Travels with Zombie - Chemo Cycle 2 and beyond

[IamtheZombie]

The previous thread is approaching capacity so just preparing this one.

Link to previous thread here

Hi Zombie, hope you have had a couple of good days. No sun here either, just a miserable dull day. I think summertime has ended, but hopefully October will be extra nice for us all. Hope your side affects how now diminished and you are feeling more like yourself. Has Zombieson heard about his job yet ?

Hi mummy. I've felt fairly well, just tired. I've not spoken with DS since Thursday so don't have any more news yet.

I couldn't fall asleep when I went to bed last night. The phone number of an old friend back in Virginia popped into my mind and wouldn't go away. It's always been a bit of a joke between us that for some reason his number is permanently etched somewhere in my memory banks.

I got back up around 2.00am and called him. I got a huge shock when he told me that he was diagnosed 6 weeks ago with pleural mesothelioma (one of the nastiest cancers there is) and had just had his second cycle of chemo. The irony is that he is the author of what has been the best selling textbook on pharmacology for nursing students in the US for the past 20+ years. His cancer has an extremely poor prognosis.

I'm now more determined than ever to get back to Virginia for a visit as soon as I can. I'm hoping things will work out so that I can go over in mid-November and be there for Thanksgiving.

I hate this fucking disease.

You must be devastated by this news about your friend. I do so hope that you get to do this trip.
All

That's very sad about your friend Zombie, have also had bad news from an old friend, she went for a mammogram two weeks before me and they picked up cancer, she had an op yesterday , just avoided mastectomy, had it cut out yesterday. She said she had to sleep in a chair last night as she felt so sore, then also yesterday one of my brothers told me he has a skin cancer, then earlier today my sister, who is bi- polar told me it's back with a vengeance after being so stable for about 6 yrs now ! So not a good couple of days really .
I do hope that you get to have your late night chat with your son soon and he has good news.
How strange that you woke and your friends phone number was in your head, I'm sure he was happy to hear from you. Hope you will sleep better tonight

Oh mummy how very sad for you, sending you kind thoughts

Thankyou allalone , my brother will be fine, it's just that when he was young he had hodgkins and so this is another low for him, but he will be ok, hopefully friend will be too, thank god she went for mammogram as she said she has not felt any lump and had no signs at all. My sister iam concerned about, she gets very very low .

A very close friend of mine had Hodgkins, so I really feel for your brother with this extra worry now.
Hope all is well for your sister.

All x

Z sweetheart, glad to hear that you're feeling well, tired can be dealt with.

That connection with certain people can be a real double-edged sword; reassuring and disconcerting at the same time. I imagine your phone-number-friend was extremely pleased and touched to hear from you.

Sorry for sunshine faux pas, it's weirdly hot here, thought it was the same all over.

Seems like we're all having very emotional times; my daughters are rarely here together as one tours for work and the other lives abroad. They've just gone to bed, together, discussing funerals.
One had a second school friend this year die a month ago, funeral last week, the other is here for a friend whose father died suddenly 2 weeks ago, funeral Monday.
I can't tell you how proud I am of the way they're dealing with it; I would just have preferred it if they hadn't had to just yet.

And yesterday the wedding, of a boy/man I've known since he was 2, whose dad died 3 years ago.

Sorry that's a bit of an offload, I thought of deleting, but it was prompted by some of you sharing your worries, so I'll leave it and fx nobody minds.

Zombie, there will be a pompom-waving gang of us, virtual or actual, at the airport when you set off for Virginia in November

Big bunches of and (((hugs))) to everyone.

It seems it's a tough time for a lot of us.

mummy, I hope your friend, your brother and most of all your sister are soon better.

Bee, yes he was. I had a lovely e-mail from him and I think we will be corresponding a lot before my visit.

More bad news tonight. My best friend has got in touch with another friend and me to tell us her partner came home this afternoon and told her he was leaving. Then he packed up and went.

Why does all this bad news come at the same time, seems we all have something going on at the moment. How devastating for your friend to be left like that.
But to get back to you, how have you been today ? Did you do anything nice at all ? It was quite warm today here, but felt very muggy, no rain though. Is it next wed you have your last treatment ?

Hi Zombie, hope you are feeling ok and doing ok. You can nearly see the light at the end of the tunnel now. What an inspiration you are to others going through the same thing. Hope you sleep well tonight .

Hope your trip
Comes off and your friend has lots of wine for her breakup

starts making pompoms <

stops <

what's your favourite colour Zombie
and can I come with you to Virginia?

hope you are feeling better today and I'm guessing you are looking forward to last session!
Is there going to be a party?

