Mets to Liver and Lungs

judiek
judiek Member Posts: 71
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hello all and thanks for letting me share. I was diagnosed in Oct. of 2002 with stage two-B infiltrating ductal carcinoma/grade 3 very aggressive. I had a lumpectomy along with chemo (FEC) than followed with 33 treatments of radiation. I completed treatment May 2, 2003. I have been having 3 month check ups. In between check-ups I started having pain in my rib cage. They did an x-ray and thought it was pneumonia. I went back to the Dr. twice when the symptons didn't improve. They decided to do a ct scan and I was devasted to hear that my cancer has metastisized to my lungs and liver. I start chemo on Feb. 23rd. I hopefully will get in a trial. Arm A of the trial is bevacizumab and taxol. Arm B is just taxol. I am hoping for Arm A and will be randonmized on the 23rd. I am 42 years old and feeling very alone. I would love to hear from you.

Comments

  • jeancmici
    jeancmici Member Posts: 665 Member
    Hi Judie,
    Welcome to the club which no one stands in line to apply for!
    I am surprised your clue was rib cage pain because lung mets do not usually hurt. I have lung and liver mets which were found after much pain in my back from what turned out to be extensive bone mets. That was in August and in July when I had the three month check-up all my blood tests were normal as was the chest x-ray.
    What is bevacizumab? Herceptin? I am taking herceptin and navelbine which has had some effect on the lungs but not in the liver nor bones.

    Are you HER2+ - you do not need to be in a trial to get whatever you want with mets.
    Remember to be aggressive in your behalf even if you feel a bit pushy.

    My thoughts ans prayers are with you as I can imagine what you are feeling having found mets myself no so long ago and i am 66 which makes me feel not as bad for myself.

    I know you'll have the prayers of many on this forum. Keep us informed when you are able to.
    Hugs, Jean
  • inkblot
    inkblot Member Posts: 698 Member
    Hi judi:

    I am so sorry to hear of your mets.

    Please do not feel all alone because you are not.
    So many here understand and know something of what you're going through. Come here as often as you can to share yourself and you'll find a lot of caring, encouragement and support.

    Warmest hugs your way and my fingers are crossed that you'll be randomized into Arm A of the trial.

    Love, light and laughter,
    Ink
  • ripJoAn
    ripJoAn Member Posts: 3
    Hi.judiek
    Just want you to know that there is always hopes, just don't get any false hopes. life is gonna be tough and I will pray or you . Only thing I can stress to you is to talk with your doctor , asked for the truth. Please don't take it wrong if i'm saying to you in a blunt way . I just want you be be inform, and that is what you need to move on. Information is the key to moving on with life.
    Always ripJoAn...
  • jake10
    jake10 Member Posts: 202
    Judiek, I am so sorry to hear about your mets. There is always hope. At this site several of the "girls" have been living with mets for years. Sending you warm thoughts, many prayers and best wishes. Love, Beth
  • Dear Judie:

    I'm so sorry to hear about your mets. I just wanted to tell you that you're not alone. While I don't have mets, I'm recently diagnosed and in the midst of chemo. I am 39. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you. Hang in there and I'm praying that you get into Arm A of the trial.

    Poupette
  • sunnyskye
    sunnyskye Member Posts: 31
    jeancmici said:

    Hi Judie,
    Welcome to the club which no one stands in line to apply for!
    I am surprised your clue was rib cage pain because lung mets do not usually hurt. I have lung and liver mets which were found after much pain in my back from what turned out to be extensive bone mets. That was in August and in July when I had the three month check-up all my blood tests were normal as was the chest x-ray.
    What is bevacizumab? Herceptin? I am taking herceptin and navelbine which has had some effect on the lungs but not in the liver nor bones.

    Are you HER2+ - you do not need to be in a trial to get whatever you want with mets.
    Remember to be aggressive in your behalf even if you feel a bit pushy.

    My thoughts ans prayers are with you as I can imagine what you are feeling having found mets myself no so long ago and i am 66 which makes me feel not as bad for myself.

    I know you'll have the prayers of many on this forum. Keep us informed when you are able to.
    Hugs, Jean

    Neither my surgeon nor my oncologist have ever done a blood test. I have not had blood taken since Aug, 2002, when I went in for my pre-surgical testing. I've been having pain in the back and ribs which just began in the past 2 months or so...it is not constant tho, it comes and it goes but sometimes it lingers for days. My GP just had me do a CT scan w/contrast and an abdominal sonogram. The results are that I have a hemagioma (duh whatever that is) at the L2 vertebrae, I have what appears to be density in the left colon "possibly from a previous infection" (never had a colon infection that I know of), I have a 2.9 X 2.5 adnexal cystic lesion on my left ovary and I have what may be a small blockage in a pancreatic duct. Diagnosis...wait 2 months and have the tests over again to see where everything is at that time.
    After having cancer once, I'm not a patient "waiter". my cancer was very small but very aggressive ductal carncinoma (invasive), two lumpectomies and 35 days of radiation, no tamoxifen (not a candidate for it as my cancer grows with hormones)...my her2neu was whatever the opposite is that they like it to be and was deemed grade 3+. no nodes were affected. chemacronitosis ... i had that also (not sure of the spelling).
    well, i'm beginning to read on this board and seeing where others are getting routine bloodwork done by their breast cancer doc and i'm beginning to wonder how come my doctor does not do that. is that standard practice? i still am going every 3 months and get mamo every 6 now. last mamo came up suspicious and i had another biopsy but it came back ok at that time. i have an immense amount of fat necrosis in the breast where the cancer was.
    i was o.k. with all of this until i started having pains in my ribcage and abdomen...i admit that not every ache and pain means you have cancer….but, once you’ve had it how in the world do you get that thought out of your mind when you are not feeling well and hurting inside? I guess the cystic lesion on the ovary and whatever it is attached to my vertebrae, plus the other things that came back on these reports has me worried and I also guess I just would like someone to say hey that happened to me… no biggie, stop worrying and listen to your GP and wait another month and be retested.
    By the way I didn’t mention the fact that the first radiologist that saw calcifications on my routine mamo 2 years ago told me to come back in 6 months, I would be dead right now had I listened to him as my prognosis would have been postitive nodes by that time with the kind of cancer I had. So the waiting game and me, we don’t get along very well. I ‘ve been there and done it and learned you have got to be educated and active on your own behalf.