scared and dont know wht to do!!

katfur111

hello, my name is kathy, i am 48 yrs old and dx with stage 4 invasive labular carcinoma of both breast and the omentum and possible bone mets. dx in Aug.2015. just went to cancer treatment centers of america in chicago last week, and they want to continue the treatment i am on , Ibrance, (oral) and Lupron,xgeva, faslodex, (all injections monthly) and in the 1st week of june if my marker hasn't impoved and no change in CT/PET scans they want to do surgery and remove my omentum and both breast at the same time, has anyone done this ? and my oncologist says survival rates is 5-7 yrs. but has patients 13-15 yrs . out and even 20 yrs out, and i am doing very well, i still work full time as a nurse working night shift and am over 100 lbs. over wt so im not looking sick, very fatigued and nausea is a beast but doing well considering. anyone have any advise? im a single mom and feel hopeless even broke things off with my BF because wht is the use of going on with a relationship if im not going to be around long? im depressed and just work and sleep. seriously that is all. im affraid of how big the surgery is and my recovery time, i cant pay my bills if i don't work and can't lose my insurance either. i don't know wht to do. no help out here unless your not working and sitting home dying. wht does it mean to take both breast and the omentum? will my cancer be gone? i know i still have it in the blood and will need to treat it always, but does this change the stage? and will the medication keep it from spreading to other organs? i have no major organs with any cancer just some spots on the bone in my hip, tailbone and some lower back vertabrae, they said is mostly cancer d/t my dx. any help is appreciated thank you and God bless.

Beepositive

Prayers to you Katfur111

hello, sorry to hear you are dealing with so much!!! PRAYERS GOING UP FOR YOU..

BEEPOSITIVE

HapB

katfur111

Hi Kat, I am so sorry you have to go through all this. I am new here and have not started treatment yet. I can't give you any info about your medical decisions, but I was a single Mom also. I understand completely the predicament you are in. I was treated for another cancer 6 years ago with chemo, surgery, radiation. It wiped me out financially. The nature of the treatments made it impossible for me to work because I was so very sick even prior to treatment. I spent my entire life savings because my insurance only covered 80% of costs and the copays and deductibles did not count in that amount. Now, I am on Medicare... Kat, you need to make it easier on yourself. Can you work part time? Can you take a leave and go on Obamacare and get subsidies? Medicaid? You certainly qualify for SS disability benefits. Is there a social worker at the Cancer Center of America who can guide you through this? I know that as a single working mother, you value your independence and that it is hard to accept help. Been there. Now is the time that you absolutely have to accept all the love and help people offer to give. Sometimes, we even have to ask for help. Now is the time. I know the extra challenges posed by being a single Mom working with cancer. You really, really need to give yourself the best shot at getting well right now and that means you may have to take a leave from work and use whatever safety net is available for you. That is what it is there for! Please find out about all the help available to you now. I am going to pray for you at Mass tonight. My heart goes out to you!  Your fear is understandable and feel free to express it here. It helps to be real and sometimes we can't express feelings to our loved ones because we don't want to worry them. Feel free to express every negative feeling here! 

kwok

Consult Oncologist?

Kathy, I'm very sorry to hear this.  Its a bear isn't it, having to deal with cancer and also being a single mom?  I can only imagine how difficult this is for you.  Its very understandable you feel afraid.  I'm going through chemo myself every 3 weeks and I don't have much of any taste buds left after 3 rounds, but I compensate by enjoyment of my other senses like music, color, nature and building relationships.  

I do not have answers for you, but have you asked your oncologist all these questions to ensure you completely understand the plan of action?  You should feel free to ask all questions of your oncologist till you've got all of your answers.  If in doubt, get a second opinion and compare notes.  

I wish you all the very beat Kathy!

Irene 

 

 

1surfermom

Scared and confused

Hi Kathy,

I understand how you feel. I'm diagnosed with what my doctors think is a new primary. This Mothers day I just felt hopeless, why celebrate? I totally get how you feel when thinking about the future. I feel that I am in a holding pattern and inertia. I sort of feel stuck. The one thing that helps me get out of my moods is doing something I like to do. I personally like to walk my dog and binge on the ID discovery channel. It's midless but it helps me escape. Is there any thing that you enjoy that you can do on your down times? I know that the fatigue may make it difficutlt but do you like to do crafts, or read. Try to do one thing a day  for yourself that makes you happy. It really helps. I agree with HAPB's advice  try to use every safety net at your disposal. Did you go to the Cancer Treatment Center for a second opinion or were they your team for the start? I hope that if you do decide to go in for surgery your recovery will be easy and uneventful. Love surf

Beepositive

prayers for all

praying for all of us....find a good in everything...there is always someone in worst shape than we are...I count my blessing and look for the positive..know its hard sometimes ..but thats what keeps you going...NEVER GIVE UP...KEEP FIGHTING!!

Beepositive

disneyfan2008

hugs

hugs

Deanie0916

katfur

Hugs and prayers to you...