Afinitor and it’s side effects

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  • Moomala
    Moomala Member Posts: 436
    edited April 2020

    I forgot to send you a hug Stacey. Today sucks and I’m right here with you.

  • sbaaronson
    sbaaronson Member Posts: 230
    edited April 2020

    Moomala,

    I understand about the clothes not fitting. I finally had to buy something that fit. Of course, now we’re stuck at home and not getting dressed anyway.

    I am worried about the meds change too. The A/A has been so easy.

    Let’s get past the scans so we know what we’re up against...

    Happy Easter to you and yours.

    💪 Stce

  • Moomala
    Moomala Member Posts: 436
    edited April 2020

    Thank goodness for yoga pants Stacey. I'm living in them and my pajamas.

  • sbaaronson
    sbaaronson Member Posts: 230
    edited April 2020

    Hugs to you Moomala. Looking for a path to muddle through this crap day.

  • sbaaronson
    sbaaronson Member Posts: 230
    edited April 2020

    Moomala

    Having a PET tomorrow, Tuesday morning. Can’t say my frame of mind has lifted these last few days. I have done some research, the next drugs in the arsenal don’t look like much fun.

    Will let you know how it shakes out. Hope you are having a better day today.

    Grateful to have you to bounce this around with. Trying to keep up a good facade for the kids.

    Let’s do this!

    Stacey

  • Moomala
    Moomala Member Posts: 436
    edited April 2020

    I will be thinking of you tomorrow Stacey. Today was dark and gloomy and my back hurt so I was just in my chair. I guess that means I’m still a little bummed out too. The best thing we can do is TRY the next drug. If it doesn’t work out then we get to say no to it. I have my deal-breaker side effects. I’m glad I can be here for you We may have a lot to talk about coming up here I have CT scans in a month so I won’t be making any changes before then. And who knows maybe these TMs are reacting to something else going on.

  • sbaaronson
    sbaaronson Member Posts: 230
    edited April 2020

    Moomala,

    Back pain is the worst! I hope the usual rest and hearing pass take care of it. I’ll let you know what I hear, likely late tomorrow or early Wednesday. I sure didn’t see this coming, but whatever it is I will evaluate and do what will give me the best QOL for as long as possible. Would like to see my daughter graduate from grad school next year and if can ever leave our homes again, take a family vacation. Need to be reasonably healthy to do these things!

    Thanks again for lending an ear!

    Warmly

    Stacey

  • Nkb
    Nkb Member Posts: 1,436
    edited April 2020

    hoping for the best for both of you at about 10-11 months is when my TMs shot up also- although I had been having more fatigue for a month before that also- and tooth issues and a URI.

    currently very anemic and getting blood transfusions- I had a severe virus mid Feb ( corona?) will find out some day.

    Take care

    Hug

  • sbaaronson
    sbaaronson Member Posts: 230
    edited April 2020

    Nkb,

    Which protocol did you go to after A/A?

    I am at 11 months! I guess that’s the number on this drug?!


    stacey

  • Nkb
    Nkb Member Posts: 1,436
    edited April 2020

    I’m on Xeloda- I was going to give another anti hormonala try- but got severely ill with what I thought was the flu- May have been corona- will find out some day I finally dragged myself to the ER and had hemolytic anemia with a red count of 6.3. After a major work up - it’s a MAHA reaction and I started Xeloda and get blood transfusions every 5 days. This week I finally saw an improvement and I hope it’s not just a blip. The xeloda usually works for this but, takes 2-3 cycles. I just finished cycle 2.

    You may have other options, I don’t know- this has been difficult- I only feel good for a day or two after 5 hours in a chair getting blood- then start it all over again. One upside- I don’t have the energy to be restless in this SIP when I feel good I sew some masks

    Good luck.


  • sbaaronson
    sbaaronson Member Posts: 230
    edited April 2020

    Hi Nkb,

    Do you look into Piqray at all? Based on my Foundation One Assay I am PIk3 positive. It looks nasty! I have read the board and no one has anything positive to say. Will look into Xeloda as well.

    Didn’t get the PET, the insurance company denied it as I was going to get into the car this morning to go to have the scan. Another rant for another day! Having a CT tomorrow.

    Cancer, what a barrel of monkeys!


    thank you for taking the time to reply- be well!


    stace

  • Moomala
    Moomala Member Posts: 436
    edited April 2020

    HI Nkb - What is a MAHA reaction? Remember that I had some sort of pneumonia in December and my body has just never bounced back from that. Now with back pain I'm mobile but limited in what I can do and my lungs are not the same even though I've had a CT and PET since and lungs mets are stable. It's so hard to go from feeling pretty good last summer to managing rest periods and pain. Mentally it take the stuffing out of you.

