Tuesday, December 29, 2009

What's a Girl to Do?

I finished chemo #4 today and I'm just not feeling that great about it. Physically I feel ok, better than #3 and I'm sitting out on my porch eating and typing. They gave me lots of new drugs today that make the nausea and association nausea much better! To help with my mega hot/cold flashes they have started me on a medication that supposedly helps with that, and I'm so glad because they are BAD.

Here is my decision delimma:

I currently take a regiment called TAC. Humans (at this point) are only allowed x amount of A from TAC. If I had done all 6 treatments A can never be used on me again. It is so toxic that that is life threatening. Meaning at that point the benefits of the chemo are no longer outweighed by the benefits of the A drug. MANY cancers use the A drug, so if I ever needed it again, I'm out of luck.

So she suggested to me to drop the A and just take two more regiments of T and C.

Then have a full course of radiation, which is five weeks.

THen I would have 6 months a MRI and 6 months a Mammogram/sonogram.

I am also currently enrolled in a study that uses a pill similar to Boniva but it's from Europe and it's not approved here yet. (you know that red tape governmentally controlled stuff) anyway the study has a 50% rate of blocking the cancer from returning. I take the pills for three year (paid for by the study) and it also makes the pain less when my bone marrow is rebuilding.

They can give me NO evidence at all between 4 and 6 regiments. She said today that I would have to follow an exercise regime, eating regime, the study, vitamins, and yoga is encouraged. I would have radiation and I would be monitored closely. But that they can not prove a difference between 4 and 6. She says most people don't make it to 6 because the toxicity levels because in the dangerous zone.

So she told me to take three weeks to decide if I want to do the T and C. (T and C are NO walk in the park).

Again, no proof it improves odds of cancer reoccurrence.

What's a girl to do?????

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