Onco visit, blood test, iv chemo

20 Sep 2012 - appointment was supposed to be 24 Sep, but my doctor would not be available, so it was brought forward.

Cancer marker 100 - a drop of 6 points, after so much herceptin and navelbine, is a disappointment.
White blood cell count 2.5 (low)

I was supposed to have iv chemo on 24 Sep (Monday), but my doctor suggested to have it today.

I was coughing badly and I told my doctor I did not want anymore herceptin.  She reluctantly agreed to drop herceptin after I said that I also could not afford it.  Each dose of herceptin costs me more than S$2000 and there is no subsidy from the government.  I could only claim from medishield (insurance) and medisave (which is still my money or my husband's money).

I had navelbine and zometa infusions today.
 

Onco visit, CTscan & blood test

9 July 2012 - cancer marker is 104, up from 85.2 on 25 Jun 2012.

CTscan  results :

Liver - 1 lump stable in segment 7, some other lumps are smaller
Right kidney and right ureter - calculus stable
Bones - Left lamina of C7 (cervical - last vertebra in neck area) seemed worse; other bony metastases are stable
Right thyroid lobe - incidental hypodensity stable since 16 Dec 2011
Lungs - patchy scarring (left by tumors)
Left adrenal gland - stable
Right chest wall - signs of local recurrence

As I would be having Zometa for my bones, my doctor suggested seeing the dentist to have my teeth fixed before chemo by iv.  An appointment with the dentist was fixed.

Zometa prevents the release of calcium from bones but it has side effects.

Zometa can harm the kidneys and cause osteonecrosis of the jaw or bone loss in the jaw, which is why I have to fix my teeth first before receiving Zometa.  I do not understand how Zometa can cause bone loss in the jaw and yet it is supposed to prevent release of calcium from bones.

I was scheduled to start herceptin and navelbine on 16 July 2012.