Roxanne's Cancer Journey

Well yesterday marked my third visit to the ER since diagnosis. Lots o'fun! We left at 10:30 am and got home at 10:30pm! Dan took me because I have been experiencing abdominal bloating for the past 3 days that pushes up to my ribcage, making it hard to breathe. They ran a CBC anc CMP and gave me a CT scan of my chest and abdominal cavity. My abdomen did show mild inflammation Ascites, or peritoneal effusion, which is a buildup of excess fluid in the abdomen, and my right kidney showed some issues so they put me on antibiotics as the urine sample is being tested for infection. If it is a UTI I would be SOOOOO HAPPPY! That would be a reason for my distenstion that is not cancer. Otherwise, it could be cancer spread to my abdomen which is not good at all. This is all so overwhelming and scary. I just want to know where the cancer is, at least so I can visualize it in my head shrinking and dying. My doctor is yet to approve the FES PET which would light up and show where it is. I may...

Today I have an appointment with a palliative care doctor. My nurse recommended it. As the date grew nearer I started wondering what exactly to expect at this appointment. My mind immediately went to HOSPIC CARE like thinking terminal patients needed morphine patches. That thought made me sad and depressed because I don't feel like that's me. I am at home, still living, albeit in pain, and I have years and hopefully decades left to live. When I looked up the definition, here's what GOOGLE says," Palliative care is specialized medical care that focuses on giving relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness. " "Purpose and GoalsThe main goal is to improve the quality of life for both the patient and their family. It treats the whole person, not just the disease. It helps with:Physical signs like pain, nausea, fatigue, and trouble sleeping.Emotional and mental stress like anxiety and depression.Matching your treatment choices with your perso...

Yesterday my parents took me out for a few errands. I wanted to stop to buy a few perennials to plant. Flowers and trees and green space makes me happy and now, more than ever, I am very aware of what brings me joy. It is so important to have a little joy inside each day or night. That's why we are here- to experience joy and to give joy. I bought a couple cone flowers for my back garden. If I feel up to it I'll plant them this weekend and will show after pictures. My face is a bit puffy from the strong steroids and I hope to wean off them in 6 weeks or so when I expect to feel somewhat better (when the lesions start shrinking and laying off my nerves). Right now, my colleagues are thinking about heading back to teaching and I am going to miss the start of the school year which is too bad because I like my job. But I hope to return in the spring, after the cold season is over, as I can't risk catching something with the low WBC count from the Kisqali drug.I hope my collea...

I am on DAY 2 of KISQALI (Ribociclib! Yesterday I took my first three pills and this morning I took my second three pills. So far, no side effects, but it is early. I definately feel how the steroid is ramped up a bit as this drug increases the steroid amount in my system. That kept me up last night. But I am taking 1-2 naps during the day so all in all, I get about 6-7 hours per day/night. Once I feel better I will wean off the steroids entirely so that will help my system relax and hopefully restore my sleep. I do believe I am on the mend. I feel a bit better each week. These medications are a true modern miracle! KISQALI is a CDK4/6 inhibitor: It works by forcing cancer cells into a permanent sleep state known as cellular senescence. While these senescent cells cannot divide, they remain alive but in a dormant state. I am hoping the cancer is very sensitive to them and that I can stay on them for 5 years before having to switch medications to suppress their potential awakening. Th...

"CA 15-3 (Cancer Antigen 15-3) is a serum tumor marker primarily used to monitor breast cancer. It is a protein naturally produced by breast cells, but cancerous breast tumors shed higher amounts of it into the bloodstream. Primary Uses: Monitoring Treatment: Doctors track whether levels decrease over time to confirm if a breast cancer therapy is working.Checking for Recurrence: Rising trends during follow-up appointments can signal that the cancer has returned or spread.Key Reference RangesNormal Range: A standard healthy result is typically less than or equal to 30 U/mL (units per milliliter)." Mine is 3,600. Being a person who likes data (I use it in my job a lot), this number really validates how crappy I feel. And because I look OK on the outside, I will reference it with doctors who don't understand the level of pain I am in. Not wanting to have a pity party for myself, but I need to vent; the last 3 months were very painful. When people ask me what it feels like...

This is my ESTROGEN blocker cancer drug #1. I take it every morning and will as long as it works. I am on day 8! The drug works by blocking my ESTROGEN receptors which eventually starves the cancer cells and by week 2 they begin to die. Next week I will start ribociclib drug which is going to work with the Anastrozole to further kill and then put to sleep the cancer cells that remain. Then the goal is to stay on these 2 drugs as long as they work, keeping the remaining cancer cells into a deep sleep state. My doctors will monitor me with Tumor blood markers and imaging to see if my tumors shrink and to see exactly when this FIRST COURSE of therapy stops working. The average Met HR+ Breast Cancer patient gets about 2.5 years on this regimen before having to start a different treatment to deal with the awoken, more resilient cancer cells. And this game goes on and on; staying two steps ahead is how I can extend my life and I plan to do just that. Statistics online are old, and include...

Hello friends, I am so lucky to have Daniel in my life. We met about 7 years ago and it really was love at first sight. I think the most romantic thing he said to me was, "I love you so much that if I ever had to give you an enema and wipe your butt, I would do it with a smile." LOL! Was funny then, right? Every morning I wake up to breakfast and tea and a kiss. He makes and leaves me a lunch in the fridge. Here is today's: Dan rubs my feet at night, makes sure I get sunshine everyday, and tucks me in at bedtime. He listens to me with intent and affection, holds me, and loves me HARD (with intensity). We have had so many fun adventures together, locally and afar. Here is a photo from a trip to Arizona: Dan was raised well and he knows how to treat a lady; he is a gentleman. More importantly, he is my anchor and rock. I am so grateful to have him in my life and I pray I can have many more years with him.

Hello friends and Family, I created this BLOG to share information and to let you into my cancer journey as it will help me to describe my experiences, thoughts, emotions, and progress and it may help you to know what I'm going through. Two weeks ago I got my hip bone biopsy report back. (Yeah- and that procedure was a whole lot of fun, lol!). I didn't expect it to be Metastatic Breast Cancer Stage 4. I thought maybe the reason why my bones are all getting eaten up was maybe an infection or a rare metabolic bone disorder. I never thought I'd get breast cancer because I HAVE NO BREASTS! I got them removed via masectomy 11 years ago prophetically after a DSIS diagnoses and extensive genetic testing. But life is wildly unpredictable I guess. The cancer I have now is not ductal, but lobular. So it was likely hiding out in my tissues, laying dormant or growing slowly. Technically, I can say I had two kinds of breast cancer!? Did I win the BREAST CANCER LOTTERY or what? Anywa...