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