Cherokee
cupcake
Registered: 11/06/09
Posts: 5
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Reply with quote | #1 |
Hi Folks,
I have been a long time reader or this site and it has been a tremendous help as I have gone thru treatment. The information here has at times saved my sanity and kept me from fearing treatment as much as I otherwise would have. Now I find myself at the end of my treatment (hopefully) and wanted to do something that might be preventative as my bc was stage IIIb, grade3 with positive nodes. The neo-adjuvant chemo I had was about 50-60 percent effective acording to the pathology report from the mastectomy. I then went on to Xeloda and Gemzar as an added protection. I am now going to be taking 200mg of Celebrex (either daily or 3 times weekly) as further insurance against recurrence and wondered if it would be all right to take curcumin with the Celebrex as they both appear to be COX-2 inhibitors.
Would greatly appreciate any advice/help you can give me.
P.S. - I had a follow up pet/ct scan on Oct. 22nd and it came back clean 
Thanks All,
Linda
__________________
My goal is and always has been to live 100+ yrs - yes I am greedy
65 yrs at diagnosis -07/02/08 stage IIIb grade 3 tri-neg 18x19x22mm tumor with 3 positive nodes (at least) poorly differentiated with metaplastic features, 8/5/08 4ddAC+4dd Taxol,1/23/09 rt mst w/immediate expander, 2/24/09 expander fills, 4/09/09 33 rads, 7/27/09-10/13/09 Gemzar + Xeloda (preventative) 10/22/09 pet/ct scan clear |
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nosurrender
Benevolent Dictator
Registered: 09/07/07
Posts: 4,999
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Reply with quote | #2 |
Hi Linda, Welcome!
I am so glad we have been able to help you! We are family and it is always great to meet another sister.
That is one thing that I think is so cool about neo-adjuvant chemo, you can gauge how well it works. The xeloda/gemzar is a great follow up!
I don't think there would be a problem with adding the curcumin with your celebrex, unless you have a blood thinning problem, you easily bruise, etc. I am sure Constantine will check in and add his expertise.
Have you considered adding preventative Zometa? 4 mgs every six months to prevent bone mets and major organ mets as well? It is not approved everywhere, but if your bone scan shows at least a medium level of osteopenia, you can get Reclast covered by insurance, it is 5 mgs, and instead of giving you that dose, he gives you 4 mgs, which is the Zometa dose, every six months. (Reclast and Zometa are the same thing, just different strengths.)
Hooray for your clean scan!!!!
I am an eight year TN survivor and soon to be a three year lobular ER+ survivor in February.
No Surrender, baby!
hugs,
g
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WE WILL PREVAIL
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Cherokee
cupcake
Registered: 11/06/09
Posts: 5
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Reply with quote | #3 |
Hi Gina 
Thank you so much for your gracious welcome - I have read the site so much I feel as if I know you and am very grateful for all you have provided here.
As for the neo-adjuvant chemo - my surgeon thought the results were fantastic but my oncologist (who tends to be pessimistic) said that the cancer should have been GONE with the treatment I had so kind of 6 of one half dozen of the other 
As far as the curcumin+celebrex - I do take hydrochlorothiazide (12.5mg) for high blood pressure and there is some drug interaction with this and the celebrex which my oncologist didn't seem too worried about when I pointed this out to him.
Zometa - yes I did ask my oncologist about this before I started the Xeloda/Gemzar - his reply was that if money were no object he would put all of his patients on it - but he knew money was an object for me as we are on a fixed income and I had to fight medicare for almost all of my treatments and then the co-pays were so horrendous that I had to get help with some of them from charitable organizations (this was humiliating as I have never had to do anything like this before in my life). I hit the so-called donut hole in medicare last year and again this year so will wait until after the first of the year to start pushing for Zometa again (I am sure the chemo has had effect on my bones as they hurt now when they never did before - I was a hyprochondriac BEFORE breast cancer so guess how that makes me NOW  ) - my oncologist usually gives in after I bring something up more than once as I did with the Celebrex,Xeloda etc. Also my husband has developed an abdominal aortic aneurism and will be having surgery to correct it on Nov 23 so my plate is quite full at the moment.
By the way - we moved to Orange County, Ca not too long before I got breast cancer and looking at the statistics it is a 'hotbed' for breast cancer - wonder if it is catching lol.
Just a side note - I went to Kaiser in July, 07 with a lump in my breast that was painful and the doc there said I had 'fat necrosis' - I had been moving boxes of books in preparation for a planned move and thought I had injured myself so thought no more (not much anyway) about it until the next year when we switched providers due to going on medicare and showed her the lump -
the rest is history.
Sorry for being so long winded but it is just sooooooo good to have someone to talk to about this.
Love and Thanks,
Linda
__________________
My goal is and always has been to live 100+ yrs - yes I am greedy
65 yrs at diagnosis -07/02/08 stage IIIb grade 3 tri-neg 18x19x22mm tumor with 3 positive nodes (at least) poorly differentiated with metaplastic features, 8/5/08 4ddAC+4dd Taxol,1/23/09 rt mst w/immediate expander, 2/24/09 expander fills, 4/09/09 33 rads, 7/27/09-10/13/09 Gemzar + Xeloda (preventative) 10/22/09 pet/ct scan clear |
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delphinus
chocolate fountain
Registered: 03/22/09
Posts: 38
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Reply with quote | #4 |
Welcome from me too Linda!
what a lot you have been through!!!!
here's to many many more clean scans!!!!!
lots of love,
xoxoxjanet
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nosurrender
Benevolent Dictator
Registered: 09/07/07
Posts: 4,999
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Reply with quote | #5 |
hi Linda,
I am glad you are posting!
