Someone Please Answer Please Help Me

lilone · New User Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 4

my friends shes 27. she had breast cancer and had the mastect. chemo rad all that. it was also in her cervix she had hysterectomy. it came back
spleen and gallbladder her test say the tumors were a stage 3. BUT they also say she has a mutation of the BRCA2 gene and that she has a "floating gene" in her and that it could "land" anywhere. OMG. They want to do 4-6 monthes of chemo only on her, 3 times a week. Shes very tiny shes weighing in at 102.6. shes lost her hair, her taste, but she tries very hard to eat. can someone explain this BRCA2? and this "floating gene" and is the prescribed treatment plan for her, does it sound right????
How can she stand such a long chemo treatment? (no radiation) they say they want to do the chemo for the floating gene. I'm understanding the prognosis for this type thing is poor???? Is my friend going to die?
Will she be able to do this chemo plan? What can we expect? what can we do for her? OMG SOMEONE PLEASE ANSWER ME!!!

thanks
kristie

sodapop

Hey Kristie, welcome to the forum.

I don't have any answers for you, sorry, but I have a link you can check out that might be of help.

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA

I hope this helps you more.

Keep us updated.
_________________
Can miracles happen?

http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7254

Sodapop--aka "the survivor"!

Vee Smith · Moderator Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 699 Location: UK

Just to say I am sorry to read of your friend's problems, and that my [remote] support is there. It is hard to face this kind of situation, and I hope her treatment does help.

lilone · New User Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 4

I guess so basically this "floating gene" is something that cant be taken care of? thats sad. Shes so young. I dont understand though because shes already had the breast cancer and treatment for it, did it move to the cevix, then gallbladder spleen? this is been in a years time.
Does that length of chemo sound ridiculous? or between you and I are they just "doing what they can?". I read where its nothing they can do in the link up there. Should they have given her option of no treatment do you guys think shes to that point? Shes a live wire believe me, she has so much to live for. In your opinion and I understand its opinion only, does anyone thing she will live a longer life with the chemo? I think she may die. I wont say that to her, but you guys I can. What can I do to help her?
Thanks.

In

Kristie,

I'm so sorry to hear about your good friend. You sund like such a giving and caring freind yourself- Looking up research and suport here.

I really have no idea when it comes to time, treatments etc. I was lucky- BUT Jim or someone with more of an idea should reply soon to you.

All I can say is to be there for her. Give her your ear, your shoulder and also some girlpower humor. You say your friend is a firecracker- then good on her. That will give her strength and desire to kick this thing for as long as she is able.

Let me know how things are going...
_________________
Thinking of you Inica

*Administrator*

~Nose Cancer~
~Car Accident- Broken Back, Ribs, Spleen
Sternum~
~Continous Cervical Cancer~

My Story-
http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=6731

Smile

9 Lives and still kicking Smile

brainman

kristie, I am very sorry about your friends diagnosis. The type of chemotherapy and the length of the treatment very much depends on the specific type of Breast Cancer your friend has. However, 4-6 months of chemo for breast cancer is not excessive. I am sorry about the extensive amount of metastatic growths that your friend has.

As for prognosis, it too depends on the specific cell-type involved. However, a prognosis is just a statistical probability. If my prognosis had been right, I would have died at least 5 years ago (I have a brain cancer) but I am still here Smile

. I do not know how long your friend has. I just know that you should help her make the most of every day she still has. Someone wise once told me: "You are not dead yet, so quit living like you are!" For whatever it is worth, I have tried to do just that... planing to live to be 100 but taking one day at a time.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

lilone · New User Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 4

Im so sad. I just dont know. Shes very sick of the radiation. I dont think she can do it. SHe has a new boyfriend of 6 monthes, his kids love her so much, theyre waiting for her to get better so she can come "home"...
she says she dreams of a little girl always calling her..
yes it started in the breast, went to the cevix, gallbladder/spleen...
shes a dancer...lover of life.. we call her miss christmas...shes like an angel oh God if you could see her beautiful face.
I hope she can do it. I'll research more...if someone founds out more please let me know..god bless you

davidsnieckus · New User Joined: 07 Oct 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Newton, MA

