What if you don't get good news?

MAC50

I was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in June. I did the chemo 4 AC combo, 4 Taxol, then I did the surgery--partial mastectomy with lymph node disection. Breast clear--1 out of 8 lymph nodes has residual cancer. Now I am doing the radiation. But before I started the radiation they told me to do another CT scan. Turns out I may have mestastis (sp?) in my lungs and that if that is what it is--it is incurable. I have small kids--how do I deal with this?

Susan956

I am sorry that you are having to face this very scary time. My understanding is that even with lung cancer there are treatments. Do you already know that it has gone to your lungs or is it a possibility? Let's hope that it isn't there yet. But the general guides work... try to get as informed as you can get. Make sure that you get a second opinion if you don't believe that you are getting the very best of care... and try to get to one of the bigger cancer centers if possible.

I am sure that others will respond that have had to deal with they something closer to this than I have... But I wanted to at least give you lots of ((((hugs)))) and include you in my prayers.

Take Care... God Bless.

Susan

KathiM

You will fight like hell. Again. I was told I had stage II breast cancer 6 months after finishing a fight with stage III rectal cancer. I was so weary, I went searching for someone to tell me I didn't need chemo again. Sigh, found a woman who saved my life at UCLA breast center..."Why would you negate the fight you fought with the colon cancer, by not fighting as strong as you can on this cancer?"....

The other piece of advice, make SURE this IS mets...don't go worrying before that...it's just borrowing trouble.

Hugs, Kathi

LesleyH

I am so very sorry. That is the hardest news we have to hear.

First of all, please bear in mind that it is not mets until the biopsy says it's mets. I had a suspicious lesion on my liver after a CT scan and then a second close-up scan showed it to be benign. So, I know exactly how freaked out you are at the moment. Please try not to worry yet.

Second, if it is mets to the lungs, there are many drugs that will prolong your life. You have to shift gear and think of this disease as a chronic condition. Your job is to fight it until they find a cure. And I do believe it is not far off. There are new drugs every few months.

Please don't get so overwhelmed that you don't take some time for yourself. How old are your children?

After my diagnosis, I spent as much time as possible with my children making memories just in case things did not work out.

I will be holding you in my thoughts as you walk this difficult road. What and when is the next step your doctors have suggested?

Many warm hugs.

Lesley

cabbott

LesleyH said:

I am so very sorry. That is the hardest news we have to hear.

First of all, please bear in mind that it is not mets until the biopsy says it's mets. I had a suspicious lesion on my liver after a CT scan and then a second close-up scan showed it to be benign. So, I know exactly how freaked out you are at the moment. Please try not to worry yet.

Second, if it is mets to the lungs, there are many drugs that will prolong your life. You have to shift gear and think of this disease as a chronic condition. Your job is to fight it until they find a cure. And I do believe it is not far off. There are new drugs every few months.

Please don't get so overwhelmed that you don't take some time for yourself. How old are your children?

After my diagnosis, I spent as much time as possible with my children making memories just in case things did not work out.

I will be holding you in my thoughts as you walk this difficult road. What and when is the next step your doctors have suggested?

Many warm hugs.

Lesley

I definately agree that you should not give up hope no matter what the test shows. I was diagnosed in 2002 with breast cancer and then something showed up on the lung. My oncologist insisted on a biopsy. Lo and behold, it was stage 1 lung cancer, not a met. If it was a met, chemo was the next option and there are lots of different kinds of chemo treatments. But it turned out that surgery was the treatment of choice. It wasn't fun to have two lung operations in two weeks, but I only missed a month of summer recuperating and I wasn't bedbound that month, just slowed down. I have met folks that were given weeks or months to live and instead have lived decades with stage 4 cancer. Maybe they were exceptions, but there is no reason you can't be a similar story even if the news isn't what you want to hear. And if you find out where and what the problem is, you can start fighting it. I will be thinking of you.