Treatment Updates

When you have stage IV MBC you are always in treatment...  forever...  until you are out of options.  As I begin this journey, which I hope will be a long one...  I am hopeful that new medications will be found to help give all of us with MBC longevity of life.  This is my very first treatment plan and so far it is working extremely well for me.  The oncologist says she expects to see many months of disease free progression on this plan with the "potential" for years.  So, I'm going for the years...  I like the sound of that!  I will stay on this plan until such time it stops working.  As my treatment plans change I will update this page. 

So, my current treatment plan is: 

Ibrance:
A pill taken orally that targets and kills cancer cells. 125 mg dose on a 28 day cycle. 21 days on and 7 days off
This is a targeted therapy that has similar side effects to chemotherapy and can potentially stall the progression of the cancer.
Goserelin & Fulvestrant:
Hormone Blockers taken by injection once a month. I have a hormone fed tumor so blocking hormones to starve the tumor is my primary therapy.
Zometa:
Bone strengthening medication given by IV infusion once a month. This does not cure the cancer in the bone but should help to prevent fractures which is a side effect of bone metastasis.

I struggled with extreme side effects for the first three cycles of these meds...  but, by cycle four things have started to settle and I am now experiencing mostly fatigue and minor aches and pains.  So, very happy that it is getting easier! 
My first 3 month scan, which I get every 3 months now was very, very good.  Complete metabolic response which means this treatment plan is keeping the cancer from spreading and is currently in an inactive state.  We hope it will stay this way for a long while! 

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**update**  1/15/2016

I just completed my second three month scan...  all is still stable and meds are still working!  So, onward march... 
Side effects at this point are:
minimal hair loss, muscle weakness and fatigue,  a steady cough which produces excessive phlegm and becomes more heightened when I eat...
Nothing comes without side effects right??  I'll take it...  :) 

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**update**  9/25/2016

My latest PET/CT scan is still showing an NED status!!  This means that there is no evidence of current disease.  So, meds are still working beautifully and NED is an amazing place to be.  This does not mean I am cancer free.  It just means that the cancer that has spread into my body is not currently active and spreading.  We have great hope it will remain inactive for a long, long time. 

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**update**  4/6/2017

It's been a while since I've updated my treatment status.  I'm still hanging in there with my front line treatment of Ibrance/Faslodex/Goserelin and Zometa.  I now only have to get Zometa every 3 months which is my bone strengthening medicine.  All of my other meds are still month to month.  Instead of getting full PET/CT scans I now only need to get CT scans every 3 months.  I'm having a very good response to this treatment plan.  Fingers crossed it will continue to work!  Side Effects are becoming a struggle but I'm working closely with my oncologist with new pain meds to try and alleviate the burden that they are causing.  One day at a time...  that's the only way to cope with this crazy diagnosis. 

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**update** 2/8/2018

I'm still hanging in there on this treatment plan.  Getting ready to start cycle 35!  It's hard to believe it will be 3 years this coming June.  My last scan unfortunately showed a new 7mm lesion on my spine.  So, we're back to scanning every two months to keep an eye on it with the hope it remains stable.  If it doesn't we may try radiation to zap it.  Worse case scenario we have to change treatment plans.  But, I have many options available to me so no worries either way.  Side effects are still a struggle at times but I'm learning to manage what I can and cannot do.