Breast Cancer Vaccine

(Reuters) - Galena Biopharma said its breast cancer vaccine received a patent granting it exclusivity until 2028, sending its shares up as much as 35 percent.
The vaccine, NeuVax, gives immunity against the relapse of breast cancer in patients who have low-to-intermediate levels of HER2 -- a protein that can affect the growth of cancer cells.
NeuVax is being tested in a late-stage study under a special protocol assessment agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Once approved, it will be administered as an injection once a month for six months, followed by a booster injection once every six months.
According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 230,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer annually, the company said.
Portland, Oregon-based Galena's shares were up 19 percent at $2.04 in morning trading on Wednesday. The stock, which touched a near four-month high of $2.30 earlier, was one of the top gainers on the Nasdaq.
(Reporting by Balaji Sridharan in Bangalore; Editing by Maju Samuel)

Note: Hadn't heard of this one before.

One Week Post Port Removal

The outer pad has come off and all that is left over the incision are the steri-strips. Those are holding strong so it will be a while before I get to see what the incision looks like. There is not much discomfort ... maybe a little tinge of pain every now and then when it gets hit unexpectedly. I have been able to resume all normal activities including my 40-minutes on the elliptical.

I couldn't have asked for anything more.

The Day After

I've had so many momentous days this past year and a half ... this first day after the last of the chemo related "stuff" is one such day. How did I spend this day? Cleaning out my daughter's apartment and helping move her back home! Such a mundane thing but oh, so very welcome!

I was able to dust and mop with very little pain. Aleve was my best friend and it worked wonderfully well. There were moments when I had to stop and think, "Did I really have surgery yesterday?" How well will Aleve work tomorrow when I have to make some order out of the chaos that is currently in my living room? How long before I go stark raving mad?

Perhaps I shall have a distraction. Tomorrow the top dressing will come off and I will get a good look at the scar. I am always a little freaky about the first glimpse, and then it becomes, "Ah, who cares?" Bigger things to think about other than some scars.

The Port is Out

I was up at 3:30 and could not go back to sleep. Who knows what it was ... anxiety about the port removal ... hubby's snoring! We ended up going to the hospital a little early and they took us very quickly.

I'd forgotten to bring a book so had to read the rag hubby had brought along. Dr. Knaysi seemed to arrive a little before 8:15 and came in to brief me about what the process would entail. Offered me a sedative in addition to the local, but I was determined to stick to the local so that I could go home quickly.

I must say I was a little apprehensive about what it would be like with just a local. Perhaps the most painful part of the whole thing was when he was injecting the site ... it felt a little like when I had to get injections of the dye before the lumpectomy. You feel the prick of the injections and then the pain spreads. It was bearable pain and the nurse who was at my head and watching me, said that I did not even flinch. In the operating room they offered me the sedative again, and I heard her tell Dr. Knaysi's NP Susan Uhle that I was pretty calm.

You really can't see anything. Since the port was on my left, my head was turned to the right. There are sterile sheets covering everything, and a sheet shielding your face from the whole procedure. Dr. Knaysi and the nurses talked to me throughout the whole process. Sometimes telling me what was happening and other times just chatting with me. Do you feel pain? No, but you definitely can feel the tugging ... it just doesn't hurt. It seemed that the sewing up took longer than the actual removal. Dr. Knaysi's NP did the sewing up ... in two weeks, we'll see how she did. I have saved some emu oil to fade the scar.

The whole removal process probably took no more than 30 minutes. I have a thick wad of sterile dressing over the incision  and I'm supposed to be able to remove that tomorrow. But I'll do what I did before and leave it on for an extra day. Under that are steri-strips that I am supposed to leave on until they fall off by themselves in two weeks. The internal stitches will dissolve on their own.

I did not feel any pain after the procedure but tonight I can feel the pain. I am determined to take nothing stronger than extra-strength Tylenol.

The Port is Coming Out

My port is scheduled to come out on Friday, June 22 -- one more day and I will be back at St. Mary's at  another unGodly hour of 6:45 am. Surgery is scheduled for 8:15 and Dr. Knaysi will be removing the port.

I am not concerned. I know he will do a great job. I don't know how I feel about the local anesthesia though ... who really wants to know what is going on? I suppose it's no different from having a tooth extracted only this time someone is cutting into your chest. Well, it will soon be over and I look forward to being home by noon.

This will be the last remnant of my chemotherapy ... and although the scars will never go away, I know there will be days and weeks and then years when I don't think about this disease. Cancer has changed my life in so many ways and I know that nothing will ever be the same again. This new life is perfectly acceptable and I thank God for it.    

Rosemary and Sage

I call it my witch's brew -- equal parts of dried rosemary and sage with twice the amount of water, brewed until it comes to a gentle boil; simmer for ten minutes and then let it steep for 6 - 8 hours. Pour it into a glass jar (it should be a deep brown) with a lid and store it in the bathroom cabinet. Take out small amounts and work into your hair/head and let it dry naturally. It's been helping with the headaches and also with hair growth.

I had first used it on my hair when it started to grow back in November, and if my hair is anything to go by, it has worked. I have more hair that I've had in ten years! I've gotten such a kick out of having so much hair, I keep asking my husband to pat my bouncy hair! When you haven't had hair in almost a year, you're allowed to do silly things.

Don't do this if you have blond hair ... the brew will dye your hair brown.

MRI Results

My oncologist's nurse, Dianne, just called with the results of my brain scan from Friday. All is well -- there is no cancer growing in my brain. I never thought there was because I never had that sense of dread that precedes bad events in my life. It is good to be reassured though.

I had my 6-month visit with my GP on Friday as well. She says that I have to eat more -- my non-fasting glucose and sodium levels have been too low for over a year now. And here I was thinking that was a good thing -- but not so. Eat more protein, she tells me, and cut out the carbs and sugar. I shall try this for six months and see if it makes a difference with the headaches, the aches and pains and most of all the numbers on the scale.

My new food life began today. Another first day for the rest of my life ...