Enhertu Cycle #2 Update - 2/12/25

It’s been a while since I posted my last update, so I thought I would share how things are going.  Been a fun filled last few weeks, and so thankful I had the energy to do the things I love and travel.

I recently came back from my solo trip to beautiful Puerto Rico, and I must say I had the best time! It was a jam packed few days of beach time, rainforest hikes, bioluminescent bay kayaking, Jet skiing, snorkeling, delicious food and history tours.  A solo trip is also not complete without my tripod to take photos of my exploration and adventure.  I stayed in a beautiful, quant hotel that was a few blocks from the beach and had a full kitchen, outdoor shower and porch swing.  For those that know me, you know I love a good porch swing!  The outdoor shower was also cool, and since it only got to a low of 75 degrees each day, I definitely had to use the outside shower.  The highlight of the trip for me was just the scenery of it all. Taking everything in.  From jet skiing in the ocean with the beauty of Puerto Rico in the distance, to breathing in the fresh air in the rainforest, to the most delicious food on my tongue, it was all truly magical.  If you follow me on social media, you likely saw A LOT of photos! Must capture the special moments where I am LIVING it up.  Sharing some of the highlights on here (CaringBridge only allows me to post 6 photos or I would be sharing many more Ha!).  I also came back from this trip with eagerness to travel again somewhere else soon.  Something about getting away, change of scenery, that made me forget I even had cancer.  It was a break that I needed and such a healing trip for me. 

A part of that healing from the trip was being completely comfortable with sharing my bald head.  Prior to this trip, I hadn’t been fully open to going to many places and showing my bald head.  I had moments where I did, however, at my treatment, in the CCX media videos and at home of course.  But since it is winter, I just wear beanies or hats everywhere.  The reason why I don’t like this is because I want to fit in or blend in.  I don’t want people to look at me, look at me with that look (I think you know what I am talking about – it’s pity type of look).  I want to feel “normal” and for some reason, sharing my bald head just screams “Yup, I have cancer!”.  While I know my head is beautiful, I am beautiful with a bald head, I just didn’t want to look like a cancer patient walking around when I travel. So, I wore my wig while traveling to Puerto Rico.  Then I got there, went to the beach, and the rest was history.  I took that damn wig off my lovely head, felt the fresh breeze of the ocean, sat in the sand and soaked in the moment.  It was emotional for me.  I left the beach with my bald head, received some smiles and said to myself, let’s do this girl.  The rest of that night I went without the wig, and you know what, no one was looking at me weird.  No one cared.  You start to just go with it, and having a bald head in public is not that bad of a thing.  I ended up wearing my wig for some of the first full day in traveling, mostly because I actually loved the way it looked with this hat I was wearing haha – but most of the nights, wig was gone.  Traveling back to Puerto Rico in the airport – no wig. It was freeing, it was amazing.  I told the world that you can be bald, beautiful and badass. That you can travel with Can’tcer.  And yes I said Can’t, because Can’tcer can’t take away my beauty and get me down.  And I am taking my power back from said Can’tcer. 

Related to my treatment, I had cycle #2 on 1/24 and that cycle actually ends today, as I go in for my next treatment on 2/13.  My friend Steve took me to my last appointment.  He also watched Obie for me while I was in Puerto Rico and couldn’t thank him enough!  I was visited by Carl, the emotional support dog (see attached photo).  Love that they bring dogs in to visit those of us receiving treatment.  They drew my labs and everything was within normal which was great!  My liver enzymes keep showing up in normal range which is great news, along with my red and white blood cells.  I received all the premeds, including that IV Benadryl which makes me feel drunk and sleepy.  Everything went smoothly.  I was able to get my steroids reduced in half this time around, so I wasn’t as restless afterwards.  My side effects seem to be the worst on days 4-6 after my infusion.  I usually feel weak with bad brain fog, moody and just blah around those days, so keeping that in mind for the future.  But after day 7, I seem to be on the up and feeling more like myself for a couple of weeks during each 3-week cycle.  I’ve been feeling strong, as I was able to keep up with my scheduled adventures in Puerto Rico which included a 2 hour hike and 3 mile kayak tour in the same day, and been lifting heavier weights at the gym recently.  I am so so grateful for this.  My biggest concern with this treatment is the ability to still do the things that I love, and so far things are not looking too bad. 