    Stacey omg nothing like preparing yourself for a PET scan only to be denied. I mean at least they denied it before you had it but this is a lot of stress you are going through and now another day to wait. ugh.

    I had an OncoPanel done at Dana Farber Cancer Institute ( because it was free for me there) and I also have the mutation qualifying me for Piqray. I know one person who has been on it and she stopped it after 9 weeks. Otherwise the forum here and on Facebook sound yucko.

  • sbaaronson
    sbaaronson Member Posts: 230
    edited April 2020

    Hi Moomala,

    I had the CT this morning. Imagine I will hear something later this afternoon or tomorrow. I want to avoid Piqray if possible, I will have to see what my other options might be.

    I feel really well. A few pains come and go, and I do have a little breathing thing but I am able to run and do my power walking without any issue. It’s a mystery to me!

    I’ll let you know what the scan says and the subsequent MO convo yields.


    take Care

  • sbaaronson
    sbaaronson Member Posts: 230
    edited April 2020

    Moomala and Nkb,

    My CT showed no progression, in fact there is some improvement?! MO says we can wait until next month and if the markers rise again I will have to do the bone scan and fight the insurance company for a PET scan.

    My markers have always told the tale, what’s up?!

    Stacey

  • Nkb
    Nkb Member Posts: 1,436
    edited April 2020

    Stacy- I would be worried with TMs going up and CT normal too. Another person on BCO had that and finally the PET was approved and she had progression - never showed up on the CTs

    I had a bone biopsy looking at mutations and the results came back while my doctor was on vacation- the on call doctor said the report was “confusing”- but I was still ER+. I forgot to ask my MO because I have been sick as S___. Of course only email and phone visits now- I keep forgetting to ask her. She did tell me that her colleagues who have put patients on Piqray said it was awful - so I don’t know if it is relevant at this point whether I have a pik3 mutation or not- I wouldn’t choose piqray probably if I had another choice.

    Moomala- it’s a hemolytic anemia ( you destroy your own cells- the bone marrow spits out immature weird cells and your body destroys them. When I was admitted they did a chest CT and said no clots, I imagine no cancer either. I was too sick to question much.

    I think the Xeloda is kicking in- so I am feeling a little better- hopefully it’s a trend.

    Hugs

  • sbaaronson
    sbaaronson Member Posts: 230
    edited April 2020

    Nkb,

    I am uncomfortable with the marker rise and the CT showing nothing. Something isn’t right?! I am going to ride it until next month’s blood draw and see what shakes out. This is why I wanted the PET to begin with...

    I hope Xeloda is being kind to you. I don’t know what my options will be after the Afinitor route, I am not inclined to do the Piqray, sounds like torture.

    Take care of yourself-

    Stacey

  • Moomala
    Moomala Member Posts: 436
    edited April 2020

    Stacey! That's great news. I hear you on the uncertainty with your TM's rising and the CT showing no progression. This happened to me in October but it just so happened I had a nuclear bone scan the same day as my CT. My TMs were rising and the CT was normal however the bone scan showed where the progression was that did not show up on the CT. I wish we could just have Pet scans. They're easier and I'm not allergic to the contrast AND they seem to show the most. When I had my first one in February this year there was plenty in my ribs that did not show up on CT.

    I had monthly check in with oncology this morning. They said they had had one employee with covid but that they'd traced all activity and if I didn't get a call from them, it means we weren't exposed to that person. Ughhhh. Anyway we talked about the rising TMs and she said just don't even think about them until we get scans next month. So I'll try.

  • Moomala
    Moomala Member Posts: 436
    edited April 2020

    I did not mention that my TMs rising directly correlate with the dose reduction of Afinitor to 7.5 The NP told me this morning that my MO intends to have a conversation with me about this next month. My TMs dropped significantly but as soon as I dropped the dose they started to rise a bit.

    I'd rather go back to 10 mg than go on Piqray. The NP told me their patients are about 50/50 on Piqray tolerance. It scares the crap outta me.

  • sbaaronson
    sbaaronson Member Posts: 230
    edited April 2020

    Moomala,

    Just like you I am going to let it ride until next month, if the markers rise again, we’ll fight the insurance company for the PET and I will do a bone scan.
    That Piqray sounds like torture. I suppose, as you said, we could try it, if it too much, we don’t have to stay on it.

    I so hope that you haven’t had direct exposure to Covid. I am not one of the minimizers. No one should be blasé about it, it can damage your lungs, heart, and who knows what else?! Hmm, any chance it would kill the cancer?

    So we will plow through this month and pick this ball up again in May. I hope your back pain gets better!

    Thank you for taking the time to respond!


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