They are just numbers

Met with my oncologist yesterday- somewhat disappointing news, my tumor markers are continuing to climb from 188 to 202.  However all my liver tests looked good and other blood work looked healthy- so I feel pretty confident that the cancer is just bouncing around in the bones, growing here and there and maybe spreading to some new bone spots.  But its steering clear of my liver, lungs, brain (we think).

I've been on aromasin since August, so only 3 months, and the trendline (yes I chart my lab results) shows that the tumor marker increases are lessening.  So best case scenario, they will level off soon and maybe even start to fall- but we are only going to give this therapy 3 more weeks.  So yesterday I got my Herceptin, and I will see him again in 4 weeks wherein we will get another set of labs and decide what to do.

My sister and my niece with me, Parker and our Dad

My niece, Baby Liz

TDM-1 (Herceptin linked to a chemo agent) should be approved within that time-frame and that will be our first choice, as it has no side effects and is very easily administered i.v..  I would get to keep my hair!  Second choice would be Pertuzumab (another anti-Her2 antibody therapy), which is only FDA approved when given with herceptin and a taxane (which would for me be abraxane- and could cause me to loose my hair).  Abraxane has some nasty long term side effects like neuropathy- loss of feeling in toes and fingers, but last time I was on it- I had no problems with that.   Not sure if I could continue the anti-estrogen therapy on either combination, and each is so fresh off the FDA press that there is no way to predict whether I would respond or not.  Or how long I could stay stable on such therapy.  Either of these therapies (without insurance) would cost >10K/month!  Thank God for private insurance.