CT/PET results today: mets to the liver. 4 little spots. :(

Tina Brown said:

Hi Linda
Being symptom free is a massive key to this disease. That is what I hear my oncologist and nurses talk about. If you feel well there can't be much untoward going on. The liver is an amazing thing as it can re-generate and I have heard of people having small spots on the liver that never grow any bigger.

Csncer is such a bas****d because it takes all of our thoughts and feelings and makes us think that everything that happens to us is cancer. If you are feeling well then please try to enjoy it. Wait until you know something for sure and then you can realistically deal with it. CA125 of 290 is still not high.............(mine is 1028 I have mets in the lining of my lungs) so this is quite a good sign for you.

Hope things go well for you, love Tina xx

Lisa: I didn't actually go any time at all before recurrence.
Sorry if I was misleading. I last had carboplatin/taxol in March of 2009, but I have had 28 rounds of pelvic radiation, 3 rounds of internal brachytherapy, 17 rounds of taxol chemo and 3 rounds of doxil chemo between then and now (for 2 earlier recurrences). I wish my body could get a break from chemo to get stronger as I am sure that LONG remissions are the key to longer survival. I did get an initial 5 1/2 month remission after my carbo/taxol rounds in 2008/2009; and a second 4 1/2 month remission mid-way between my rounds of taxol, which were WONDERFUL!

But I haven't had any 'platin' drugs since March 2009, so I am hoping that 21-month 'platinum free interval' will allow carboplatin to be effective for me now. (Fingers crossed). I know my chemo-onc wanted me to make it 24 months before he re-introduced carboplatin, but we had no choice when Doxil let me down.

Lisa13Q said:

Sorry...
Hi Linda,

Didn't realize you had just a few months between remissions...Doxil's a funny drug....It really helps if it's going to, but it really only does so for 25% of the women. Good Luck with the Carbo..are you starting before the holidays? My mother wanted a break through x-mas and her gyn/onc said "no"....she is so fatigued....we went to Target today just for stocking stuffers and she could barely walk around..she had a fall last week...I don't know if it's the chemo or the cancer....not sure what to say to her anymore. I am bringing her back to NY tomorrow for chemo and then back down a week later....she's pretty depressed...it sucks!

I started carboplatin 4 days ago.
I'll be getting carboplatin as a single agent, not in combo with anything else. I had my 1st infusion Thursday, figuring because it's given at 3-week intervals, I won't need to get chemo again until after Christmas. & I should feel pretty good by the 25th, too. I did all my shopping online and I let my DIL bake the cookies anymore. But I will be cooking Christmas dinner for everyone because most of the rest of the family works Xmas Eve.

I'm surprised your oncologist didn't recommend a Christmas break. This is my 3rd Xmas on chemo and I have always been given that option, although I never took it. But the chemo lounge is almost empty where I go during Christmas week because so many people take a short chemo break for the holidays. (in fact my chemo oncologist goes to Cape Cod for 5 days every Christmas).

I hope you and your mother end up having a wonderful Christmas!