Enhertu Cycle #3 Update - 3/13/25

Wanted to share another update of how things have been going.  Time seems to be flying by as we are already in March and for me, I just wish time would slow down.  The weather however is getting nicer here in Minnesota, minus a big snowstorm we had over a week ago, but the warm days are coming, which means more walks and activities outdoors which I’m excited about.   

I’ve been doing a lot of fun things since my mom has been in town. We saw Jim Gaffigan, went to the Price is Right Live and did a puzzle competition together.  We didn’t get picked to play for Price is Right but participated in the audience action.  It wasn’t the real event, but still fun to be a part of something very similar.  I also did some rock climbing, had a dinner with other fellow MBC Thrivers and went to a Morgan Wade concert with my Firefly sister.  I usually go to bed early around 9pm so when the concert wasn’t going to start until 8 or 8:30 I needed to prepare myself! Made it through the concert though and had a fun time being back to see some live music which I love.  The friendships I am making and building because of cancer I am so thankful for.  Cancer can feel so lonely at times and having a community of others who understand what you’re going through is so beneficial. 

Speaking of community, I started a new Facebook group called “Single Cancer Thrivers” a while back to create a support network of others who are also going through cancer without a partner or significant other.  Currently this group has about 45 members and I set up monthly virtual meetings for us to share, connect and have a safe space where we all feel supported.  Every cancer, age and gender are welcome in this group, as we navigate dating, loneliness, etc. without having someone by our side.  I say this as finding my tribe of people, but also for everyone in this group to find each other, as the impact goes broader than just me, and that makes me feel good. 

As far as appointments and treatment updates – I had my Echo appointment on my heart function as these drugs can damage the heart but thankfully everything with that came back normal, which I expected.   I recently started my 4th cycle of Enhertu and met back with Dr. Lassi for a follow up appointment after my scans.  At every appointment I have my labs drawn to make sure I am approved for treatment still and the past couple of times I’ve had elevated liver enzymes.  It seems my liver enzymes are trending upwards which of course scares me because of the tumors that were in my liver. My head goes straight to “Is this progression?”  Of course, I also go down the Google rabbit hole and think the worst, just after receiving good news on my scans.  When I met with Dr. Lassi though, she reassured me that everything looks fine and that the Enhertu treatment can cause elevated liver enzymes itself.  So hearing that from her made me more relieved.  They also tested me for the CA 27.29 blood marker which indicates how much cancer is in the body and happy to report that level is now at 25 which is the first time it’s been below the <37 for normal range!  So all in all, my labs all look great and the scans show the treatment is working so these are both huge wins I will continue to relish in.  Dr. Lassi also stressed for me not to continue to worry and that she will let me know when we do need to worry.  I am thankful I have such a caring and invested doctor that knows what she is doing and will take the burden off my back so I can just keep living. 

As far as treatment side effects, they haven’t been horrible, but they also haven’t been great.  The biggest side effects that seem to bother me include brain fog, exhaustion, mood changes and irritability.  It’s hard to know if it’s treatment caused or the pre-med steroids they pump me full of.  I know that a side effect of Enhertu is mood changes and depression.  But also steroids can cause this as well.  Regardless, I seem to feel a lot of these effects from day 2 or 3 after infusion to day 7 or 8.  With my mood, that seems to be prolonging though, past the 7 or 8 day mark.  I tend to feel down with some loss of joy in activities I once enjoyed.  This side effect bothers me the most, because usually I am a positive, upbeat person who enjoys every single moment.  I also read something about cancer burnout and I fully believe that all the trauma I’ve been through the last 7 months is now catching up to me. I am just tired.  But I don’t want to let these feelings I am having and the way my body is feeling to stop me from living the quality of life that I want and deserve.  I’ve been still able to continue doing the things to keep up my health, like working out and getting out for walks since the weather has been nicer.  And actually, been lifting heavier weights at the gym lately.  Recently I’ve gained a few pounds of muscle which I am proud and notice my strength coming back.  My hard work here is paying off as I’ve been trying to gain some weight back since last August.  Working out does a lot though, not just for my physical health, but mental health as well.  Even though this helps, I still feel the side effects and something just feels off mentally.  After contemplation, I decided I needed something to help.  I decided it was best for me to get a medication to help with my mood. 

Honestly, sharing this is a lot for me, but at this point I am an open book.  For me, being transparent about the things I am going through is somewhat healing for me, and hopefully it’s also helping others.  I never wanted to or thought I would be on an anti-depressant.  I’ve always been the one to avoid taking medication unless I absolutely had to, or even thought that natural remedies could assist.  But since I am on forever treatment with a stage 4 cancer, I thought, what is one more medication.  Plus, my quality of life is so important to me, now more than ever, that I will do everything I can to keep that up.  So here I go to try to manage the side effects and we will see how I start to feel from here. I am so hopeful I can get back to feeling like me again! 

All this to say, it’s ok to not be ok.  It’s ok to have to ask for help. It’s ok to go on a new medication if it makes you feel better. Life isn’t perfect and no one is, but we can try to understand what we feel, what we need and just do that, because we are so worth it at the end of the day.

In other news, besides my health, I started back at work a few weeks ago.  I thought this would be the best thing for me right now, given everything in my life at this point.  I am being mindful of my energy, focus and stress levels, as I don’t want work to be the thing that stresses me out and makes my cancer return.  I am setting boundaries where I need to and believe it’s important for me to be mindful that work doesn’t take over my life.  I will evaluate where I am at each week and what I want in my life as time goes on.  The normalcy feeling however is refreshing in a way to me, but I also have passions outside of work that I want to make time for too.  I am just so thankful to work for an incredible company with great people and benefits.  My manager and team have been awesome supporters, and I am grateful for the flexibility as I ease back into work. 

As far as other fun things going on – my dad is in town with my mom right now and it’s been nice hanging out with my parents.  We’ve been playing games, going out to eat and taking walks with Obie in the nice weather.  My parents will stay here with me until the 23rd, the day after my birthday and then they will drive back to New Mexico.  I am grateful they will be here for my 35th birthday, which I can’t believe is coming up so quick.  It’s a milestone of a day that I will cherish and celebrate and believe that I can live another 5 years to hit the 40 year milestone.  As part of my birthday celebration, I am headed up to Lutsen, MN this weekend for a long weekend with friends to stay at a cabin and go skiing!  I am excited for this so much, especially since I haven’t been skiing in so long and my friends and I have been trying to get out a cabin each winter. 

I also mentioned last time that I am working on a new blog – I am making some good progress with that and hopefully have something to share soon.  There is only so much time in a day to do everything this girl wants to do!

To wrap up this week, I’m just feeling incredibly grateful for a lot lately.  With stage 4 cancer, it’s not always easy, but gratitude helps and anxiety about life in general reduces when you are grateful for what you have.  I can say I have a lot, and for that I am always forever thankful.

Love, Stacy