Level 3 Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma

Spinnr1 said:

oh yeah forgot to post what
oh yeah forgot to post what she's taking

Spelling sould be wrong here I was writing fast

Herceptin, Carboplatan, and Taxol

Belated Birthday wish
Happy belated birthday Spinnr1.

What is her treatment plan for this chemo cocktail?

If she has been given anti-nausea meds to take she needs to take them as directed. She might not feel sick and might not want to take the anti-nausea pills but if she does get sick then it is too late. If direct to take every 8 hrs for 3 days then make sure she takes them.

Taxol and Herceptin isn't bad but I don't know anything about Carboplatan.

I was on A/C(adrimyacin/cytoxin) once every two weeks for 4 treatments.
Now on Taxol w/Herceptin once a week for 12 weeks(one more treatment to go)
Then Herceptin once every three weeks for one year starting in August.

Good luck to your girlfriend--she has a wonderful man in her life who cares and loves her.

Hugs to both of you,
Margo

Spinnr1 said:

Here's where I look like a
Here's where I look like a bad helper. I don't know what her anti-nausea meds are or how often she is supposed to take them.

right now she is scheduled for 6 to 8 treatments, once every month of the herceptin, taxol, and carboplatan and herceptin every week between.

Congratulations on the last treatment approaching, that is good news.

Thank you for the good luck wishes, we both need them. and thank you for the compliment. I am just doing what I feel is right for someone that means the world to me.

Good luck with the rest of your treatment and beyond.

Spinnr1, you are so good to
Spinnr1, you are so good to your gf. You are helping her so much. I wish you two only the best. I pray that her chemo goes smoothly for her. And, take care of yourself too!

Spinnr1 said:

She had her second chemo
She had her second chemo treatment today. they had said her medicaid wasn't going to pay for it, but they never said anything once we got there and never asked how it was going to be paid for so I figured all is well
she shaved her head yesterday, rather she had me shave her head yesterday. easily one of the hardest things I have ever done in life. very emotional, but we both agree it's a small price to pay if it works and she gets better
anyways, she got through the chemo without any trouble and she is up moving around right now so. keep the prayers coming
p.s. how is everyone else?

Good News
Spinnr1, thank you for letting us know how your girlfriend is doing. She sounds like a real warrior. And you're right: being a bald girl for awhile is a small price to pay for beating cancer.

I am sending you and your girlfriend positive thoughts and prayers as you navigate this journey. Please take care of yourself also as much as you can.

Kat11 said:

HI Spinnr1, Sorry about your
HI Spinnr1, Sorry about your friend. Looks like she has a good friend in you. I also have infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma. I can tell you, that you need to wait for more information. Some of this will come when she goes to the doctor. Make a list of questions or you will forget. I think there is some information right here on Questions to ask your doctor. Cancer always comes out of left field. The level is not the stage. She won't get her stage until after surgery. I am sure you will get a lot more information here than I can provide. Again so sorry for you and your friend, take care

*****STOP******
JUST WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT AORTUS STARTED A NEW THREAD FOR SPINNER SINCE THIS ONE WAS GETTING QUIT LOOOOOONG!!!! PLEASE GO TO THE THREAD "Hey Spinnr - best wishes to your GF and you!" THANKS EVERYONE!!!! Pammy

Spinnr1 said:

She had her second chemo
She had her second chemo treatment today. they had said her medicaid wasn't going to pay for it, but they never said anything once we got there and never asked how it was going to be paid for so I figured all is well
she shaved her head yesterday, rather she had me shave her head yesterday. easily one of the hardest things I have ever done in life. very emotional, but we both agree it's a small price to pay if it works and she gets better
anyways, she got through the chemo without any trouble and she is up moving around right now so. keep the prayers coming
p.s. how is everyone else?

You shaving her head, I am
You shaving her head, I am sure, made it easier for her. It is only hair, it will grow back. Keeping you two in my prayers always!

Hugs, Noel

Akiss4me said:

Possibility....but not always
Yes, the grade is one factor in deciding if chemo will take place. At the momment this is a tentative treatment plan. I will have the lumpectomy (This will spare my breast) and also they will check my lymph nodes at the same time. Whenever you have a lumpectomy, radiation is a must to make sure any remaining cancer cells (Even if it is just one!) is taken care of. When they check my lymph nodes during surgery (Called a sentenial node biopsy) if it shows that there is cancer in the node as well, then yes, I will go through chemo also. This however will not be determined till after surgery. Since my cancer is estrogen and progerone possitive (Sounds like your waiting on that part of her pathology report still, make sure you ask for it) then I will also go through hormone therapy for 5 years. I know it sounds really bad when you hear "grade 3" but it doesn't always mean chemo will be part of the treatment plan. They will look at the overall picture and then the oncologist and her will decide on the treatment that is best for her. Remember, she will always have a say in everthing that goes on. That is why it is so important to find a good DR that you feel comfortable with and feel you can trust. Hope this helps and feel free to ask anymore questions you may have. Pammy

Having Lumpectomy Thursday
I also have IDC. I believe mine is Stage #1 It was caught early, I'm way past menepause But what I want to say is my very best girlfriend had breast cancer at age 25. She had a mastectomy. Back then they didn't pay for reconstruction. That was 1976. She was 3 yrs cancer free, got a reconstruction. She has had no reocurrances So, she's been CANCER FREE for 33 years.

Spinnr1 said:

I just don't know
she's not going to dallas for treatment the dr says she knows the oncologist there and thinks he would be fine for her. the thing is noone will rush to get anything done they are taking forever, and the dr's in dallas are pissed that they waited around so long. we can't afford to stay in dallas and I can't drive back and forth. I just don't know what to do. trust the dr that says Abilene is a good enough place. she said that the dr in Abilene used to work for the M.D. Anderson center, so I tend to think he would do ok. I just want to get started with SOMETHING before the end of the week

Hi Spinnr1
The oncology surgeon I am having do my lumpectomy is also involved with a cancer vaccine. I wanted to participate in his research, but he said my tumor wasn't large enough at stage one, the size of a little fingertip, a tad over 1 centimeter. He needs at least 3 centimeters early stage. He does a procedure called "radiofrequency ablation" basically "microwaves" the tumor, from that he also does the "sentinal node" whatever they call it. Then a week before the surgery an immune stimulating drug is injected into the killed tumor to see if the immune cells will migrate to the nodes that drain the tumor. It's had to explain this, but it hopefully will be promising in developing a vaccine some day.