Thanks billy. I'm gutted just shocked it's came back after 10 years. I'm quite a positive person so you have gave me hope. So what the difference between chemo maintenance and palitive chemo?. You are doing great I'm so pleased for you. I've been married 46 years my husband and was in tears yesterday. 

I might be wrong about this,    palative is to improve quality of life making things easier to move around and do day to day things. 

Maintenance is to try to shrink the cancer or stop it spreading further. 

I myself think there's not much difference between the two unless it's different chemo so different results. 

Hope that gives you some useful information, remember im guessing I've no medical knowledge just picked things up on forum. 

Billy 

Thank you for replying. I guess I will need to wait to Friday to see what the oncology say. I wasn't to impressed with the consultants delivery I saw yesterday he was quite downbeat. 

Thank you for replying. In a way I wish it had been a different cancer stupid as that sounds. I will have all my questions ready. I'm not quite at the stage of really asking how long as I know it's not curable but hoping it's treatable. Hope you get on ok on Friday. And again thank you fir replying. 

Hi Rovay,

Hi Billy, hello everyone.

I'm afraid, as Billy and a few other people know, I am rather annoyingly full of advice!

My cancer is a type of breast cancer (moderately aggressive invasive ductal carcenoma) that had spread throughout both of my lungs and liver etc before it was detected. My prognosis was pretty poor at the start. I was given palliative treatment, which worked well.

Eleven and a half years later, and counting, I am still here to tell the tale.

There are so many things that went through my mind. I was in such turmoil and terror! My mind kept racing to my "deathday" scenario.

It did not occur to me that I might still be here so long afterwards to tell the tale. And, at that time, I didn't see or picture that there may be some long time between my diagnosis and my death. But it does occur to me now.

Yes I worked for 7 1/2 years after my diagnosis because I felt I needed to start as I meant to go on.

And yes I have had to learn to adapt to the way I am now.

Over the years I have learnt a number of ways to help myself with the mental struggle and turmoil. I have learnt to ask for help and accept help when I need it (something everyone could do more of I think).

Although my cancer is not your cancer, I think everyone's cancer is peculiar to them. And, although I am not medical or an expert, I remember the day when my daughter told me "It's YOUR cancer mum. It belongs to you" - just thinking that way helped me feel more in control. I think a lot of help can be had within our mindset, don't you?

And I believe that sometimes we can make small changes to our lifestyles to help ourselves stay as healthy as possible ready for treatments. Doing that helped to give me Hope and Focus when things were pretty grim.

Stay healthy, take good care of yourself. The treatments are improving all the time.

Huge hugs from here- I'm usually about if you ever need a chat,

Mary

x

Hi there, thank you so much for posting you have gave me some hope. I will find out tomorrow from oncology what treatment plan they have for me. I'm a bit nervous . 

Good luck with your Oncology appointment Cath,

The most useful words I've used within a question in my appointments are "are you sure...?"

And being nervous is entirely appropriate and normal isn't it.

Xxxx

Hi, thank you for your kind words. 

 Hi Rovay,

This was my day : Well appointment over. The first thing the oncologist said there is no cure and it’s all inoperable and it’s stage 4. Then he proceeded to say there would be no chemo as I had no symptoms he would wait 3 months to see if the tumours grow. Well you could have picked me up off the floor. I then told him with all due respect that’s not accurate what you have just said I am on pain killers for the tumour that’s in my sacrum/pelvis, I do have symptoms. Then he handed me a box of tissues I was quite incensed and told him it’s not tissues I needed as I was not crying. I told him that I required a team round me that have not written me off, and there heart and soul are in it . I told him my treatment was a discussion of which my views will be included. At that he said what’s your job mam I said I’m retired. He then said yes but what was you job before you retired. I was shocked why he would ask this! I replied I don’t think that’s relevant but know this I’m highly intelligent, why I said that I don’t know maybe because I felt he had written me off. Long story short I will now be getting targeted radiotherapy for five days to target the tumour in my sacrum/pelvis. Ct scan before and after and further conversation regarding chemotherapy. He’s not sure the tumours in my lungs are cancer at this stage ! Xx