rocked by friend’s ca return
rocked by friend’s ca return God I feel sick to the pit of my stomach today.
A work colleague of husband’s wife has just been rediagnosed with further breast cancer PLUS a brain tumour - I’m not sure of the primary or secondary at this stage - this has completely rocked me - I’m just finishing my year on Herceptin after Lumpectomy, Mastectomy, chemotherapy and now Herceptin. The lady concerned had gone past her magic 5 years and now I’m thrown right back to the feeling not of ‘what if’ but ‘WHEN!!’.
All your comments would be welcome as I’d always looked at her and thought well she’s ok!!! She was such a positive person like me and went back and got on with her life and now this has happened I’m not sure I can even speak to them to find out the implications in case I scare myself to death all over again.
Life was just sort of getting back to something like normal (if it can ever be again!) and now this.
God why does this happen.
Clemy XX
Hi Clemy So sorry to hear about your friend’s recurrence. I think it is always so hard when we hear ‘news’ like this and is always a reminder of what can happen with breast cancer.
Your friend’s brain tumour is almost certinaly a secondary breast cancer tumour (or met. meaning metastesis) and there is no cure for secondary breast cancer. However, treatments can help someone with a secondary tumour to live well for months or years. Your friend may have a treatment called whole brain radiotherapy, (WBT) or she may have further chemo or hormonal treatments.
Cancer is horribly unpredictable…and breast cancer can recur many years after initial diagnosis. There is no magic all clear time, and being positive or not doesn’t make any difference to whether you get a recurrence, though it can help us to live as well as we can with the knowledge that breast cancer can kill.
When I was first diagnosed I have a good freind who was very ill with a secondary brain tumour and who died shortly after my own treatment started. That was so hard, so tough, so scary so I have some inkling of how you might be feeling right now.
Take good care.
Jane
news like this really hits hard as it churns up again our fears.thinking of you.
So sorry to hear about your friend. Unfortunately with breast cancer there is no magic five years. I went for five between the first two episodes and then eight before my last recurrence. all we can do is try to monitor ourselves and get to a doctor if we notice any changes even though you begin to feel like a hypochondriac. Best of luck to your friend.