24237068536666752552015-03-25T20:06:00.001-05:002015-03-25T20:06:23.827-05:00Long Awaited Blog EntryOk, here is your long awaited and highly requested blog entry. This month I had my Y90 mapping and infusion done. This is the process where they plant little gelatin capsules full of radiation into my liver via a blood vessel in my leg. It is a highly targeted radiation and mainly only damages tumor material and leaves the good liver material in tact. This was finished up last Monday and I was supposed to have a week of "real bad flu like systems". I can't say I ever had those, but I definitely felt pretty out of it and had some serious issues with my stomach and eating. I lost about 20 lbs over the past few weeks. I'm just now getting back to where I can somewhat normal again.<br />
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I also, over the past few weeks started a new chemo called, Halovan. My first round was a bit too strong and wiped out my entire immune system. I had to go get 4 days worth of Neupogen shots to boost it back up last time. At the same time, Jesse was busy bringing in a bad "sinus infection/bronchitis like thing" for me to get. Thanks for the prayers, I managed to dodge this somehow and never got sick! No way I dodged that without them! Besides the immune system dropping out on me, I had very few noticeable side effects from the chemo. It seemed to only effect immune system and give me some mouth sores.<br />
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I had to go to to the ER this weekend due to stomach pain. They had to break down and give me some liquid morphine and experiment a little with my Oxycontin to see what would help. We found doubling it makes me a zombie, and are currently just using the morphine for break through pain.<br />
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I had my second chemo round today, hopefully I won't have too many side effects. aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-7678114469249431942015-01-25T19:31:00.001-06:002015-01-25T19:31:18.594-06:00DecisionsBig decisions to be made this week. I have an appointment with my local oncologist on Wednesday and one at MD Anderson on Thursday. I'm hoping to get some recommendations so I can come home and make some decisions. <br />
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I'm actually ready to be back on treatment because it's always pretty painful being off of it. The last few days I've been dealing with some pretty serious pain in my tailbone. aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-42683247782879949922015-01-05T11:12:00.002-06:002015-01-05T11:12:47.165-06:00Liver BiopsyI just realized I haven't updated my blog in quite a while and thought that maybe I should. A lot has happened since the last entry. The scans came back showing progression in the liver and ovaries.<br />
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After a discussion with my local oncologist, we agreed that a liver biopsy was the next best course of action. The liver has been unresponsive to all treatments this year, leading us to believe that the receptor status may have changed. A liver biopsy will confirm receptor status and also check for some other subtypes that may qualify me for some new clinical trials. <br />
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The biopsy is scheduled for Thursday this week. I spoke to them and it sounds rather straight forward and simple. They will simple make a small incision, and do a core biopsy using a small cylindrical tube about the size of a pen. The tissue obtained will be tested for ER, PR, HER2, Androgen, FGFR, and GPNMB. There are several trials the local oncologist has that I may qualify for after the biopsy results are in.<br />
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I also plan to make a trip down to MD Anderson to get a second opinion on treatment options at this point. This is sort of a critical point, because if I choose to do a treatment involving chemo, I'll be on my 3rd chemo. Many trials will not take you if you have had more than 3 types of chemo.aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-40490993085306989132014-12-21T22:07:00.001-06:002014-12-21T22:07:55.265-06:00Preparing for scan results<p dir="ltr">I'm sitting here trying to mentally prepare myself for the phone call I have to make tomorrow.  I had scans done last Wednesday and still haven't received a phone call with the results.  My Scanxiety is at it's peak tonight.  I'm hoping that the results are good again so I can continue on this trial.  It really gets hard sometimes to come up with the courage to deal with things some days.  Prayers welcome.</p>
aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-25866717613758113082014-11-11T18:39:00.001-06:002014-11-11T18:39:24.784-06:00Chemo #11 completeI completed my 11th round of chemo today. I had my day changed to Tuesday on the weeks I don't have to see the doctor. Mondays have become rather busy and what should take a couple of hours was becoming an all day ordeal. The change turned out to be a good one and we were in and out in a much more reasonable amount of time today. I took my step mother, Christine, with me and enjoyed catching up with her during treatment. I've only been home a few hours, but other than being a little tired, I'm feeling well.<br />
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Thursday, I'm flying out to DC for the advocacy project lead training. I'm sure I mentioned previously. I'm looking forward to it, but a little nervous about going alone. Once I get there, I have an assigned roommate who is going to be in the same program. I haven't met her yet, but think it will be nice to meet another like minded person who wants to make things better for those who have this crappy disease. Christine Benjamin, from SHARE where I'll be volunteering soon as a helpline person, will be there also, along with some others from her organization.<br />
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Sunday, I'll be returning to DFW around 5ish and driving down to Houston so we can get on our cruise. The cruise leaves Monday morning out of Galveston. I'm really looking forward to it.<br />
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Scans to see how the trial and chemo are working are not going to be required until January. I'm relieved and annoyed both by this. It means I don't have to deal with it until after the holidays, but I'll still worry because I won't have scans to tell me it's working. Always something to worry about with this disease I guess.<br />
<br />aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-5407882364006904822014-11-03T20:11:00.001-06:002014-11-03T20:13:48.217-06:00Abraxane chemo #10 completeAnother successful chemo treatment today without incidence. I felt well enough to go to w<br>
Whole Foods and walk tonight. I'll be getting week 11 on Tuesday next week, if anyone would like to go. I moved to Tuesday because Mondays are getting way too crowded. Next week will be lab and treatment only, so hopefully won't take as long.<br>
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<a href="http://aymzbc.blogspot.com/2014/11/abraxane-chemo-10-complete.html#more">Read more »</a>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-49379193567834251062014-10-14T16:33:00.003-05:002014-10-14T16:33:22.286-05:00Multi-part article on what NOT to say to someone with Metastatic Breast CancerMulti-part article on what not to say. This won't tell you what to say, but it will tell you what to avoid and why. Yes, I hear these things almost every day from someone. <div>
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<a href="http://metathriving.blogspot.com/2014/10/october-8-things-not-to-say-part-1.html?m=1" target="_blank">http://metathriving.blogspot.com/2014/10/october-8-things-not-to-say-part-1.html?m=1</a></div>
aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-65084666755028982392014-10-14T14:53:00.001-05:002014-10-14T14:53:27.992-05:00Coping with other people's reactions to Metastatic Breast Cancer<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xdAY-6Qq_VE" width="560"></iframe>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-5069241080515649662014-10-14T10:10:00.001-05:002014-10-14T10:57:32.508-05:00Metastatic breast cancer landscape report released<div>
A report was released by the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/" target="_blank"><span id="goog_361459611"></span>Metastatic breast cancer alliance<span id="goog_361459612"></span></a> to identify the needs of metastatic breast cancer patients. Hopefully, this is the first step toward things actually improving. The Metastatic breast cancer alliance is an alliance of all the major players in cancer working together. More info can be found on their website (<a href="http://mbcalliance.org/">mbcalliance.org</a>).<a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<a href="http://mbcalliance.org/docs/MBCA_Full_Report_Landscape_Analysis.pdf" target="_blank">Metastatic breast cancer landscape report</a>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-59017284660751629602014-10-06T23:18:00.000-05:002014-10-06T23:18:32.605-05:00Good News and VideoOncologist told me today that my CT and Bone scan indicate stable disease. There is some shrinkage, but not enough to qualify officially as regression. The bone metastasis looks like less to me, but the experts say it has not changed. Either way, lack of PROgression is an awesome thing. If it doesn't grow, it can't kill!<br />
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During chemo today, I recorded the script for this video one of my mets sisters is making. It's a just a script we all read and I guess she plans to compile it all and put it out on you tube to educate. Here's what she asked us to do:<br />
