Adenocarcinoma of unknown primary

[lxskllr]

I am still alive & kicking, a cake will be needed. I get round 52 of Opdivo this coming Friday. Two years on this amazing drug!

Great to hear from you! I was thinking of you yesterday, but fell asleep before I could find the thread. Glad to hear things are going well :^)

 

[Kaido]

I am still alive & kicking, a cake will be needed. I get round 52 of Opdivo this coming Friday. Two years on this amazing drug!

No good at cakes, but if you can have sugar, ATOT NE can send 's. Maybe I'll drag inca & the italian stallion over for a bake off

 

[Blackjack200]

I am still alive & kicking, a cake will be needed. I get round 52 of Opdivo this coming Friday. Two years on this amazing drug!

You make me smile.

 

[BoomerD]

Fabulous news. I had been hoping your lesser-half would report on this at the other site, but lately, he's just been suffering from Trumpmania.
(kick him in the butt to wake him up, will ya?)

 

[Rubycon]

I am still alive & kicking, a cake will be needed. I get round 52 of Opdivo this coming Friday. Two years on this amazing drug!

Awesome! Birthdays are always sweeter with good news and (of course) sweet cake!

 

[Perknose]

I am still alive & kicking, a cake will be needed. I get round 52 of Opdivo this coming Friday. Two years on this amazing drug!

You make me smile.

Shit-eating grin here, Jean. Now, cut me a slice of that there CAKE!

 

[norseamd]

Congratulations Geekbabe, and I pray and hope that everything continues to go well for you.

 

[disappoint]

You never know what can happen with modern medicine. Everyone thought Magic Johnson wasn't long for this world 25 years ago and he's 57 years old now and running Lakers.

This is why you never give up.

I am still alive & kicking, a cake will be needed. I get round 52 of Opdivo this coming Friday. Two years on this amazing drug!

If you've made it this far, I'll bet the farm you will never give up. So it's not only the drug that is amazing after all, is it?

 

[kranky]

I think of you every time I seen an Opdivo ad on TV where they thank the patients involved in the clinical trials.

 

[Geekbabe]

Had round 54 today. Nurse NP said she couldn't feel anything in my neck. My labs were great & weight stable. My Pallative Care Doc was pleased.. we like stable around here

The TX is kicking my rump, fatigue, joint & muscle pain, mouth sores, like a grab bag of crap...but I am still alive. I could take a break but am fearful as I had progression after my one break. My lymph count is up some & seems to be staying up. which for me usually means cancer cells are dying, so onward I go. 25 months on the drug & continuing.

 

[Geekbabe]

I think of you every time I seen an Opdivo ad on TV where they thank the patients involved in the clinical trials.

They have gotten a lot of crap for that ad. This drug doesn't work for everyone but if it does it can be amazing. At MGH more and more cancers are being treated with it. I am grateful it was here for me as I would have been dead without it.

This drug is costly but you need to factor in that I am still working, my boss confided that I actually use less sick days than several others. Also, my care is routine. twice a moth at the cancer center. any side effect problems that crop up are usually handled on the phone or at a regular visit with my PCP.

Only one ER visit in all this time when my heart was acting up. No inpatient admissions, day surgery only for biopsy & chemo port which are standard for cancer patients.

 

[Perknose]

They have gotten a lot of crap for that ad. This drug doesn't work for everyone but if it does it can be amazing. At MGH more and more cancers are being treated with it. I am grateful it was here for me as I would have been dead without it.

This drug is costly but you need to factor in that I am still working, my boss confided that I actually use less sick days than several others. Also, my care is routine. twice a moth at the cancer center. any side effect problems that crop up are usually handled on the phone or at a regular visit with my PCP.

Only one ER visit in all this time when my heart was acting up. No inpatient admissions, day surgery only for biopsy & chemo port which are standard for cancer patients.

.
Spoken like the unbowed and unbroken warrior woman that you are, Jean.

 

[TheVrolok]

They have gotten a lot of crap for that ad. This drug doesn't work for everyone but if it does it can be amazing. At MGH more and more cancers are being treated with it. I am grateful it was here for me as I would have been dead without it.

