Update on Christine

For those wanting to share with others living with secondary or metastatic breast cancer.
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jezza
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Re: Update on Christine

Postby jezza » Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:24 am

Dx Jan. 1992 9mm Grade 3 IDC node neg. LB mast. Prophylactic RB mast. 6 months later. No chemo. No rads. Saline implants. 22 years NED. (No Evidence of Disease)

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Re: Update on Christine

Postby winterlong » Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:22 am

Great to hear Chris,
and so sorry it's been unbelievably hard for you.
You are a champion. :hugs:

:heart:
.

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schoolteacher
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Re: Update on Christine

Postby schoolteacher » Sun Dec 09, 2012 9:03 am

[quote][Also if you don't tell people you are struggling, no one knows./quote]
So true Christine, and so hard for us all to do, especially strong independent women such as yourself. You have a wonderful best friend :clap: I am so pleased to read that you have come through your dark times and are getting the help and support you need. :hugs: thank you for sharing your journey with us. I am sure it will help others faced with ABC. :hugs:

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Re: Update on Christine

Postby kiwijan » Sun Dec 09, 2012 8:15 am

Chris; I am so pleased to read you are taking your antidepressants. For the immediate future; your desire to have "quality of life" will be helped along with anti-depressants [in my opinion]. When you have a breakdown [which I have had] it really is too hard to get back on top of things by yourself without the help of great friends and relations and medication. You sound to now have all of this helping you [your beastie sounds a wonderful person]. Admitting to needing help [to my way of thinking] is a turning point for you - this will allow you to look at things more clearly. I cannot comment on your chemo regime as I have never had chemo; but you sound to be able to now look at your future programme with clarity. :hugs: :rose: :hugs:
Stage 1; Grade 11; bc. ER/PR positive; lumpectomy and rads. Finished 5yrs of tamoxifen on 1/11/10

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Re: Update on Christine

Postby ruth1 » Sun Dec 09, 2012 6:52 am

Chris, soooo good to hear that you are now in a much better place with things organised. It must be a good feeling to have a bit of control over th difficulties of managing all of this. You'v achieved alot over the past couple of months. Well done.
Dx IDC 2cm grade 3 ER/PR pos. DCIS grade 3, fam hist metastatic BC. Bi lat mastectomy, FEC x 4, surgical revision pending. AI x 5 yrs Femara

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Re: Update on Christine

Postby Gail » Sun Dec 09, 2012 12:50 am

Chris I can't tell you how happy I am to hear this. You have been to hell and back and it really is a ba@#$ard of a thing to deal with. The drugs we need to keep us alive making us feel like shite! Such a juggling act.

I looove your beastie, what a saint, so lucky to have her in your life :hugs: You are so right about needing to ask for help, I am the same always been so independent and hard to ask for the help we need when down.

I hope and pray you can get through the chemo nd be in a reasonable place, take care lovely lady :heart:
"You Gotta Laugh!"

Gail


Diagnosed April 2006,Lumpectomy,17 of 25 nodes positive, chemo, radiation. Finished treatment March 07
Diagnosed July 2012 cancer of mediastinal(nodes around lungs and heart)pelvis and spine. Up for the fight!

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Update on Christine

Postby chrismelb » Sat Dec 08, 2012 10:29 pm

Well i am here and feeling quite sane now. I went thru a really hard time and i suppose i had a mental breakdown. Everyone thought it was a reaction to the chemo but physically i knew the Abraxane was very tolerable compared to the FEC i had 9 years ago. My mind was reacting and cos i had had so many things go 'wrong' i just couldn't cope anymore. I was at the stage where i cried all the time and i am not a crier. My anxiety was shocking(i had to take stuff to lessen it) which has made me lose over 10kg since rediagnosis. I am slowly putting it back on now!!
So when i should have been flying to Sydney for the gathering, I had my bestie fly down from Sydney to give me 8 nights of TLC. She flew down on the Sunday evening after i had been howling on the phone to her earlier that morning. How good is that??!! She came in and took over and looked after me as i was such a mess. My daughter loves her so it was great for her. I had been in bed so much i wasn't doing any mothering. Whilst here she got onto all our longtime friends and organised for them to do a food roster and to help out getting me places. This also includes my sisters. She also took me to my appointment about getting my port fixed and came to one chemo with me. It was so good to have her here to hear me out on all my worries and to help me think them thru and how to cope with everything better. I had developed a real phobia about Abraxane and even going to the hospital. I was a mess.
On the Wednesday she was here, i went to my sister's house (in Glen Iris and the sister i am closest to) where we had a meeting with the family to try to sort out a few things cos i realised i needed someone to look after me. At this meeting it was decided that due to everyones' location it is too hard to do a lot when you have your own family and commitments. So we decided that i really need to move closer and that is how the decision to move to GI came about. That way my daughter can have someone closeby who can help her out or who i know Sam can go to and be looked after properly if i am not up to it. Also they are in easy reach to help me and keep an eye on me when i am ill.
So now i am on the mend. To do this i had to stop chemo to give me some head space. I have been going in to have Herceptin and Zometa but no Abraxane. I should be on chemo but i just had to have a break to recover and also to have my port fixed with less chance of infection from low immunity. I know the consequences of not having chemo but it is a risk i had to take. As my onc said, we are treating you not the cancer. Seeing as the liver mets hadn't progressed on Abraxane he wants me to keep going with it cos it obviously works. I am prepared to do this whereas a while ago i wasn't. We have developed tactics to try to lessen my anxiety in the chemo ward. One big one is going first thing in the morning so my bum is the first one in the chair and i don't have to wait for ages in the waiting room. Also i realised going late was bad cos i was so worn out by the end of a long afternoon. I also discussed with onc re going less frequently and he said i could go fortnightly. I might even consider changing to 3 weekly visits like Mandy is doing but of course with the higher dose you get the higher side effects. I'm still thinking on that one.
I have started seeing a pshyc at the RMH so i don't end up in the same state again. I told her she has to make me feel good about chemo and going into the hospital!! This in itself is an indication i am on the improve cos i was avoiding the hospital as much as possible. I also upped my antidepressant dose which i am sure has really helped.
So all in all i am in a far better place than i was 1-2 months ago. I have learnt a lot and am so grateful to my bestie who rescued me and all my friends for rallying. I get my port done on Wednesday and after Xmas i will get back into the chemo.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to ask any questions if i wasn't clear on stuff.

EDIT: One thing i have realised after my recent experiences is that i want quality not quantity of life. I hate being sick!
Also if you don't tell people you are struggling, no one knows.
Dx 9/03 EBC
5/12 ABC bones-Herceptin,Tamox&Zometa
8/12 Liver mets-Abraxane,Herceptin&Zometa
6/13 Xeloda/Tykerb Xgeva
11/14 TDM1 Xgeva
1/15 Rads to tumour in head
2/16 Whole brain rads lepto. mets, continue TDM1
8/16. Navelbine, Herceptin
1/17 Neratanib Xeloda & Herceptin.


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