For the world to know:
The answer to cancer in my opinion is....
First my grandmother made herself available for Experiments in chemical treaement during the late 40's...she died.
My sister started chemo and radiation and then quit and became better with a change in thning an eating.
Mys sister-in-law went the chemo radiation route and is now dead.
Cancer is the body's localizng of the toxins we have put in.
No medication, no drugs, no chemotherapy is going to cure cancer. Yes maybe a short termfix to get on a better track..but
Cancer will only be cured when we see it as a sign to change...mostly change the way we look at life and change our diet...Hey..Don't believe me...
The "CURE" for cancer is change your diet, change your education!
Thanks
_________________
David Snieckus
Great Life, "MASTER" coach

Vee Smith · Moderator Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 699 Location: UK

Everybody dies in the end.

Chemo has helped me to survive longer than I probably would without, careful diet notwithstanding. It is not fair to frighten people about treatments. They are not pleasant treatments, but they do have a place.

There is increasing evidence that your genetic makeup is at the root of cancer as a disease, just as there is increasing evidence that your genetic makeup controls your length of life.

There is NO evidence that diet will do what chemo or radiotherapy can do.

In

[quote] There is NO evidence that diet will do what chemo or radiotherapy can do[/quote] Exclamation

As Administraotor this drives me nuts. For what we KNOW right this very second- Diet HELPS, but will NOT cure!. Everyone has different needs to treatment, and different needs to themselves. Different Ideas, different beliefes.

Do what is best for YOU..Not what anyone is throwing down your throat. Diet, health etc, is the first thing your dr will discuss with you. If a memeber wishes to know more- they ask. No need to advertise it.....

Warning on advertising or "cure" talks
Look at Policies.
_________________
Thinking of you Inica

*Administrator*

~Nose Cancer~
~Car Accident- Broken Back, Ribs, Spleen
Sternum~
~Continous Cervical Cancer~

My Story-
http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=6731

Smile

9 Lives and still kicking Smile

sodapop

What about bacon?

I sure eat a lot of it and I feel great. Tastes amazing.

Thanks for not asking, lol, Laughing

_________________
Can miracles happen?

http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7254

Sodapop--aka "the survivor"!

Barbara K · Regular Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 33

Rather than have chemo again, I went on the hormonal treatment with Tamoxifen, low-cholesterol diet and daily exercise on my recumbent bike.
I'm now up to 10 miles a day.

As far as I'm concerned, using chemo is like using a sledgehammer instead of a fly-swatter to kill a fly. Sure, you kill the fly but there's a lot of other damage involved from the sledgehammer blow. And, what if you miss the fly? You still have all that damage.

I had chemo in 2005 and then nine weeks of daily radiation. Both the chemo and radiation accelerated bone loss and I had to have a total knee replacement in 2006. Then in April 2007, I was told I was stage 4 terminal cancer because of the cancer cells found in my pleural effusion and that oncologist told me the ONLY treatment for me was chemo.

I went to another oncologist for a second opinion instead. He put me on the Tamoxifen treatment. I added the low-cholesterol diet and exercise program on my own as additional treatment.

May 2007, I had a pleural effusion around my left lung and my left lung was half the size of my right lung. When I would turn around in bed at night I could feel the fluid sloshing around like a water balloon beneath my rib cage.

During the first two weeks on the Tamoxifen, there was a tremendous amount of back, chest, arm and joint pain all over my body. Gradually, the pain settled down and finally went away after the first month. By the second month, I no longer felt the fluid sloshing around like a water balloon.

October 2007, I was X-Rayed again. I no longer have the pleural effusion and am currently in remission and cancer-free. I will continue to take Tamoxifen and remain on the low-cholesterol diet and exercise program.

My original oncologist gave me a prognosis in April 2007 of one to two years without chemo treatment and two to four years with chemo and he was looking at me as if I were already dead.

I intend to survive for another thirty years and laugh in his face.

My Mom had colon cancer. Her colon ruptured and the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. Her physicians gave her a prognosis of six months. She took the first three sessions of chem and then stopped the chemo because the treatments made her too ill.

Mom lived for another 13 years and the only reason she died was because after my Dad died, Mom stopped taking her insulin. Two years later when we found out and got her back on insulin it was too late because she sustained too much damage to her organs from uncontrolled diabetes.

Thank you for your concern.

Barbara K.

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