BBB

I'm pretty sure Zombie herself said she didn't mind if people share stuff on her threads so you can uncross your fingers!
give big hugs to your girls from me, sorry to hear about loss of loved ones

lin hi and say hello to Owls pls

Very sorry for your friend Zombie, how awful to be left like that. Hopefully you can see her soon.
Hope you're feeling well, and positive about your last chemo session.

Sorry to hear your troubles mummylin, sending love to you and yours.

Hi Zing-a-Ling and thank you

to everyone and for later.

Afternoon!

I'm feeling fairly well. Today is my last day of Ciprofloxacin so my disgestive system should settle down in a day or two. I met a friend for lunch yesterday and that was really nice.

I was in bed by 10.00 last night. Strange night as I woke up every hour on the half hour. Still, I feel refreshed today.

I will ring my friend either tonight or tomorrow morning. She's a real mess right now.

I see my oncologist in a few hours. With only one more cycle of Docetaxel to go I hope to come away with more information about what my further treatment will entail.

ZombieHugs™ to all. xxx

I saw Dr. Gadir today. He's one of my favourite oncologists and is also the one who is now the longest serving member of my oncology team.

He understands fully how tough the Docetaxel is and is pleased with how I'm coping with it.

He has ordered my CT scan for the week commencing 13th October. I learned that the two tumours measured 16mm and 5mm on the MRI. As the results take a couple of weeks to come through we agreed I should ask my BCN to put me on the MDT agenda for 28th October. I will then see Dr. Gadir the first week in November.

He told me that Birmingham are more likely to operate on bowel cancer mets than on breast cancer mets. If there is still evidence of liver mets one option would be to have them burned off. It's complicated as the cancer in my right breast was both hormone and HER2 positive while the most recent cancer in my left breast was hormone negative and HER2 positive. We don't know which one has caused the liver mets. If the tumours haven't disappeared I will ask if they can do a biopsy on them.

This difference in the hormone status also calls into question the efficacy of hormone therapy. I was told to stop the anastrozole (Arimidex) while having chemo. Dr. G wants me to switch to exemestane (Aromasin) starting 3 weeks after the last Docetaxel treatment.

If the Tax has worked on the liver mets I will continue with just the Herceptin and regular scans. If it appears that Herceptin is no longer effective he will prescribe Kadcyla. That's the therapy NICE has just refused to fund. Having researched how it works I'm quite excited about it as a possibility. It combines Herceptin with a cytotoxic agent. The Herceptin attaches to the HER receptors and penetrates the cell. The cytotoxic agent is then released within the cell itself.

He kept telling me that they still have a lot of treatments in reserve. I asked about oral chemo and he said that is way down the line behind other options.

The best news of all is that I have his 100% support for a late November visit to Virginia.

So Zombie Are you saying that you had two different strains of cancer. A different one in each breast ? I don't know how you remember all that they say to you, it all sounds very complicated . What are the options that you hope will happen regarding your treatment ? Should your chemo have banished any cancer cells in your liver ? I do hope so Zombie. You really have faced all this with great courage and still maintained your humour.
I am excited for you that you can go on your travels in November, how lovely that you have something so wonderful to look forward to.

Yes, mummy, because of the difference in hormone status the two cancers are unrelated. I remember because I take copious notes and document everything on here and on FB as I go along.

It all goes well then, yes, hopefully the chemo will have eliminated or at least substantially shrunk the tumours on my liver.

At the moment the best I can hope for is that the chemo has worked to at least some extent on the liver mets. Then I can just continue with the Herceptin and 3 monthly scans to monitor the situation. All the other treatment options will still be available for when they are needed. I just want to be able to live as normal a life as possible for as long as possible.

And we all wish that for you too Zombie

Hey there, Theselittlelights!

Update on son. He's started work. He's ecstatic that we're going to meet in November. We will have our first Skype this weekend.

Heaven. I'm in heaven...

What fabulous news to read regarding your son. What an emotional time that will be for you and for him too. Have you not seen him since he was small ? Roll on November !!!

Oh Zombie, such exciting news, the Skyping - you can introduce him to the ZCats , and the trip in November, just wonderful.

How long will you go for?

Absolutely over the moon for you ((())) xxx

Here's hoping you have had a good day today. Autumnal weather here today, no rain but very dull. It seems an age since you have been for your breakfast Zombie, is MAc D far from you ?