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<a href="http://www.insertboobshere.com/mbc-video/http://www.insertboobshere.com/mbc-video/" target="_blank">http://www.insertboobshere.com/mbc-video/http://www.insertboobshere.com/mbc-video/</a><br />
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Here is my submission of me reading the script:<br />
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<br />aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-90125712845722146752014-09-29T16:28:00.001-05:002014-09-29T16:28:05.975-05:00New estrogen-related breast cancer mechanism detected<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutoXvG_IMF2N4f-01iz0PPMVgNWnN88wxRzh3eiiXnWGeu0gO7AOJOwsGeH-oXQcI-vkkTcCNxqqtgt2yLL0aJ6gsS6vVumehHmT-MBKORZOhc4t31lf3LBuvssvRWluqrIZfEww-vMM/s1600/breast-cancer-cells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutoXvG_IMF2N4f-01iz0PPMVgNWnN88wxRzh3eiiXnWGeu0gO7AOJOwsGeH-oXQcI-vkkTcCNxqqtgt2yLL0aJ6gsS6vVumehHmT-MBKORZOhc4t31lf3LBuvssvRWluqrIZfEww-vMM/s1600/breast-cancer-cells.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #111111; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25.636001586914063px;">A previously unknown breast cancer-enabling mechanism has been discovered by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The team's findings are published in the journal </span><em style="-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; background-color: #fdfdfd; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25.636001586914063px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Oncogene</em><span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #111111; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25.636001586914063px;">.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #111111; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25.636001586914063px;"><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283168.php" target="_blank">Read more</a></span>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-13929965637889340242014-09-28T14:05:00.001-05:002014-09-28T14:05:58.520-05:00Living Beyond Breast Cancer Conference in PhiladelphiaI am heading back from the Living Beyond Breast Cancer Convention in Philly. I really enjoyed the convention, the women, and the speakers. I met a few new people and look forward to staying in touch with them.<br />
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On another note, I just found out the PINK craziness has already begun. Please read/share the following article. It appears that one of my Metastatic sisters was scheduled to appear on the Today show and got cancelled because she has her hair. Seriously?!?<br />
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<h2 class="entry-title" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; clear: both; font-family: lemonde-journal-1, lemonde-journal-2, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 31px; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://thesarcasticboob.com/2014/09/26/open-letter-to-joan-lunden/" rel="bookmark" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Open Letter to Joan Lunden</a></h2>
<div class="entry-meta" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #777777; font-family: lemonde-journal-1, lemonde-journal-2, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Posted on</span> <a href="http://thesarcasticboob.com/2014/09/26/open-letter-to-joan-lunden/" rel="bookmark" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #888888; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="5:19 pm"><span class="entry-date" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">September 26, 2014</span></a><span class="by-author" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute !important; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="sep" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">by</span> <span class="author vcard" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="url fn n" href="http://thesarcasticboob.com/author/susanhamson/" rel="author" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #888888; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="View all posts by Scorchy">Scorchy</a></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BwBhRbn72-z1Q6tTi1DnmuU97lfgSFH9e1ECKN3IXQKN2gHsVqiGBwX3kKESPoEsxIjH9aXFObX2s69-D3XVdqmrtwWMRFo6_asnboBmB4yIaG2_8v53D_dD0ZagpdW2313im7TTcnI/s1600/capture2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BwBhRbn72-z1Q6tTi1DnmuU97lfgSFH9e1ECKN3IXQKN2gHsVqiGBwX3kKESPoEsxIjH9aXFObX2s69-D3XVdqmrtwWMRFo6_asnboBmB4yIaG2_8v53D_dD0ZagpdW2313im7TTcnI/s1600/capture2.jpg" height="200" width="154" /></a></div>
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Dear Ms. Lunden,</div>
