Hi everyone. It has been awhile since I posted. I have been on Imbruvica for about 18 months. I’m doing very well with great blood work. However, last week I received the news that I have breast cancer. Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. The good news is it is hormone and HER2 negative. I was wondering if anyone else has had this happen. I will have surgery to remove the tumor and see what happens.
Pam
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migirlusa
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I’m so sorry to hear this Pam and don’t have any experiential advice to impart but this sounds eminently treatable and I’m wishing you well. Was it spotted on a mammogram?
Yes. So important to do this annually. So this is early days which is good. I’ve been lucky enough to have the 3D imaging so I look at it every time. So this time I saw it and waited for the doctors call. My motto is “everything will be alright in the end. If it is not alright, it is not yet the end!”
I'm so sorry, Pam, about this ~ but am so impressed with your attitude, which will go a long way in helping you ride the CLL emotional roller coaster. The fact this was discovered early is very good news.
Please keep us updated and let us know what happens with your surgery.
Two things helped me with my energy. First my dr. said I can add a tsp or two of MCT oil to my morning coffee or tea. Got it from a health food store. It opened up my mental fog and energy within the first week. Secondly I had terrible muscle spasms. I asked my PCP to get me a referral for phys therapy. Been going once a week for four weeks to get a professional routine. I do it at home now once a day. Has changed my total physiology. Good luck finding what you need. 😇
Other cancers and other conditions are part of what happens more frequently for people on this drug. I was diagnosed with parathyroidism-- ie when there is calcium in the blood, leaked from bones because the parathyroid gland that regulates calcium is not working -- in rare cases due to cancer. So I am scheduled for a fairly bloodless operation that lasts 15 minutes in about a year from now. My bones are fine still. But being as healthy as possible with eating habits and exercise and sleep I feel is the best way to be on CLL treatment. And looking after the other problems that occur. I wish you the best possible outcome with the surgery. It sounds as if it is treatable. Doctors often say in enthusiastic tones that the treatments for CLL are great, as people die from other diseases and not CLL. But they fail to mention that CLL treatments are often the cause of the other thealth problems. But the good thing is they are making progress and leukemia research is the forefront of cancer research -- so we can all be hopeful.
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