Secondary breast cancer

Feeling kinda bamboozled  :sad: 

let me explain. 

In July 2021 I had a mammogram,  2 weeks later I was recalled for another mammogram where they told me they'd seen a lump and was doing a biopsy but was 100% certain it was breast cancer. 

2 weeks later I went in for the results and it was indeed breast cancer,  a lumpectomy was booked for a month later, I also had  an auxiliary clearance where they removed all the lymph nodes and out of the 18 they removed 13 was cancerous,  5 weeks later I had further surgery to get clear margins which they managed to get .

I was supposed to have undergone chemo and radiotherapy plus start Letrozole (hormone blockers)  and have a CT scan and bone scan,  I turned down treatment,  the bone scan was clear , the CT scan showed a shadow on my lung and kidney,  further investigations showed the kidney shadow was a fatty lump needing no treatment,  

I had to have another CT scan 3 months after the first to check on the lung nodule which I had in March 22 , I received the results over telephone and they told me the nodule had changed and I'd need another CT scan which I had at the end of May 22 , I received those results on the 6th July 22 .

The lung nodule turned out to be 4 tumours on the left lung and 3 tumours on the right lung,  apart from the one which is 13mm and is encroaching on the Airways and making me cough and a bit breathless the others are about 4mm and 5mm .

 

It's breast cancer that as spread to my lungs  :sad: there is no cure only treatment,  they've started me on Letrozole which I've taken 2 so far and will take the third today,  they also want me to take  (name unsure of) a tablet that acts similar to chemo , I'll be on them for life .

 

My problem is I can't tolerate medication very well and even the medication that usually causes no side effects I still get them, I can't tolerate statins , and react to most diabetic medications too , some pain killers also cause an reaction :cry: so with that in mind I'm going to turn down the chemo like drug , I'm trying the Letrozole to see how my body reacts to it .

 

The aim of the Letrozole is to hopefully shrink the tumours or at least stop them growing or spreading .

 

I have no family support apart from my partner and I have only one friend who turns everything into a joke (which isnt always helpful) and starts joking about her catching it or throwing comments at me like she will make her own cup of tea because I have cancer and can't do it .

 

I'm kinda stuck here and alone , I'm not the sort who looks for help from other people and tend to block things and bottle things so this is huge for me to write here .

  • I think he was younger in that picture .

    They definitely have characters hehe , I'm hoping as time passes Nala will become more human friendly , we have tried and now just leave her to it .

     

    We have a dog too and Nala hates the dog who's done nothing to her, doesn't even go near her .

     

    Elf loves his dog hehe .

     

    I tend to get random dogs look at me or come up to me too x

  • RoseStarBlue

    Hi thank you for your post. Yes I too have found some brands of letrazole made me so ill. I did research on letrazole and found that different brands ,have differnt ingredients in the yellow coating,and it's this that can affect you. I agree it's true that one brand may suit some people  whereas it may not suit another. It really is trial and error.  I've found the Accord brand is the one that suits me the best,  cippia brand being the worst for me,I was so ill.on that one,couldnt get out of bed,because of the pain it caused me. Yes I still get muscle aches ,and joint pain when taking the Accord brand,but its not that bad,it's nothing I cant handle.  I'm sorry I'm late replying, only I've had lots of health related problems and lots of hospital appointments to attend. I've now been diognosed with Vin 3,pre cancerous cells of the vulva.  So I'm being seen and monitored by a gynecologist,  and recently my gp sent me to a dermatologist who prescribed me imiquimod cream, I was tokd to use it 3 times a day.  I've been in agony, saw another dermatologist who said there has bern some kind of error as I should of only used the cream 3 time's a week,not 3 time's a day. I has the cream with me ,and showed it to her,where the printed label clearly saud use the cream 3 time's a day

    The dermatologist said oh my I'm so sorry,somewhere someone has made a mistake,no wonder your so sore, it caused me to have chemical burns,and 12 ulcers, soooo painfull. I'm just glad it wasn't tablets I'd been prescribed, as if it was I could of died ,by overdose through no fault of my own.  Shocking really, glad I stopped using the cream after 4 days. I go see the dermatologist on the 26th July,so not long to wait now,it Haa eased up a great deal, I'm pleased to say. Thank you for taking the time to reply..

