Jill and Chuck Living Well With Metastatic Breast Cancer

Hello all, this is Chuck writing.   First off, I want to thank all of you for walking this journey with us.  The prayers, calls, texts, messages, food, cards and visits have meant the world to us. Jill just completed her 2nd week on the medication of Ibrance.  So far so good…The side effects have been fairly minimal and her blood counts are good.  She is still adjusting to the hormone therapy and is experiencing on/off fatigue, pain and some nausea.  The side effects have lessened from the 1st medication since she started the anastrozole several weeks back.  She is stronger emotionally and is a trooper and our hope and prayer is that these medicines are working to suppress her cancer from moving and reappearing.  She will have a Pet Scan in a few months to determine how effective the radiation and hormone therapy has been.  We are confident that they are doing their job! Just to add a little more stress to our lives,  as you know, we are...

 Dear Friends and Family, Ibrance started yesterday (Wed., June 11) - I take all my meds at night after I eat. I've definitely been anxiously nervous about taking it and the side effects that can happen, so say a little prayer that they will be mild and I can stay on this for a very long time. I am laying low for a couple of weeks, not going in public/crowded places while we see how my white/red blood cell counts will do...which can tank. I cannot be around anyone that is sick.  Ibrance works by targeting and blocking specific proteins (CDK4 and CDK6) that cancer cells need to grow and divide. By slowing down the cell cycle, it helps stop the spread of hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative or positive breast cancer, especially when combined with hormone therapy of anastrozole that I am on.  Think of it like...anastrozole blocks the estrogen in the cancer cells from the bottom and Ibrance latches onto it from the top and makes it die off.  I saw Dr. Kritz last week...