My annual update but in such strange times! I can report that I am still fine and still NED.
I have taken the, once unthinkable, decision to stop my Ontruzant treatment for a few weeks(?) while I re-assess the risks to me of attending hospital and breaking my shielding status. As I now have a form of leukaemia the risks of the dreaded CV19 are heightened by my weakened immune system.
The lack of evidence of what happens to those ‘long term survivors’ who stop taking Herceptin/Ontruzant really doesn’t help me in my decision making. I know that for some the term ‘cure’ has been bandied about but I have seen no statistics or papers to back this up. I know we have all railed at the tabloids for putting ‘breast cancer’ and ‘cure’ in the same sentence for so many years now, but it is so hard to make an informed choice if the information isn’t there!
I have no idea how many of us ‘long term survivors’ there are. Are we not statistically significant enough for a study?
Are we not an interesting phenomenon? Is there nothing to be gained by a close look at us to see why we are still here? Do I want to be an, unintended, Covid19 experiment into seeing whether my tumour returns if I stop treatment?
Well ok I’ve got that out of my system so you can see that I am definitely fine for now!
Wishing you all well, especially those going through treatment, coping with postponed treatment and in lockdown.
My thoughts and virtual hugs to all my Secondary friends - stay well and safe
blondie
