Follow Up Care After Chemo

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WorkingMom10
WorkingMom10 Member Posts: 72
edited April 2017 in Stage IV/Metastatic Breast Cancer ONLY

Hi, I wanted to get some advice on follow up care after chemo is done.  I was diagnosed Stage 4 in November 2016 with bone and lymph node mets.  I've been getting weekly taxol since Nov and my doctor wants me to continue until early May.  The great news is that the taxol is working and the cancer has gone down significantly.  Tumor markers have also gone from 82 when I started chemo in November to 26!  I'm tolerating the taxol fairly well with only some stomach issues and slight neuropathy.

I'm nervous about what my follow up care will be and how often I will be scanned to make sure any recurrence is caught.  How often do you go in for scans?  Every 6 months just does not seem often enough.  I think I will be put on tamoxifen, but I am not sure yet.  There are small spots in my spine and ribs that could flare up again and I don't want that to happen.  I'm just hoping to be here for a long time, but I don't want to spend every day in fear that a minor pain means the cancer is back.

Any feedback on follow up care after chemo and how you get back to normal life without spending every day in fear of a recurrence would be much appreciated!

Christine


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  • Sue2009
    Sue2009 Member Posts: 228
    edited April 2017

    hi workingmom, I have been living w/bone mets for 4 years. Still in my bones. I have been on ibrance, afinitor, xeloda, quadromet x 2 treatments, had serious septic infection last summer, thought that was going to be the end . Was going to start an IV chemo drug, but changed my mind at the last minute because I still was so weak from the sepsis. I am doing aromasin now & zometta after a 9 month gap. Life will never be normal in the aspect of not worrying or never seeing a dr on a regular basis. Some one coined the phrase progression depression. I am a firm believer in the taking of antidepressants. I also try to have positive things to look forward to. This June i am going white water rafting again. We went last summer, it was a blast. I get a Pet scan ever 3 months, cause other scans have failed to detect my mets. Sue.

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  • DivineMrsM
    DivineMrsM Member Posts: 9,620
    edited April 2017

    WM, glad the taxol is working.

    I get scanned every six months. I used to get a PET but insurance stopped paying for them. Now I get a bone and ct scan. Have been dealing with this 6+ years.

    I have remained stable so far. I prefer not to have scans too close. One thing, I do not want all my life spent at the hospital. Also, I want to limit the the dyes and exposure to radiation. It was hard the first few years, going a whole six months, not knowing if there was progression, I guess now I am used to it. I think of bc every day, but I live a full life during that time away from the doctor appts and scans. I am not saying my life is full of hoopla and excitement. I seek out that which more genuine and real and meaningful. Occasionally there is hoopla (like going to a Tom Petty concert this summer) but my preference is on more of an internal contentment and not a lot of showy external busy-ness.

    There is an uncertainty that I learned to live with which seems normal now. Before bc, I never realized how many things were out of my control. A bit freaky now to be aware of it. Antianxiety meds and an antidepressant help, too. You will find the path that works for you. Best wishes.


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