Not that I'm counting

Today happens to be Day 275 of one of my year-long medications, Nerlynx. That means I have 90 days left of taking these three tiny pills. That means progress, and I'm really excited. I'm also crossing my fingers that I don't go in to my doctor's appointment to then be told, "um, we've now learned that it's recommended you continue this one for five years. Or ten." Ha! 

I think I'm good there, as in the literature it says, "Nerlynx was also evaluated in an exploratory analysis at five years, which showed similar results." 

It comes in small plastic bags that read CHEMOTHERAPY DRUG with warnings about proper disposal, which cracks me up every time because it's not a chemotherapy drug. It is called an extended adjuvant oral therapy and it's taken after a year of Herceptin, which I did because my breast cancer was ER/PR+ and HER2+. From the packet of information about Nerlynx:

"Normally, HER2 receptors on healthy cells send signals to tell them when to grow. In HER2+ breast cancer, some cells have too many HER2 receptors. These cells grow and divide uncontrollably.

Other HER2 treatments may work by interfering with the HER2 receptor from outside the cell. Nerlynx interacts with multiple HER family receptors and works inside the cell to block multiple growth pathways. This alters the signals that lead to cancer growth."

Really, the only thing to be avoided while on Nerlynx is grapefruit and grapefruit products, which isn't a problem as I am not a grapefruit fan anyway. 

Other than the significant issue of two months of diarrhea (which I still can't spell, so thank you spell check) the list of additional side effects haven't bothered me much, except "tiredness" (and how do you tell if you're just tired from life versus tired from a medicine when you're taking more than one of them?) and "nail problems including color change". While I'm not experiencing the color change part, I've noticed they are more prone to splitting and snagging, and while I'm sure some of that is also age and genetics, I'd never had issues with toenails before this medication and now I do. I used to be able to run around barefoot and even be barefoot while working in the garden and then on this med I have had infected big toenails and it's yucky and annoying and sometimes painful. Just go away already! Truly the little things in life can make you or break you, haha. 

So, three more months and this too shall pass. 

Upon scanning the list again, "swelling of your stomach area" also gives me pause. Maybe that's why my waistbands are different and not because of the Christmas cookies and Valentine's Day candy and... let's just go with that. I'm not a huge fan of looking 3 months pregnant when I am not. And I'm not. That ship has sailed. Thrice. Or maybe it was three ships. Haha!

Anyway, I just wanted to guys who've been along for the ride to know what was happening. I'll see my oncologist next week, but for now all is well. T-90 and counting! Woohoo!