Hi all,
my mum first had breast cancer 6 years ago when she was 63. All was going well and after having a mastectomy and chemotherapy which took it’s toll she was getting back to normal until last April when she got an awful cough which wouldn;t go away and after some time was told she had secondary breast cancer.
This was a massive blow as I’m sure you all understand and it’s hard to get your head around the fact that this awful disease will end my mum’s life at some point in the future.
My mum was first offered tamoxifen which seemed to work well for the first 6 months until she started with pleural effusion and has had a drain in ever since. This is very tying as she had to wait in 3 times a week for the nurses to come and drain fluid away. My mum and dad have always been active people, holidaying 3 or 4 times a year and she went from this to being basically house bound, struggling to breathe properly at times and losing all her confidence, this has been very difficult to witness and obviously very difficult for my Mum and my Dad.
My mum was then placed on ( you’ll have to forgive me I’m not sure of the name of this drug!) the injections you have in your bum once a month… said to be the new wonder drug, having amazing results. I am sure in some cases they work well but for my Mum this was an awful experience, she felt dreadful for a good 2 weeks after each injection, lost all her appetite and struggled to sleep. Meanwhile, she was still having her lungs drained 3 times a week on top of everything!
Anyway, we found out last week that this wonder drug has had no positive affect on the cancer in her lungs and it has in fact grown. This was so upsetting for us all, hard to take is an understatement.
So, now she is being placed on chemotherapy tablets, hoping they will at least keep it at bay and hopefully shrink the cancer in the lung. On a positive note, this last week she’s been taking steroids to boost her apetitie and it’s working, she’s actually enjoying food for the first time in months which is great to see!
My question is… has anybody else been through a similar thing? Has anyone else had similar experiences with the monthly injections? Anyone now on chemo tablets and doing well?
I guess I’m looking for something positive to cling onto as my Mum is my world and I really hope she has many more years in her yet and she can kick cancer’s butt for some time to come!
Thanks all… would be fab to hear from people who are going through dealing with a parent/friend going through this horrible journey… support is essential and it’s not always the easiest thing to talk to those closest to us is it? xx
Hi all,
my mum first had breast cancer 6 years ago when she was 63. All was going well and after having a mastectomy and chemotherapy which took it’s toll she was getting back to normal until last April when she got an awful cough which wouldn;t go away and after some time was told she had secondary breast cancer.
This was a massive blow as I’m sure you all understand and it’s hard to get your head around the fact that this awful disease will end my mum’s life at some point in the future.
My mum was first offered tamoxifen which seemed to work well for the first 6 months until she started with pleural effusion and has had a drain in ever since. This is very tying as she had to wait in 3 times a week for the nurses to come and drain fluid away. My mum and dad have always been active people, holidaying 3 or 4 times a year and she went from this to being basically house bound, struggling to breathe properly at times and losing all her confidence, this has been very difficult to witness and obviously very difficult for my Mum and my Dad.
My mum was then placed on ( you’ll have to forgive me I’m not sure of the name of this drug!) the injections you have in your bum once a month… said to be the new wonder drug, having amazing results. I am sure in some cases they work well but for my Mum this was an awful experience, she felt dreadful for a good 2 weeks after each injection, lost all her appetite and struggled to sleep. Meanwhile, she was still having her lungs drained 3 times a week on top of everything!
Anyway, we found out last week that this wonder drug has had no positive affect on the cancer in her lungs and it has in fact grown. This was so upsetting for us all, hard to take is an understatement.
So, now she is being placed on chemotherapy tablets, hoping they will at least keep it at bay and hopefully shrink the cancer in the lung. On a positive note, this last week she’s been taking steroids to boost her apetitie and it’s working, she’s actually enjoying food for the first time in months which is great to see!
My question is… has anybody else been through a similar thing? Has anyone else had similar experiences with the monthly injections? Anyone now on chemo tablets and doing well?
I guess I’m looking for something positive to cling onto as my Mum is my world and I really hope she has many more years in her yet and she can kick cancer’s butt for some time to come!
Thanks all… would be fab to hear from people who are going through dealing with a parent/friend going through this horrible journey… support is essential and it’s not always the easiest thing to talk to those closest to us is it? xx