Zombie knows this is a ZOMBIE THREAD but it's her ZOMBIE THREAD and she'll resurrect it if she wants to. She was looking for something else when she came across this and realised she should probably update with what's happened over the last couple of years.
She will pretend to be a real person who knows how to speak properly for the purposes of this update.
In February 2014 I began another journey with breast cancer. A mammogram showed a problem in my remaining breast. Scans and biopsies confirmed that this time the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes. I had another mastectomy (this time with a full node clearance) on 17 April 2014.
It was confirmed that this was NOT a recurrence of my previous breast cancer as the hormone receptor statuses were different. 6 of the 19 lymph nodes that were removed were affected by the cancer. After further scans it was confirmed that the cancer had also spread to my liver.
In June 2014 I started a course of Docetaxel, a highly effective but particularly nasty chemotherapy. I ended up in isolation in hospital a few days after my first course of 'Tax' with a life threateningly low neutrophil (a type of white blood cell) level. (Normal range is 2.0 - 6.0 and mine fell to 0.1.) I was given injections to stimulate my bone marrow which worked like a charm.
The dosage of my 'Tax' was adjusted and I got through the remaining 5 cycles. Scans a few weeks after my final treatment showed that the 'Tax' had also shrunk the liver tumours to the point they were no longer visible. This was late October / early November 2014. I was started on a regime of Herceptin and a hormone regulating drug. Scans 3 months after that revealed that the liver tumours had regrown and were larger than before. My oncologist immediately changed my treatment to TDM1, also known as Kadcyla. TDM1 is Heceptin to which a chemotherapy drug has been attached. When the Herceptin locks on to a cancer cell the chemo is released directly into the cell.
I don't like it when they change my treatment. My first cycle of TDM1 was in late March and I was back in hospital a few days later when I began running a temperature. The bad news was I had an infection. The good news was that my body was dealing with it. YAY immune system!! After my next treatment I ran a temperature again. I had another infection (pneumonia) but this time my body wasn't dealing with it. I was in hospital for 5 weeks as I had complication after complication. I was delirious for at least 3 of those 5 weeks. Literally overnight my weight went up from 59k to 68.4k. It was all fluid retention. 21 fucking pounds of fluid. The Michelin man had nothing on Zombie. This caused heart problems, further lung problems and was generally crap. I was finally discharged in early June 2015. I was still weak as water and it took a couple of months to fully recover. I started back on the TDM1 at a reduced dose in July and have had no further problems with it since then.
I was also referred to the Liver Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham to be assessed for possible surgical treatment. I saw them in mid-April (between cycles 1 & 2 of the TDM1) and was scheduled for a liver resection on 26 May 2015. As I was otherwise occupied with delirium I missed that slot.
I was referred back to the QEHB and saw them in October. I had the liver resection on (Friday!!) 13 November 2015. I was sent home 96 hours after the surgery. I see my surgeon next week. I'm waiting for an appointment with my oncologist to decide when to re-start the TDM1.
Just to be perfectly clear: I cannot be cured. Once cancer has spread to a distant site it is circulating in either the lymph system / blood system / both. Any of those circulating cells could find a new home and grow a new tumour. All treatment for the last 18 months and all treatment for the rest of my life is palliative treatment. Its sole purpose is to keep me alive and to maintain my quality of life for as long as possible.
In one of those funny old ways of the world, the last 2 years have also been the best of my life. Just under 2 years ago I got in touch with my son. I'd not seen him in 30 years. The backstory to this can be found here. Long story short - I went to see him last November and he came here for a fortnight in August this year. We skype constantly. We have the most incredible relationship ever.
I am blessed.