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You are an inspiration to many women and, rightfully or not, by virtue that you developed this disease you shine a spotlight on women with breast cancer. To support one of your upcoming reports on the TODAY show, a friend was contacted to be on the show to talk about metastatic breast cancer. Well, she thought she was, but what TODAY show producers wanted, it turns out, was a sea of<em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">exclusively bald women</em> for a backdrop. When they learned she had hair, they told her not to show . <a href="http://thesarcasticboob.com/2014/09/26/open-letter-to-joan-lunden/" target="_blank">Read More</a></div>
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aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-34933510307372375922014-09-23T02:41:00.001-05:002014-09-23T02:41:00.960-05:00Experts issue plea for better research and education for advanced breast cancerRead more by clicking below:<br /><br />
<a href="http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-09-experts-issue-plea-advanced-breast.html" target="_blank">Experts issue plea for better research and education for advanced breast cancer</a>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-53498582688323532862014-09-23T00:13:00.000-05:002014-09-23T00:14:23.082-05:00Insomnia's Best Friend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cf2adESYNivwrUEQ70gKuKCC-NOIokYBbTyLfPIcfD1eF-yCUpWW5YkH9qyxWeUZPnudkfT6m0h4FGu96zyXvcd0HGJgx-td_ey4H8Op6jDGHp-E9qGfqWJ8btJm6KjEybBbCJ-BL2s/s1600/IVDecadron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cf2adESYNivwrUEQ70gKuKCC-NOIokYBbTyLfPIcfD1eF-yCUpWW5YkH9qyxWeUZPnudkfT6m0h4FGu96zyXvcd0HGJgx-td_ey4H8Op6jDGHp-E9qGfqWJ8btJm6KjEybBbCJ-BL2s/s1600/IVDecadron.jpg" height="320" width="240"></a></div>
Over the past 6 chemo treatments that I have completed over the past two months, I have come to a conclusion. IV Decadron, aka generic Dexamethasone, is insomnia's best friend. IV Decadron is a drug they give me prior to my chemo treatment. It is a steroid that is supposed to help reduce side effects. It tends to give me at least a full 48 hours of insomnia despite my best efforts to counter it. For example, tonight, even after dancing with the Lunesta butterfly and taking a muscle relaxant, I am wide awake. <br>
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<a href="http://aymzbc.blogspot.com/2014/09/insomnias-best-friend.html#more">Read more »</a>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-29931318210050751572014-09-15T21:00:00.004-05:002014-09-15T21:00:21.256-05:00Chemo Treatment #5 Completed and Scans Soon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I completed chemo #5 today. I'm getting pretty used to it and not having a lot of extreme side effects anymore, just a few minor annoying ones like: clumsiness from probable mild neuropathy in my hands (I can't seem to hold on to anything), numbness tongue, taste issues with several foods, including red meat, and my endurance is extremely diminished. <br>
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Next Monday will be my 6th chemo and I will completed two "rounds" of 3 chemo treatments. The week after, a CT scan will be done. This scan will give us an idea of whether the chemo is working. The results will show that the tumors on the previous scan (the one I did before the first chemo) have either shrunk or progressed. <br>
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<a href="http://aymzbc.blogspot.com/2014/09/chemo-treatment-5-completed-and-scans.html#more">Read more »</a>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-36742255233182833032014-09-10T11:12:00.002-05:002014-09-10T11:12:24.250-05:00I think I have it bad, and then I read something like thisI think I have it bad, then I read something like this. Grab the kleenex!<br />
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<a href="http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2540087/family-grateful-for-every-extra-day/?cs=303#slide=1" target="_blank">http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2540087/family-grateful-for-every-extra-day/?cs=303#slide=1</a>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-9048384913677772322014-09-10T07:41:00.005-05:002014-09-10T07:41:51.741-05:00Breast cancer inhibitor foundDid a little research on this one and there is already a P38 inhibitor out there currently for Rheumatoid arthritis called <span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12.288000106811523px;">Pamapimod</span>. <br />
