How to cope
Hi I was diagnosed with metastatic breastcancer ER positive in late January. I get injections every month for hormones and take a tablet everyday. I am on Letrozole, gosserelin and denosumab. I was...
Forum Discussion
I've just been diagnosed with stage 4 by accident. So strange, I feel really well. Catscan, Petscan and Bronchoscopy have confirmed the unthinkable. It would be so easy to accept if I felt unwell. It's in my lungs and bones and now a new cancer in my left breast now. I go for my first Oncologist meeting tomorrow. So many questions, so much uncertainty but the worse thing is I have such a huge sense that how can I be that sick if I feel so fit and well and happy. I'm aged 65.
Gerry2 I am so sorry to read of your diagnosis xx. It is a really tough call. Many of us 'look & feel well' at the time of diagnosis ... and if you are fit as well, it will help you as you talk to your Onc about what treatments will suit you.
With immunotherapy & other treatments available now - some Stage 4 cancers are almost being treated as a 'chronic condition' .... I have friends who are 8+ years into their diagnosis (some with minimal treatment) and we have members here who have passed the 10+ year mark.
Please read my post down the bottom of this thread ... consider joining the Private Mets group, where you can chat with others with the same diagnosis xx
take care & all the best with your appt tomorrow with your Onc. Consider recording it on your phone, as it is almost impossible to remember everything that has been said at the time xx
I did record the meeting which was very helpful. My oncologist was surprised but delighted as she said there is so much information and often useful bits of information gets lost as so much is covered.
Thank you for your excellent tip! xx
Thankyou for your reply.... I'm not feeling great and so scared I'll forget who I am and become just a stage 4 cancer patient. The hardest hurdle is knowing all the treatments, scans and appointments, the hopes and disappointments and that I won't be strong enough to keep being "me". I don't feel depressed, just that there is this horrible black cloud hanging over my head. Not curable, it's just not something I've had to deal with before. I've always been a glass half full kind of person but this diagnosis has knocked me so far down I don't think I have the will to fight. I've read a lot of the lovely ladies writing in this forum and I don't feel I can be that brave or optimistic. I'm absolutely not afraid to die, at 65 I've had a lovely life with a great marriage but I'm afraid I won't be "me" anymore and not have time for the quality of life I need to thrive.
xx Try & keep being 'you' Gerry2 as you go thru these discussions & treatment options .... keeping it as 'normal' as you can, with routines, I believe, can really help. I love fishing & ukulele playing - so I kept up these activities, as it kept me (and more importantly, my MIND) BUSY! xx
Take care xx