This drug is costly but you need to factor in that I am still working, my boss confided that I actually use less sick days than several others. Also, my care is routine. twice a moth at the cancer center. any side effect problems that crop up are usually handled on the phone or at a regular visit with my PCP.

Only one ER visit in all this time when my heart was acting up. No inpatient admissions, day surgery only for biopsy & chemo port which are standard for cancer patients.

I have serious reservations about the ad, but that's a whole discussion for another day.

The important thing is that you're still kicking ass and taking names!

I was actually thinking about you yesterday and shared the story you've shared with us, here, with my team of residents/med students while we were on the floors. I had a feeling you wouldn't mind. We had a little discussion about the future of cancer treatment, palliative care, the patient experience, etc. So thank you for helping me teach my leaners!

 

[Geekbabe]

I have serious reservations about the ad, but that's a whole discussion for another day.

The important thing is that you're still kicking ass and taking names!

I was actually thinking about you yesterday and shared the story you've shared with us, here, with my team of residents/med students while we were on the floors. I had a feeling you wouldn't mind.

We had a little discussion about the future of cancer treatment, palliative care, the patient experience, etc. So thank you for helping me teach my leaners!

I have no problem with you sharing , in fact I am delighted!

 

[Geekbabe]

Just an update, I had good CT scans recently, skipped one treatment due to side effects. My Brain MRI as expected showed damage from multiple past strokes, probably related to the cancer but no brain mets.

I have been having episodes of dizziness & just had a cardiac echo & holter monitor. Currently out of work on FMLA & praying work peers are kind enough to donate time to me as frankly, my bank balance is a joke at this point.

 

[preCRT]

Hoping that your scans stay great and your coworkers donate their banked leave time. No brain mets is terrific, what I pray for my sis too.

 

[ultimatebob]

a raw vegan diet will cure most cancers

Yeah, that worked out great for Steve Jobs when he tried it.

Geekbabe has the right idea... nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure!

 

[Geekbabe]

Long time with no update! Sorry about that! Here's where I am, Holter monitor showed 33K abnormal beats over 48 hours, close to 20% of all my beats. My diary entries of symptoms corresponded with PACs & PVC's. I met with a rather famous cardiologist who sees a lot of MGH cancer patients & he said, it's not in your head it's in your heart! There were three options, do nothing ( not an option) medications, he doubled my metoprolol dose & put me back on statins. Surgery is also an option but to be frank, if I have a choice between cancer or my heart getting me I choose the latter!

Work has been splendid, they put together an ADA accommodation for me that has me doing important stuff but is easier on the body. Fatigue is part of my treatment side effects but now I have energy to participate in my life after work.

I took a big chunk of 401K cash, ( I am 60) got new clothing, makeup, cut my hair, had my house cleaned & bought some woefully needed things. Seriously, I was beginning to resemble a rag picker! I scan again at the end of the month & pray as always for a good one. In the meantime, screw cancer, what good is treatment if all I think about is dying?

 

[esquared]

Thanks for your update. I was thinking about you just the other day, because I hadn't seen you log on in awhile.


Keep on, keeping on.

 

[Geekbabe]

Thanks for your update. I was thinking about you just the other day, because I hadn't seen you log on in awhile.


Keep on, keeping on.

I was feeling pretty lousy for awhile there, the heart crap plus work was draining me. I am actually feeling somewhat better now that my energy isn't being beaten to death. Oh the cardiologist says this is prexisting heart stuff that I knew about, it's just gotten worse but not related to Opdivo attacking the heart. My echo was low/ normal with some slightly leaky valves.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Glad you're hanging in there and your work was able to accommodate you. Enjoy the new threads. :hugs:

 

[Perknose]

Thanks for checking in, Jean. We have your back. ATF has your back.

 

[kranky]

Appreciate the update, Geekbabe. Good to hear things are a little easier in the getting-through-the-day part of life. Kudos to your employer for working with you.

 

[Geekbabe]

CT scan on Monday, I am stable! They did find small flotsam in my lungs that is too small to be determined but...they are close to nodules that haven’t changed since Jan 2015 & I have been sick with an upper respiratory infection so they are not concerned.

We solider onward, 31 months of Opdivo...

 

[Perknose]

I am stable!

Congratulations, Jean! You are one of the very few OT posters who is!