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<a href="http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/07/breast-cancer-metastasis-ucsd-wu-karin/" target="_blank">http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/07/breast-cancer-metastasis-ucsd-wu-karin/</a>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-14531815108173989252014-09-02T17:16:00.000-05:002014-09-02T17:16:04.836-05:00I have fought the good fight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoBxOjMBKYYu4EMpC63bIsqmRvHXX3WhTrB5sYle42edGKvZn2WfH7bYaLmpOo5i9_aHiKsum7suhajIuUw6C5RrecOvlaCdAQkm97YLIQ7MN_eF-Gw3tIET9VJN1FQYhOSQuGcM5DAs/s1600/fought+the+fight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoBxOjMBKYYu4EMpC63bIsqmRvHXX3WhTrB5sYle42edGKvZn2WfH7bYaLmpOo5i9_aHiKsum7suhajIuUw6C5RrecOvlaCdAQkm97YLIQ7MN_eF-Gw3tIET9VJN1FQYhOSQuGcM5DAs/s1600/fought+the+fight.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-6288796001548056672014-09-02T14:04:00.000-05:002014-09-02T14:06:41.906-05:00Today's Visit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHj2zfyGlEkHvFHOyEfZc4g4oXhUPOS3oxTkehwGyZT6L9NfDpgGhZVSrIyRdDzUNKH14nK33RbLTMHHnmhvNP3BeG2bdsNF_z438xUOs25_R2vxKT3YaDqnkA4-gHp7hAC4byCyvicsM/s1600/CBC20140902.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHj2zfyGlEkHvFHOyEfZc4g4oXhUPOS3oxTkehwGyZT6L9NfDpgGhZVSrIyRdDzUNKH14nK33RbLTMHHnmhvNP3BeG2bdsNF_z438xUOs25_R2vxKT3YaDqnkA4-gHp7hAC4byCyvicsM/s1600/CBC20140902.png" height="238" width="320"></a></div>
I went in today for blood work. They ran a CBC. My WBC (white blood cells) and LYMPH (lymphocites) are back in the normal range. These are the immune system related stats that were low last week. This time, my HGB and HCT were below normal range. These are the red blood cell stats that cause anemia when low. My HGB is 8.0 and they said when it gets below 8.0, I have to have a blood transfusion. They told me to eat foods high in iron and gave me a list (below). <br>
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<a href="http://aymzbc.blogspot.com/2014/09/todays-visit.html#more">Read more »</a>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-41904192118849423562014-08-30T18:42:00.001-05:002014-08-30T18:44:18.481-05:00Living Beyond Breast Cancer Fall Conference<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIgadu4oBuWnFOnBl5xBPi9CQSwwwT090Gw_c2G9HWQyxrpCitznvWbmwyYmIebw5vSTFv_cgeDBV2ADonAi-tpsTrr0hsQn0cRyBwTUuUslzM4iJLhyZVpj-tvzCChMVVFAB6k2zXiQ/s1600/lbbcfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIgadu4oBuWnFOnBl5xBPi9CQSwwwT090Gw_c2G9HWQyxrpCitznvWbmwyYmIebw5vSTFv_cgeDBV2ADonAi-tpsTrr0hsQn0cRyBwTUuUslzM4iJLhyZVpj-tvzCChMVVFAB6k2zXiQ/s1600/lbbcfall.jpg" height="108" width="320"></a></div>
We got our travel grants and are ready to go to the Living Beyond Breast Cancer Fall Conference.<br>
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<a href="http://aymzbc.blogspot.com/2014/08/living-beyond-breast-cancer-fall.html#more">Read more »</a>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-59843482530430220662014-08-30T18:14:00.000-05:002014-08-30T18:42:37.637-05:00Round 1 Abraxane and Neupogen shots completed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wj405a1XrPdqJCOp9jj-5qLN641cqAps28jzSpCPUPFrDGcto2I1Z_QWtPdV2qxsuFopmxzlO7Vk8pbLBiq5Hi8-8XNJfwdqZwUdyqe29yRse0I6xTHJKzSkKAqoCZBlzQLId2pE89Y/s1600/20140830_102655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wj405a1XrPdqJCOp9jj-5qLN641cqAps28jzSpCPUPFrDGcto2I1Z_QWtPdV2qxsuFopmxzlO7Vk8pbLBiq5Hi8-8XNJfwdqZwUdyqe29yRse0I6xTHJKzSkKAqoCZBlzQLId2pE89Y/s1600/20140830_102655.jpg" height="240" width="320"></a></div>
Round 1 of the Abraxane is complete. The combination of Anakinra (the trial drug which also effects the immune system) and the Abraxane took a major toll on my immune system. I was forced to take three days of Neupogen shots to force my bones to make more white blood cells. It was rough, but I made it through.<br>
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<a href="http://aymzbc.blogspot.com/2014/08/round-1-abraxane-and-neupogen-shots.html#more">Read more »</a>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-77455282611845958782014-08-26T03:56:00.001-05:002014-08-30T18:43:00.527-05:00Chemo #3 CompletedIt's 3:44 am Tuesday morning and I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd post about today's treatment. I'm still on the trial and giving myself shots every day. I'm starting to get local allergic reactions every time I do it now. They say it's OK to continue and not a big deal. They advised me to use some benedryl creme if it bothered me.<br>
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<a href="http://aymzbc.blogspot.com/2014/08/chemo-3-completed.html#more">Read more »</a>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6620382509870191755.post-54388678419502006332014-08-14T15:09:00.002-05:002014-08-14T15:10:26.804-05:00Abraxane InsertI found the actual insert that comes with the chemo drug they have me on, Abraxane (aka nab paclitaxol). It sounds pretty nasty on paper.<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.accessdata.fda.gov%2Fdrugsatfda_docs%2Flabel%2F2012%2F021660s031lbl.pdf" target="_blank">FULL PRESCRIBING INFORMATION ABRAXANE® for Injectable Suspension (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound)</a>aymztxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01554406964759584826noreply@blogger.com0