  • Hi Jassoscared

    Good to hear from you ... But, oh my they have put you through the wringer. What an awful for someone to mistake with that cream! Thank goodness you realised something was wrong. Pleased the pain is easing up now. It really is shocking what has happened to you. Hope today's appointment goes well. Will be thinking of you. x 

     

  • Hope things are going okay for you and you managed okay with the heatwave. It took a lot out of me. Feel like I only just recovered. Jassoscared did reply but as it was to my post, not sure it would flag up for you. So, I thought I'd send you a quick post, see how you're doing. and say Hi to those adorable cats. x

  • Your right I didn't see the message .

     

    The Letrozole sure makes me feel hotter than normal so I did struggle with the heatwave and dreading the rising temperatures .

     

    I'm feeling more like a teenager these days , by that I mean mood swings and spots hehe .

     

    The cats are fine , Elf is particularly annoying,  he loves nothing better than to jump on the bed at 3am demanding his fuss , yet he's sleeping day hours,  typical cat .

     

    I hope you are well?

  • Hi, good to hear from you.

    Am coping just about. The heat really took it out of me! I don't think I ever stopped getting teenage mood swings or acne. The spots break out whenever I get stressed or eat too much sugary food, especially chocolate... I think it might be sweet revenge!

    Pleased your cats are well even if Elf is a bit confused as to normal hours. That's cats for you, do their own thing whatever. Sounds like Elf really loves you. If you work during the day, maybe he feels he can get your sole attention in the early hours. Or maybe he just gets lonely. xx

  • Glad you're managing to cope , the heat took it out of me also, mind I've always struggled with the heat .

     

    Yes cats are definitely strange , I don't work due to other health problems so I'm pretty much hear all day long .

     

    I believe cats are nocturnal and come alive at night or so I've been told , he did pounce on me at 5am this morning , I don't mind him coming to say hello but if I ignore his intentions he bites me hehe .

     

    The doctors have advised me to stop taking the Letrozole for a while due to some side effects .

     

    I used to suffer ache in my teenage years but not as I've aged so suddenly finding myself spotty is a bit of a shock, not that I'm vain but they hurt and I'm a picker hehe .

     

    Mood swings, yeah I've always suffered them it's just jy general nature x

  • Ah 5am, that's normal for a cat! They are crepuscular creatures rather than truly nocturnal. 

    I'm sorry you're having to take a break from the Letrozole already. I'm terrible with meds myself so know how frustrating this must be. But you seem very stoical about things.

    I know what you mean about picking at things. I'm terrible doing that. I've been really good about not eating sweets or puddings this month, so I've only got four spots. But I still managed to pick one! It ended up bleeding so now it's even more noticeable ... I'll never learn.

    Hope you managed to get a decent night's sleep. The days are getting shorter so soon your cat won't be waking you quite as early perhaps? x

     

  • Some nights he doesnt bother me but other nights ? Well I think he sees it as a game .

     

    Yes thats me I also never learn, I pick it bleeds then like you say it looks worse but then I go on to re pick it and like you I also never learn .

     

    I've a terrible.sweet tooth , being diabetic doesn't help but don't usually get spots just for eating rhe wrong foods else I'd be permently spotty hehe it's only since being on the Letrozole. 

     

    I do react to lots of medicines and had hoped I wouldn't with the Letrozole and ironically it's not leg cramps or muscles aching that's bothersome x

  • It's so hard having a sweet tooth. I'm finding it a real battle!

    I got sent to Boot Camp because I was pre-diabetic. Trying to stop weight piling on means I can't eat very much and what I do eat has to be healthy. 

     I'm trying to exercise more and avoid stress because it impacts blood sugars. But avoiding stress seems impossible. Stress combined with sugar = spot horrors. 

    With regards the medicines, my GP has referred me to Immunology to see if I've got an allergy to two key excipients. But it's been a long wait. Going private would have been much quicker and also a lot more expensive.