Secondaries in the liver

Hi Cathy,

I had my review with my oncologist and he said same as I did in previous post.

He said biopsy is an option but you would do chemo 1st based on previous breast cancer biopsy done in 2009. I would want to have repeat CT no later than 9 weeks post start of new chemo to ensure responding. You could ask about whether Ultrasound of the Liver was useful in checking progress of tumors earlier. I know it normally takes till 2nd round before chemo effects are evident and CT scanning not normally benificial before 9 weeks post start of chemo. However if you show signs of increasing unwellness, I would push for review to see if tumors continuing to grow. Tumor markers are recommended monthly, despite the fact they are not reliable in all women.

If you are not happy with your management under a particular oncologist get a second opinion, it is important you trust your oncologist. I have seen 2 different oncologists for second opinions over the 18 months when things were tricky. I still remain with my original oncologist as I find he has genuine care towards my case. He is happy for me to do this, I keep everything in the open.

One thing I have become more confident with is I know my own body better than anyone else and at the end of the day it is our body. The more knowledge we gain, it helps to empower us and gives us increased condfidence in our treatment choices.

Make sure breast care nurse follows you up each time you have chemo.Our needs can change from day to day when on treatment All the support you can get helps you deal with these needs.

It is also important to have good family GP who gets to know whole family and you have confidence in. We have enough stress dealing with the unknown of the disease, we dont need added stress of dealing with doctors who we dont have trust in.

I cannot recommend more highly the therapeutic benefit of having regular visits with a caring psychologist who has good deal of empathy on their side. I saw one initially but didnt get any benefit then my GP referred me to private one on the mental health plan. You can get up to 16 visits a year.I then used the chronic care plan (5 visits). She sees her role as a suppotive one.I work on cognitive behavioural treatment.

OTIS foundation has holiday homes for people receiving active treatment. You just google the website, look at houses avail in NSW and send email regarding putting name on waiting list.

Let me know how you go.