Merry Labor Day!

Hey everyone,

Several people have said it’s time for an update since we left you hanging the last time, so here is the latest, and we apologize for the delay.

After much prayer, we decided that Laurie should participate in the clinical trial as it can help other patients down the road. She feels that her medical treatment has been outstanding, and that is in part due to other women being willing to participate in trials that helped them create the current treatment plans. So, Laurie started the clinical trial on 14 Aug 09 and it will continue for 3 years. She was put into the 2nd group, which is taking 1600 mg of Clodronate once each day (currently in use in Canada, UK and Italy under names of Bonefos, Loron and Clodron). The most likely side effect is nausea, but she has been very fortunate that she has not experienced any side effects. Luckily, she learned to swallow large pills when she was a teenager, so she is able to take the two “horse” pills each morning 1 hour before eating anything. However, her stomach is also starting to let her know when it’s hungry so her stomach has started growling (which is nice to her as her body wasn’t telling her when it was hungry before).

She also was able to go to the Gyn specialist (Dr Scott Forrest, so easy for her to remember his name) relating to the spot on her ovary, and he feels very confident that it is related to her infertility struggles, and while we will check it again in 6 months, does not believe it is something to be concerned about. As he said, it could have been there for years, and we only know about it because of the PET scan. The endocrinologist appt is in mid September, where we will have the spot on the thyroid checked out. Laurie’s friend Sheila, who is a nurse, set our expectations that we may have to have a needle biopsy before we have final answers, but we will let you know as we find out.

Laurie will also be starting her hormone treatment this week. Although she was put into menopause by the chemotherapy, the doctor cannot start her on Aromatase inhibitors (AI) until they are sure her menstrual cycles don’t return. If they did put her on AI’s and then her ovary began to produce estrogen again, then it would actually overproduce, thinking her body needed it, and that would actually create a perfect environment for her estrogen positive breast cancer to return. So she will be starting Tamoxifen, one 20 mg tablet a day. The side effects of Tamoxifen are similar to some of the symptoms of menopause, with two of the most common side effects being hot flashes and vaginal discharge. Other side effects in women may include headache, nausea and/or vomiting, skin rash, fatigue and fluid retention and/or weight gain.

One thing that Laurie asked for her birthday (although it was hard to admit she needed it) was the “daily pill box.” Although it did make her feel old to have to use one, her kind nurse at the oncologist’s office said it was just another way to be “organized”. So that is the story she is sticking with now. ;-) This box helps her remember the pills she needs to take, which include:

• Clinical trial – 2 800 mg tablets of Clodronate, first thing in am, 1 hr before food
• Vitamins – 1 One-A-Day Essential vitamin and 1 Vitron C (extra Iron) at lunch
• Calcium with Vitamin D – 1 chewable Caltrate tablet at lunch, and 1 chewable at night (have to take these at 2 different times since your body can only absorb so much calcium at one time)
• Hormone therapy – 1 20 mg pill at night

We’re not sure how many “pills” you need to be taking before you get this type of “organizer” but 7 is way beyond what Laurie’s simple mind can handle without this helper!!

Tomorrow, the kids begin school. Brooke & Ridge are in 3rd grade and Forrest starts 6th grade. Once we settle back into a routine with school and extracurricular activities, football, baseball and volleyball, Laurie will give us more detail on the clinical trial and what Radiation therapy was like. Stay tuned.

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