"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 to have cancer in your bones and in your marrow I say its like there is not enough space in the bones for all this activity and it is crowding out my nerves and hurting my nerves and giving me deep, relentless, bone pressure and deep, skull-based headaches like stepping off an airplace and never equalizing ever again. I am on day 13 of ANASTROZOLE and I definately think it is working. I am having a second menopause (hot flashes, dry skin) and it is starving the cancer. I feel it shrinking and some cells have burst and released their inflammatory cytokines. I know this because all my lymphs are swollen and sore. Dan gives me lymph massage every night with castor oil. It helps A LOT! I am so grateful to have his help. Anyway, today is my first day weaning off the steroids. I need to be off by Monday so I can start my second cancer drug (which interacts with steroids). That drug should be a roller coaster of a ride, lol. The pharmacist spent a 30 minutes with me going over all the side effects, etc. I feel like a drug commerical. Despite that, I am feeling lucky to be in America as we have great medicines and excellent research devoted to cancer treatments. My goal is to get back to a normal day to day life and then to live my life to the fullest, even if I need to indefinately be on drugs with side effects. I am fortunate to have health care and to be living in this country.

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