Tracee’s Story

Site created on January 19, 2024

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.


For those who don’t know, I am a 20 year breast cancer survivor, with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and 10 years of medication (tamoxifen & arimidex) way back in my rear view mirror. 



My journey this time started last October when a routine back x-ray which was done to clear me for PT, showed a couple of suspicious shadows. Long story short, they saw the spots again on a CT which was unrelated to this, did a bone biopsy and got back results saying it was a bone infection. Infectious disease doctor did a second biopsy and it came back as cancerous. Meanwhile, my bloodwork wasn’t showing elevated tumor markers for the usual suspects. 


I had a PET scan the day after Christmas to see just how many of these spots were growing inside, besides the 2 we knew about. Lo and behold, there was a 3rd lump smack dab in the middle of my chest. The docs weren’t quite sure what to make of it. There didn’t seem to be plausible explanations that connected that tumor to the 2 in my back, so in I went again for a double biopsy: one near my tailbone and then mid procedure, they had me flip over for a needle into the chest, which I got to watch on the monitor.  That brings me up to the first post I did below, when the picture started to become a little clearer. 


My plan going forward is to attack these things with humor, optimism, the best damn docs I can insurance to pay for, and, oh yeah, some faith & prayer stuff, too. 

P.S. If inappropriate, dark humor makes you uncomfortable, then this might not be the site for you.

Newest Update

overdue update

Journal entry by Tracee Rosen —

Hi everyone. Sorry it’s been a while since my last post. The update on me is terrific. 

  • About 3 weeks ago, I had this head to toe nuclear bone scan that showed some suspicious areas in my head, knee & fibula. These are spots of higher metabolic activity, not necessarily tumors. Monday night this week I had MRIs & x-rays to take a closer look. Dr. Roller, my oncologist, called Tuesday night with the results. All those additional bright lights on the bone scan turned out to be nothing. Barukh Hashem. 
  • I am finally feeling more human and less post-surgical pain. We’re at 2 months post-surgery, and I still tire more easily, but I am having more stretches of feeling human. 
  • The imaging after 5 weeks on Verzenio & almost 3 months on letrozole show that the tumors are staying the same size, not growing, so I am considered to be responsive to the meds. 
  • My biggest complaint is just fatigue & that is likely to be a side effect of the pills. I started physical therapy this week, and that is supposed to help strengthen my core to reduce the fatigue. 
I am grateful for everything so far, and hope that there won’t be anything else to report for many months or years. 

Please keep Keren (Keren bat Maya Rut) in your prayers. Keren is scheduled for back surgery next month, but may be needing more than one before the year is out. 

I hope you had a freilach (fun & joyous) Purim, and a liberating Pesach (Passover) to come, and let’s all pray for a satisfactory end to the fighting in Israel & Gaza. 

Much love & thanks,

Tracee
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