Change of plans again. I will be continuing with the Avastin and Zometa every three weeks through the summer. The Zometa doesn't have any side effects but the Avastin has been causing really bad sinus pain and nose bleeds. I was really hoping to be done with it. More recently it has been causing extremely high blood pressure. My blood pressure has always been normal and now it's up to 195/ 115 some days! I've had to start blood pressure medication and hopefully that will bring it down. I am done the iv chemotherapy but will be starting on the low dose oral chemo called Capecitabine (Xeloda) starting this week. I will take it everyday for two weeks and then have one week off. The cyle will be repeated for the next year. Dr. Klimo said most people don't have any side effects. However, the package from the company lists many possible side effects so we'll have to see. I'm still waiting for my PET scan date. Dr. Klimo is going to try to get it done through the Cancer Agency so I won't have to pay for it. If so, it should be scheduled within the next few weeks. The PET scan results will determine if the chemo has continued to work and whether or not I will need radiation.
Dr. Klimo also informed me that the Parp Inhibitors are now available here. These were the drugs in Clinical Trials (the ones that I was looking into in Seattle). They are available here but only with Gemcitibine and Cisplatin - they have to be taken together. Dr. Klimo doesn't want to put me back on the Gem/Cis so I can't get the Parp but it is nice to know that it is available if I ever do need it. Parp Inhibititors are suppose to be especially helpful in treating Triple Negative breast cancer (my type) so if you know anyone with this rare, aggressive form of breast cancer please let them know that this is now available.
It is official. Dr. Klimo is retiring at the end of June. It's very stressful to think about but I do have another doctor whose name has come up several times during the past year. I will try to arrange a meeting with her soon and I will also be looking into to Dr. Klimo's partner, who he has been working with for the past four years.
This past week I attended a week long "Healing Retreat" through the Callanish Society. I put in an application to attend the retreat shortly after I received the good PET scan results but as it got closer to the date I was getting really anxious and wasn't sure if I wanted to go. I'm not really a "support group" type of person and hadn't really done much to support my emotional health throughout this past year. It just seemed exhausting to really deal with all the feelings and emotions and to be doing it will a group of people who all had cancer. I basically just forced myself to go. Within the first 24 hours I knew that I had made the right choice. The team of facilitators were like nothing I have ever experienced or heard about; I have never met a group of people so genuinely dedicated to what they do. The eight of us participating were all so different from each other but quickly developed bonds and friendships that would normally take years to develop. I am really proud of myself and grateful for the Callanish Society. Also, thank you to Shannon (whom I've never met) for passing along the information and helping me to get off my ass and take care of myself.