I met back with Dr. Lassi a few days after my infusion just to check in.  She had mentioned I can reduce my steroids after even further if I wanted to, to only 1 pill the day after my infusion.  So that was great news.  I also did ask her how many total lines of treatment there were as I am still unsure and thought there were likely 3 or 4.  She said there are 8 lines of treatment and 13 if chemo drugs are included.  I guess there are a lot of options and pairings that are decided after the first two lines of treatment.  Usually the FDA approves first and second line, but there is no standard third line of treatment.  In any case, I know I shouldn’t be thinking about the future that much, but I wanted to be aware.  I am hopeful I can be on this second line for a long time!  Dr. Lassi also mentioned that Enhertu crosses the blood/brain barrier, so it also helps prevent and reduce any brain tumors.  The Phesgo treatment does not and usually about 50% of patients who have HER2+ MBC have the cancer spread to their brain.  I see this as a good thing for me.  Maybe I was meant to be on Enhertu to help prevent me from getting a brain tumor.  I am starting to feel more thankful everyday that I am on this new treatment.  I believe it is the one that will get me to NED.

We also got my next PET Scan and Brain MRI scheduled which are going to be on 2/17.  This will be a big day for me.  I am hopeful that I will see positive results just from the few treatments I’ve had.  I will be sure to share the results after these scans sometime next week! I am also using this scan to determine what I want to do about work moving forward as my short term disability benefit ends at the end of Feb. as well.  The question for me is do I transition straight to long term disability with 60% of my pay or go back to work.  At least if I go back, there is the possibility of me working a reduced schedule for a short time, as a good transition to see if I want and can focus on work. 

In other news, I have been spending a lot of time working on some side hobbies and projects outside of taking care of my health.  I started writing a book, which will focus on a memoir of my life more recently within the last 5 years with all the challenges I’ve faced and how I have overcome them.  Still a lot to figure out how the book with plays out, but I am slowly working on it.  The other one is I am working to start a blog.  I bought a domain name, and my website will be called “Uplifting Lemons.”  It will be about personal reflections, wellness and self-care, tips, resources, recipes, and uplifting stories.  I also want space on the site to share other MBC stories that will uplift others.  Lemons are the challenges in life, and Uplifting is inspiring happiness, optimism and hope, despite life’s challenges.  It’s a work in progress and not yet published, but I am excited to share it once it’s set up!  Here is a little intro of the site – Uplifting Lemons is space for resilience, healing and hope.  Through wellness insights, personal reflections, and uplifting inspiration, this blog offers guidance and encouragement for navigating life’s toughest moments with strength and grace. More to come 😊

Also recently I went to go see a psychic and reiki master.  I wasn’t sure how the session was going to go, but overall it was a positive experience.  She had me write down questions I wanted answered, and to be honest, I was fearful of receiving bad news.  Now I know there may be some skepticism on how real something like this is, yet alone, they can’t technically give you definite information especially as it relates to life and death I would think.  But I asked if I would heal and where I would be in the future.  What I got was a resounding “Yes” and hearing the words “Remission.”  That and she mentioned partner – that I would meet someone in a support group possibly, but not now as I am focusing on me.  She was able to pick up that I had been prioritizing me and doing all the right things, as well as my daily juicing and smoothies I make.  That I should give myself grace for everything I am doing.  But also interesting enough, I asked about work, my 401K, and she said going back full time is a hard no, and taking money out of my 401K is something to do later, but not right now.  With all this information she said she was receiving from the spirits; it is hard to know what is truthful and not. I would like to believe it all is, especially hearing remission, but who knows.  I guess it has instilled more hope in me, and more belief that I can heal, which in turn could lead to healing overall.  I left the session feeling relieved that there wasn’t any bad news shared, although would someone like that really give someone with stage 4 cancer bad news??  In any case, I am taking it all in with a bit of levity for the experience. 

To end this week, I want to say thank you to those who follow my journey.  It’s quite the journey to be on.  I appreciate everyone in my life and so grateful to be alive to say that.  Life can bring challenges, but it can also bring strength, hope, healing and connection.  Connection through love and inspiration.  Love you all. 

And onward to my next cycle of Enhertu – the magical healing drug for me. 

Love, Stacy