First, good luck for your husband's surgery... gee you two have been through it!
I know, it is tough to get things done with the cost of everything so high. I firmly believe that once we get cancer, there is no humiliation in getting what we need- our whole landscape has changed and we just have to do what we have to do!
I live on Long Island and we are another Hotbed too- I think it is all the golf courses and the chemicals infecting the water supply... one of my many theories!
Amazing how your lump was finally found... glad you got it out and are on the way back to your 100+ goal!
love
g
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WE WILL PREVAIL
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MicheleS
lifetime member
Registered: 02/26/09
Posts: 260
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Cherokee
cupcake
Registered: 11/06/09
Posts: 5
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Reply with quote | #7 |
Hi All!
Janet - thanks for the welcome
Gina - I have read your bio and most of your posts and your resilience and resourcesfulness have been an inspiration. Yes - the cost has been unbelievable but I finally just did what I had to. The lump I found in 07 was about the size of a pecan so the first doc at Kaiser should have taken action but didn't - the funny thing is the lump did not noticeably change size in the year I waited before being diagnosed - I got a funny look from all the docs when I told them this (like, yea, sure) but it was true.
Michelle - what a cute picture One of my Chemo nurses names was Michelle and she was the best.
Thanks again All,
Linda
__________________
My goal is and always has been to live 100+ yrs - yes I am greedy
65 yrs at diagnosis -07/02/08 stage IIIb grade 3 tri-neg 18x19x22mm tumor with 3 positive nodes (at least) poorly differentiated with metaplastic features, 8/5/08 4ddAC+4dd Taxol,1/23/09 rt mst w/immediate expander, 2/24/09 expander fills, 4/09/09 33 rads, 7/27/09-10/13/09 Gemzar + Xeloda (preventative) 10/22/09 pet/ct scan clear |
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edge
Chief of Research
Registered: 10/28/07
Posts: 585
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Reply with quote | #8 |
Cherokee:
The advice you've already received is excellent, and Gina is correct that there are no known potentially adverse interactions between celecoxib (Celebrex) and curcumin, and the combination is likely to show synergy of the growth inhibitory effect of Celebrex by curcumin, as it is in other malignancies However, although cardiovascular events with Celebrex are relatively infrequent, especially at the low dose end (like 200mg/daily), nonetheless there exists the potential for some increased risk of cardiovascular events - infarction, heart failure, and stroke. More critically, caution is needed when COX-2 inhibitors are to be used in patients with risk factors for heart disease, which includes hypertension, lipid dysfunction, diabetes and smoking, as the risk of adverse cardiovascular effects from Celebrex increases considerably in the presence of these risk factors. Note that this is not a concern with curcumin, but is with Celebrex - and all other NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors - despite both being COX-2 inhibitors. The difference is that curcumin, through multiple modes of activity, is cardioprotective, and in addition research from the Cytokine Research Laboratory at MD Anderson suggests that in terms of COX-2 inhibition as well as anti-growth / antiproliferative effect, curcumin is non-inferior to Celebrex, and also, as my research demonstrates, curcumin operates on dozens of molecular and signaling pathways and so is a far broader spectrum anticancer agent. Therefore, given the cardiovascular risk factor you have of hypertension (you are taking hydrochlorothiazide as you note), this suggests a caution re Celebrex administration even at low dosing in a chemopreventive setting. For what it is worth, my own policy is to caution against traditional COX-2 inhibitors and NSAIDS in the presence of any confirmed cardiovascular risk factor. The decision of course is yours but one option to consider is to rely on the COX-2 inhibitory activity just of curcumin.
Constantine Kaniklidis Breast Cancer Watch edge@evidencewatch.com |
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SoCalLisa
lifetime member
Registered: 09/07/07
Posts: 1,655
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Reply with quote | #9 |
Welcome Cherokee
I just wanted to add that I also had Kaiser when I had five false negative core biopsies done over the period of a year. If I had not demanded an excisional
biopsy, I never would have be DXed..as it was, it had already gone to a node and I had to have chemo..
Do you ever get down to San Diego??
As usual, Edge you are right on top of things and we all appreciate your kindness..
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" Wisdom begins in wonder"
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Cherokee
cupcake
Registered: 11/06/09
Posts: 5
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Reply with quote | #10 |
Edge -
Thank you so much for your kind reply and for sharing so freely with your knowledge. I have been a bit skittish of the Celebrex but thought if it tipped the odds in my favor I would go ahead and take it but considering your reply I think I will pass on the Celebrex for now in favor of the curcumin as there is a history of heart disease and stroke in my family (as well as a miriad of different cancers). Your opinion on this was greatly appreciated
SoCalLisa - yes - Kaiser was quite an experience all around, I had thought of sueing them for their lack of action on the bc when I brought it to their attention but their record keeping was so bad there wasn't any record of the visit in question, consequently no grounds I haven't been so San Diego in years but really enjoy it there - would like to go to the zoo whenever we get a chance after my husband is recovered from his surgery and feeling better.
Hope all of you are doing well and have a great Thanksgiving -
Love to you all,
Linda
__________________
My goal is and always has been to live 100+ yrs - yes I am greedy
65 yrs at diagnosis -07/02/08 stage IIIb grade 3 tri-neg 18x19x22mm tumor with 3 positive nodes (at least) poorly differentiated with metaplastic features, 8/5/08 4ddAC+4dd Taxol,1/23/09 rt mst w/immediate expander, 2/24/09 expander fills, 4/09/09 33 rads, 7/27/09-10/13/09 Gemzar + Xeloda (preventative) 10/22/09 pet/ct scan clear |
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