Feels like a brand new diagnosis 😫
Hello,
Although I have been aware of these groups I have been too afraid to post. Posting meant I truly had cancer. Everything happened so quickly it still feels like a dream.
After finding a small, red, angry lump on my left breast, I plucked up the courage to visit my GP. He straight away organised a mammogram. On September 27th 2013, my local GP told me I had breast cancer. Three days later I was sitting in the surgeons room talking about our options. After some other tests, two days later I was admitted to hospital to have a lumpectomy and axillary clearance. A week later, a left mastectomy was required. Diagnosis - Grade 3 cancer, 25/26 nodes affected, Her 2+, mitosis scale 8/9, removed area of 10cm.
Treatment : 4 rounds of AC chemo, 12 doses of Paclitaxel, 17 doses Herceptin and 6 weeks of radiation. Tamoxifen for a year then a change to Letrozole and Zolodoft implant due to my liver levels.
This September would have been 5 years. Unfortunately, in June I had to visit the GP as I had rib pain that was no going away. After ordering a bone scan, my GP informed me that the cancer had metastasised to multiple places, predominantly in they bones. Oh add to that leptomeningeal. At least my spinal cord is not affected. So far I've had radiation to my neck and head, 12 doses of Paclitaxel, Herceptin and Perjetta. Constantly on Gastrostop!
I will be having Herceptin and Perjetta will be every 3 weeks until my body can no longer tolerate it.
It feels just like when I was first diagnosed. All the shock……this one is taking me a lot longer to handle…..
Thanks for listening!
Elfie
Comments
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Hi Elfie,
It really does take a while to accept this rotten diagnosis and the thought of continual treatment can be daunting. However the Herceptin/Perjeta combination is relatively easy and has been a life-saver for us Her2 women. I hope you have a good response to the Taxol and then remain stable for a long time.
Best wishes..... Pam2 -
Hi Elfie. Sorry to hear such rotten news.
Thinking of you1 -
Welcome to BCNA, @Elfie tho in stressful circumstances.
What a bummer with the new diagnosis .... yes, it would be tricky taking it all in!! All the best with your ongoing treatment ..... I hope that you are able to take it successfully and as @Pamelamary says - remain stable for a long time xx
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Hi @elfie this really is a mongrel disease and to find out it has come back is truly awful. I'm so sorry you find yourself in this situation--going through the whole process once is more than enough stress and finding out the wretched stuff has not gone away after all that effort is enough to shock anyone. Best wishes, fingers crossed that you respond well to the new treatment. Mxx
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@Elfie so sorry to hear about what you are going through and I hope the new treatment works well xoxox1
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Thank you all so much @Pamelamary @lrb_03 @arpie @Zoffiel @Kiwi Angel for your encouraging words. Especially @Pamelamary your words really lit a spark back up and kicked me out of 'this is the end' mental attitude to look at 'what can I do now". I am truly grateful for your words. I hope you are all 'well' and fighting xx3
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Hi @Elfie , we all do the best we can with the cards we are dealt, it would be wonderful to trade cards until the better ones were chosen.......
So glad you've chosen to share on here. This forum has kept me grounded and thankful at the best and worst of my roller coaster so far.
I send you lots of love and light and wish you well for this next unwanted chapter. 🧚1
