Elated but Down
Elated but Down Hi
Just had my scan results after finishing chemo and have been told that my lung mets is all but gone and that it has not spread to anywhere else. I came out of the onc’s office on cloud 9 with a big stupid grin on my face. I know I should be really happy but I feel so down, all I can think about is when it might return. This is totally unlike me as I am usually such a positive person. Please could you let me know how you coped if you also felt like this.
Thanks for listening.
Jan x
HI Jan
My sister has 2ndary BC and I have used this site as a valuable source of info - I hope you don’t mind me responding.
My sister (and all of her family) have experienced the highs of having good results and the devasting lows of having disappointing results. My advice is to enjoy the highs and worry about the lows if/when they come. Who knows what the future holds… What I do know is that all I want to do is enjoy the present with my sister.
Celebrate your results!
Best wishes
Avon67
Hi Jan I completely understand how you feel. I too have just had good scan results but am so worried about what comes next. Of course I’m happy with the results but it’s not a permanent fix so the lack of control and uncertainty of not will it but when will it come back is hard to live with. When having chemo you feel you are doing something, I’m hoping that when I know what the next plan is I’ll feel better but suspect I will be analysing every twinge.
I too very much live for today but it’s something we can’t do all the time. I always tell myself we need some down time to have that contrast so we can really appreciate the good times. We are just having some down time and hopefully will pick back up soon.
Good luck and hope you (and I) feel better soon.
Love Twinkle xoxo
i am having my first scan after 3 chemos in just under 2 weeks time , i am soo scared and terrified already on wondering what the results will be . i am having the red devil chemo , he said i will get my results 4 days after ct scan , how i ill cope that weekend i dont know as its my birthday weekend and my husband is taking me to a hotel .
i have bone and liver mets and its the liver mets they are looking at . what if they have increased i keep thinking and like you what if they havant then what?
this is so hard and scary …do they ever go and never come back?
thanks for the rant .
Tracy xxx
Hi Tracy Sometimes people get spontanous remission but usually the mets will return at some point, here’s hoping a long time from now.
Good luck with the scan and results! Something that gets me through is I remind myself I am the same person going for the results as who leaves the appointment - the difference being I have information.
Love Twinkle xoxo
I think we all live on a knife edge. I have had a stable state for 18 months, but every little difference in breathing, digestion, aches or pains, and the mind immediately starts looking for cancer. It takes determination to tell the mind to stop looking for trouble! Most of the time I manage not to worry too much. The worst point is just before seeing my onc. - everything is always worst at that time.
It’s easy to say don’t worry - but really, that is the best advice.
Thank you all for your very sensible advice. It is good to know that how I feel is not unusual. I intend to get on with my life as normaly as possible and live it to the full. I’m back at work and am going to take part in the Race for Life at the end of June so better get my walking shoes on and do a bit of training.
Thank you all again.
Jan x
For Tracy Hi Tracy
Good luck with your scan. My scan after 3 cycles of the red devil showed the cancer had significantly reduced but I did worry until I got the results. Hope everything goes well for you.
Jan xx
thanks jan , my scan is thursday . where were your mets ? mine are liver and bone .
thanks xx
For Tracy Hi Tracy
Hope everything went well yesterday.
My mets are in my lung. I worry that it will return there and spread. I am pretty well versed in what happens in most mets cases but not well up on bone mets. What sort of treatment do you have for that?
Luv
Jan xx
just told mets in lung This is my first post on this forum-daignosed 2 weeks ago, and told on Friday I have multiple tiny nodules in my lungs-liver and bones clear.I ahd just got used to the idea of having breast cancer, and am now felling completely devestated.
I ahve been started on tamoxifen as my ca is oestrogen receptive, with the assurance that the treatment will be changed very quickly if I’m not responding.
My family are descending on us this week, and I am finding it all a nightmare.
I know from reading youre posts that there will be highs and lows-how do I cope with this bit, and is tamoxifen as a first line something other people have had? Also advice on coping with the menopausal symptoms would be good-I’M 37 so wasn’t quite gered up for the menopause yet!
Dear India, I too was diagnosed stage 4 from the beginning. It was a huge shock (my hip had fractured walking home from work) and it took me months to get my head round things. Be very kind to yourself at this time, I found it best to just go with the flow where my mind was concerned.
I had Tamoxifen as my first treatment and it worked very well. I was also pre-menopausal and I didn’t find the hot flushes too awful. I kept an electric fan by the bed for night times and found a lot of my flushes were triggered by hot drinks.
I’m still here and feeling well, I was diagnosed in 2003, there are lots of posters here who have been using the forum, like me, for years and there’s much support and advice here.
Belinda. x
Hi India,
Sorry you are joining us here. I agree with Belinda this is the time to go with the flow and not expect too much of yourself. If you feel sad and down that’s normal but the good days will slowly overtake the bad ones.
I too had tamoxifen, it is pretty standard as a first line treatment. It can be a huge learning curve and you may have lots of questions, live chat usually has a good turn out on a Tuesday at 8pm - perhaps we might see you there.
I have a chillow pillow to help at night which has been great for night sweats. Your Onc/GP can also prescribe meds to help…I did without as you do get used to it and they seem not so bad eventually.
I’m one of the younger ones here too (35) so you are not alone. I know at first it feels like you’re the only younger woman with this diagnosis but sadly there are a surprising amount of younger women here.
Take care
Twinkle xoxo
Hi India,
Sorry you are joining us here. I agree with Belinda this is the time to go with the flow and not expect too much of yourself. If you feel sad and down that’s normal but the good days will slowly overtake the bad ones.
I too had tamoxifen, it is pretty standard as a first line treatment. It can be a huge learning curve and you may have lots of questions, live chat usually has a good turn out on a Tuesday at 8pm - perhaps we might see you there.
I have a chillow pillow to help at night which has been great for night sweats. Your Onc/GP can also prescribe meds to help…I did without as you do get used to it and they seem not so bad eventually.
I’m one of the younger ones here too (35) so you are not alone. I know at first it feels like you’re the only younger woman with this diagnosis but sadly there are a surprising amount of younger women here.
Take care
Twinkle xoxo
Live chat Just a tiny correction - live chat especially for those of you with secondary bc starts at 8.30 on a Tuesday. If you want to join India I am sure you will get loads of support and answers from the very knowlegdeble ladies who come along.
Best wishes
Moderator
Breast Cancer Care
Ooops thanks Moderator. I know fine it’s 8.30pm goodness knows why I posted 8pm.
Hope to see some of you in chat tonight…at 8.30pm :-))
Tracy and India Hi Tracy
I have my fingers crossed for your scan results!!
India
I really felt for you - having the family descend just when you want time out to get your head together. Personally I feel that you have to get a bit selfish when you are diagnosed with cancer; you state what you want (people to come and visit or not) and, even better, tell people what to do. Perhaps we should have been doing more of that anyway!
I should think your family are desperate to see you and desperate to do anything that they can to help. The fact is that there is nothing they can do about your diagnosis but, if you can get your head around it , there are probably a lot of other things that they could do for you and that would help them to cope and make life easier for you. Cook for your freezer, take the children (if any) out for the day and give them a bit of fun, clean and tidy cupboards, weed the garden… but if you can’t face it then tell them, they will manage, and remember at the moment it is you that counts.
Ask yourself, if i tell them not to visit - what is the worst that can happen? Obviously they love you and the answer is - nothing - so don’t fret about things that you can control. There is enough in our lives that we can’t.
Best wishes
Blondie
thanks blondie,
results are at 330 pm today , this is pure agony . will be back teatime to reveal xx
Tracy