On Monday, I had my appointment with my oncologist to get an update on how I was doing, run a few blood panels, determine what to do about iBrance, and get my Faslodex injections.
All in all, I have been doing OK over the last month. I didn’t feel better until last week because it took a while for the iBrance to leave my system. I have had ups and downs emotionally because, quite simply, it is hard to deal with having stage 4 cancer. Some days I am upbeat and optimistic, and on other days, I am very depressed and overwhelmed. At this point, I am about 50/50 with those extremes, but I am hoping that I will start to have more good days than bad once my body has adjusted to the medications.
I was very shocked by my blood panel results because of the drastic changes that took place in only one month. My White Blood Cell count went up quite a bit from 2.6 in April to 5.9 on Monday. My ANC was of huge concern in April at .8, but on Monday, it was 3.5. My Red Blood Cell count was still low on Monday, but that was not a surprise because I am fatigued most of the time, no matter how much rest and sleep I get. It amazes me how much the iBrance damaged my body in only one round of medication, 21 days, and how quickly my body repaired itself in the last month while I was off of it.
My oncologist decided to put me back on iBrance but at 100mg, not 125mg. It is clear that the 125mg dose was too much for my body to deal with after seeing the huge changes in my blood in only one month. I should also say here that the first blood panels that were done in March when my treatment started were completely normal for the first time in three years, so this really was a significant change caused by the iBrance 125mg dose. 80% of stage 4 cancer patients are not able to take the 125mg dose, so I am not alone when it comes to having these issues, and I have been assured that studies have found that there is little to no difference in the effectiveness of the medication between 125mg and 100mg. Many of my oncologist patients have been on iBrance and Faslodex for years and have been doing well at stage 4. So on Monday, I started my next round of iBrance for the next 21 days. I have all of the medication I need should I start dealing with side effects again, but as of today, day three, I am doing fine, just dealing with a slight headache.
The longest part of my appointment was getting my Faslodex injections. The process takes a while because they have to order the medicine from the pharmacy, which is right there in my oncologist’s office, and then they warm up the medication to thin it out so it can be injected. I know it sounds terrible, and honestly, it is. I hate getting shots of any kind, but these are worse because they are given in my butt muscle, one on each side. On Monday, I was in quite a bit of pain once I started walking to my car, so once I got in, I sat there for a few moments to gather myself before driving home. I continued to hurt as the evening wore on, so I took a few extra-strength acetaminophen, which thankfully gave me the relief I needed.
My next appointment with my oncologist is scheduled for June 20th. I am fully in my monthly schedule now, so the only change from how my appointment went this month will be when I have my PET scan done. Because I had to take this past month off from iBrance, I will not have my next PET scan until July. I wish it were sooner, but I have to take iBrance for three months before getting the scan so we can see what progress the iBrance has made on shrinking my tumors.
I want to say a huge “thank you” to my family and friends that have been taking the time to contact me and ask me how I am doing. It really helps me, especially on my bad days, to be reminded that more people care about me than I realize. Bless you, and thank you for continuing to support me through this difficult time! 💕