I realised that I haven’t posted here for the last couple of years and, if any of the old crew are still here, then they probably think I’ve fallen off my twig - think again!
To be honest, the breast cancer has taken a back seat while I get on with life and managing Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia, which is just a matter swallowing 2 tables a day and has responded really well to treatment.
MY first thoughts on logging on were that it was like being in a foreign country, I didn’t recognise any of the drug regimes mentioned, a foreign language indeed!
I am still on Herceptin (actually Ontruzant) intravenously every 3 weeks and I must be in excess of 340 infusions by now as I have been on this since 2003 and consider ‘no observable disease’.
For those that don’t know me - I was diagnosed with primary breast cancer in 1994 and secondary in 2003. My secondaries were to liver and bone and things didn’t look great.
The rest is history, even the revolutionary drug Herceptin that gave me my life back! Herceptin was only approved by NICE for patients with secondary breast cancer in 2002, so you can see how lucky I was to be one of the first patients to receive this wonder drug for those with HER2 positive status.
Twenty years is such a milestone and I wanted to share with the many cancer survivors out there. I’ve come such a long way in that time and so has the treatment for breast cancer. I know we still have more to do but I just wanted to take a minute to reflect on how far we have come.
To those of you who are on this journey with me - you have my admiration for your courage, for getting up every day and just getting on with it!
My love to you all
A HUGE thanks for sharing your journey- a true blessing and so much hope for all of us finding ourselves on here I personally feel very uplifted and full of positivity:relaxed:. Thank you so much so making me feel so much lighter. Please keep the updates coming. Wishing you well and a very happy Easter J xx
Thank you SO much for sharing, your post was the first I saw after logging on and I really needed to hear such positivity today.
My secondary diagnosis was a shock to me too, after 13 years I was hopeful I wouldn’t have any more problems. But no. I had a seizure and a tumour was discovered in my brain which I was very fortunate to have removed. Just been told I have multiple lesions in my spine which were too small to be seen 2.5 years ago when the cancer returned. About to start Abemaciclib and Fulvestrant.
I remember when I was diagnosed in 2003 there was a campaign by a young woman to get herceptin paid for by the NHS so it’s great to see how successful it is in stopping secondary breast cancer in its tracks for anyone with this kind of cancer. Shame about the leukaemia though, but glad to hear that also is responding well to tablets.
Cancer treatment does seem to have come on a lot in recent years maybe due to greater knowledge of the genetics of breast cancer.
I just want to say a big thank you to you Blondie and all you other lovely people for your uplifting and positive stories. I too was diagnosed, just before Christmas 2022 with secondary in my spine and liver after 12 years, a big shock.
i have just been on another forum looking for inspiration and I was sorry I looked. One person has her affairs in order and getting ready to go to Switzerland!! Not what I wanted to hear, so when I found this thread I could say it really lifted my spirits.
Thanks to all and I wish you well. Prayers are with you all.
I would love to hear more positive stories, my last scan wasn’t good for bone and liver mets! I was allowed to stay on my treatment though as my tumour markers went down!
I’m only 39 so any positive stories like yours and blondie’s would be amazing
J xx