Liver tests

[pitcrew]

I finished chemo in dec 03 for BC, on the 1st follow up visit in march my liver test cam back with slightly evalated results. retook the blood test one month later and all was good. In june the test for bilirubin was elevated again, only my doctor said everything was fine. 2 weeks ago, i was tested again and now its up even more 2.5 i think is what he said. Now I have to have a cat scan. Needless to say I am scared to death, I had 3 positive nodes and no tests prior to chemo. I have also recently been getting terrible upper stomach pains, that come and go. How likely is this cancer? What other symptoms would I have?, I am not losing weight. Could this be gall bladder problems? Please give me some odds of this being cancer.... as usual they tell you these things and then make you wait 2 weeks for a ct scan and then over a weekend for the results. Also what is the Best Cancer center on the west coast, if this is cancer I will not waste my time at the center here in my home town..... thanks

[pitcrew]

PS.... does anyone know what is the best cancer center on the West Coast?

[pitcrew]

Its encourging that you haven't lost your hair. This may sound vain, but I could have handled the chemo much better if I wouldn't have lost my hair! Besides dieing, my fear is having to go through chemo again and losing my hair again. I think only people that have gone through it would understand. Wigs look like wigs, rags on your head makes people think your sick (even though we are). With all the medical break throughs our wonderful country has, why can't they find a way to cure or slow cancer without losing our hair? I got so tried of people saying, "its just hair, it'll grow back" while true it does grow back, it takes forever, (almost 1 year and its grown 3 inches). anyway thanks again for your encouragement. best of luck in your battle.

[lizziecee]

Buzzligheyear - what an ab absolute inspritation you are ,to all our wonderful bc survivors are, who vistit this great site.
Liz : ***@****

[pitcrew]

Thank you! its nice to hear from your experience. You've been going through weekly chemo? How's that been going? is it just like the chemo you go through when your originally diagnosed? same side effects? again thank you for responding.

[Buzz Lightyear]

I was diagnosed with BC mets to the liver and bones in Feb '04 and have been in weekly chemo since then. My 6 mo. bone scan showed resolution of all but one of the seven bone mets, and the one remaining was "significantly reduced." The liver has gone from "innumerable" to "multiple" to "several" lesions, clearly a reduction. Through all this I have had NO symptoms from the bone or liver mets, and my billirum has been normal all the way. To say there is "no cure" is probably technically correct, but to say you have only 3 or 4 years is not right either. The statistics are what happened to previous people, not what will happen to you. If 80% of stage 4 cancers result in death within 3 years, that means 20% don't. Why can't you be one of the 20%? You may not be "cured" but you could certainly go into complete remission for a period of years. Others have done so. I intend to. Don't let the statistics govern your life. And don't worry about writing a will until you know exactly what is what.

[Buzz Lightyear]

Weekly chemo (Taxol) is something relatively new. They give a lower dose, more frequently, rather than a higher dose once every three weeks. The lower dose is more well tolerated and yet works just as well. The side effects are less. I've had no nausea or vomiting, only some slight bone pain and diarrhea, and occasional shortness of breath and chest heaviness. I didn't even lose my hair, just got a lot of thinning, and then it grew back right away. It's a clinical trial of Taxol and Avastin (a colon cancer drug) and it's three weeks on, one week rest. I just finished my seventh month, and I'm scheduled to complete 18 months of treatment. Then, if there are tumors left in my breasts we'll do local control of those with radiation and/or surgery. That's the plan anyway. And after that, I expect to be completely NED (no evidence of disease.) I fully realize that I will die some day of breast cancer. But I don't expect it to happen any time soon. And neither should you.

[pitcrew]

IF it does turn out to be cancer is there any treatment for it? or do I just start writing a will? My Doctor told me if cancer moves to other organs there is no cure and life expendency is usually no more then 3 or 4 years.

[CCF-RN,MSN-JS]

Dear pitcrew, An elevated bilirubin test can be due to many things and it is wise to have this and your other symptoms further evaluated.  With your recent history of breast cancer there is the possibility that this could be due to cancer, however, without more information it is impossible to say for sure.