Just a quick update to assure past followers that I am still breathing!
My cancer journey actually began in 1994 with a mastectomy and, as an afterthought, chemotherapy. Tamoxifen got me to 2003 when my cancer (now classified as HER2) returned to liver and bone.
I started Taxotere and (the very new drug) Herceptin and have been for Herceptin infusions (Ontruzant) every 3 weeks ever since.
I appreciate that my journey is unusual for being so long, at a time when so many of my contemporaries were not so lucky. I am so glad to hear of the success stories in breast cancer treatment but realise we still have a way to go to make this cancer one that can be seen as curable or, at least, one that can be seen as chronic and liveable with.
My old posts give more details of my journey, so I won’t go over old ground here. Suffice to say that I wish you all well, whether you are at the beginning of your treatment or an ‘old timer’ like me.
Great to see you Blondie and still thriving. Herceptin is such a great med although sadly not for everyone including people like me who are her -. However it is a real boost seeing you here. I’m at least 22 years from bc at least 10 years MBC so hoping to follow in your footsteps. x
Honestly you don’t know how much I needed to hear this today I am 4 years post primary BC diagnosis and have just been told I have bone mets in my spine. I am really struggling to process this news, and reading people’s positive stories makes such a difference to someone who is just starting out in their journey.
Thanks to hear that I am in the same position now three years ago had mastectomy and than tamoxifen and now they have seen it in my liver, spine and bone. Really hopeful to hear it worked for you. I have my liver biopsy today hopefully getting discharged tomorrow and can get answers quickly and treatment can start. Please pray for me
Hello mrs_sunshine I am in exactly the same position and have received that very news this week, I’m having a spine MRI on Saturday. Would you mind if I ask is it er positive? What treatment have you had? I hope it’s ok to ask Sending you all good wishes
Good to see you posting and great to see you are still with us!
I’m an old timer too. Primary in 1999 and Secondaries in 2010, bones. I had radiotherapy and was on my first line of treatment, Femera, till Nov/December last year (2025). I then had a bit of spread in my spine and am now on Fulvestrant and Pablociclib (Ibrance). New treatment seems to be working
For those starting out, I know how scary it all is and it does take time to get your head around it but I hope that those of us who have posted after living with stage 4 for years will give you a bit of hope
Hi @Lambkin36, yes the primary ca was er+, her2- and I had 8 rounds of chemo..Paclitaxel/ Doxorubicin, radio, and then tamoxifen for 2 years and Abemiciclib. They changed me from Tamoxifen after 2 years and put me on Letrozole which didn’t agree with me, so I then changed to Exemestane about a year ago.
It’s such a worrying time isn’t it, hope you’re doing ok under the circumstances
Hi mrs_sunshine Thank you so much for your kind reply it’s a lonely and uncertain time. I was diagnosed 15 years ago and have had three local recurrences. I had surgery, chemo and radio at the beginning of. I’ve been on Palbociclib and exemestane a long time but routine CT showed spinal lesions. MRI spine tomorrow. Not sure what next but ironically feel well. Thank you again for replying, sending you very best wishes
Wonderful to hear that you’re doing well with herceptin after so many years. I find it really interesting that one drug treatment can continue to control the cancer for a long time in one person, but not do the same in another person who has the " same " cancer and histology.
I remember reading your posts when I was diagnosed de novo MBC in December 2012 and being inspired by your story. I’m so happy that treatment is keeping you stable and giving us all hope.
My path has been quite different to yours in that 3 changes of hormone receptors have resulted in 15 drug regimens over 14 years. It just shows how complex breast cancer is and that patients do need to be treated with more personalised and targeted therapies rather than simply “one size fits all”. I think we are moving towards personalised treatment as standard and that can only be a good thing. I’m continually thankful to be still around.
Take care everyone and all the very best with your treatments.
Hi helen44 I hope you are doing well and would be very interested in learning about your journey. Completely understand if you don’t wish to share or would prefer to msg me privately. X
Hi Sunshine. That’s sad to hear. How did you find out about the bone mets. Did/do you have synptoms or was this found after a checkup? What treatment plan have you been given now?
Good to hear about your continuing journey. I had primary breast cancer in 2003, lumpectomy and five years of Tamoxifen. In 2022 I started getting very breathless at times and investigations showed I’d got secondary breast cancer, a tumour behind my sternum and bone mets. (Oddly the breathlessness didn’t seem part of the cancer) Four years on, I’ve worked my way through three years of Ribociclib plus Letrozole, six months of the “wonder” drug Elascestrant- it didn’t work wonders for me - then four months of Fluvestrant and Capivesertib - Denosumab throughout. Then multiple scans this summer revealed that whilst the bone mets seem stable, I had lesions in my liver and that the mets had spread to my dura.
So, five days of radiotherapy to my head before I can start oral chemo tablets - with a warning that the after effects are worse two to three weeks after treatment and that my hair would fall out. And blimey, were they right! Last Thursday I had the remaining hair shaved off and I am utterly exhausted all the time with nausea, acid reflux, muscle weakness etc.
Tomorrow I see the oncologist; a fortnight ago he said if he started the oral chemo then, he’d be putting me in hospital. Well, I’m feeling much worse than I did then, so I’m wondering what he’ll say - and worrying what the cancer is doing in the rest of my body meanwhile. So I’m a bit of a wreck! (Actually, that’s an understatement)
Reading how long you’ve survived the bastardy cancer gives me hope this is just a rough patch and I will get through it.
I am 4 years post primary BC diagnosis and have just been told I have bone mets in my spine. I am really struggling to process this news, and reading people’s positive stories makes such a difference to someone who is just starting out in their journey.
I am in exactly the same position and have received that very news this week, I’m having a spine MRI on Saturday. Would you mind if I ask is it er positive? What treatment have you had? I hope it’s ok to ask 
Sending you all good wishes