Update

NoTimeForCancer said:

Harmony, so nice to hear from

Harmony, so nice to hear from you.  Glad to hear you are enjoying your day.  To all the mothers out there, and for all the memories those who have lost their mother have, Happy Mother's Day. 

Thank you! I hope you had a a great day too

derMaus said:

I am not a shipwreck

Don't you love the term 'salvage' ? I'm never sure whether it sounds hopeful, or like I'm a shipwreck at the bottom the ocean. I prefer the former. With regard to your second line treatment (pray it's not needed), it would be helpful to know the composition of the original tumor. Did you have geonomic tumor testing done, e.g. Foundation One? Or, does the pathology report from your original surgery have any information about whether the tumor had high microsatellite instability (MSI-H), indicating it may respond to immunotherapy? Or a notation of estrogen or progesterone receptor status, indicating it might respond to horome supressants (such as Cheese and I have). Also, if you're not already taking supplements, you might consider starting curcumin (tumeric) at the minimum. My oncologist says he has patients on up to as much as 2-4 grams/day. If you do take it, be very careful to get the kind that absorbs properly as many don't.

Thank you derMaus! I don't remember all the results from the original tumor, and since I am no longer with the 1st oncologist, I can't get on the MyChart site to review the information. It's on my list of questions when I go to see my current doc on the 28th. I do remember that it was not estrogen or progesterone dependant, so I guess hormone therapy is out. I don't know if it was Foundation One, but, the results were very extensive...like over 20 things tested that were listed. That's on my list of questions too. Perhaps the specimen was saved somewhere? Gotta ask that too. I'm taking Tumeric and Curcumin (Only 500mg though) from an Indian gentlemen who told me to throw my old supplement out for the same reason. I'm also taking Selenium, Ashwaganda Root, Echinacea, Aloe Vera, Ginger Root, and Flax Seed Oil; all because they are supposed to be beneficial for my immune system. So far they're helping. Even with the Neulasta, my WBC was dropping with each chemo to a 0.9 twice, but taking these has helped it to inch up a little bit over 2.0 for the last two. I'm done, but will keep taking them. My doctor gave me a book called Life Over Cancer by Keith Block M.D., and a friend gave me another called Fat For Fuel (The MMT Diet). Both outline similar diets geared towards preventing a hospitable environment for recurrence...low animal and trans fats, mostly plant based, low carbs and sugar, lots of colorful veggies and berries etc. I'm almost to the part about supplements, and I am going to meet with a Naturopath in a few weeks. I'm not sure how many times I can go, since I'm not sure if my insurance is going to cover it. I'm just so grateful this doctor is supportive of a multi-faceted approach, whereas the previous was totally opposed. There's so much information on supplements and deficiencies that I get overwhelmed and sceptical. That's why I trust y'all more! I'm also going to ask about Metformin. I've read about the clinical trials and seen the posts on here. Since I had gestational diabetes twice, even though it went away, my dad is diabetic and my daughter is insulin resistant...so with my genetics, it couldn't hurt.

As you can see, my mind is all aswim with ideas. I'm REALLY working on patience but not praying for it I do have moments of peace and times when cancer isn't at the forefront of my mind...but they are just moments right now. I know I will feel better when I get to see my doctor and we have a plan. I just want to have all my questions together. Anything else you can think of will be greatly appreciated!

I'm so glad you took the time to respond AND that you have something that's working for you too!