Lesion 2.6cm found on liver

I am on letrozole and zoladex and have been since last November.  I had a mastectomy last August after finding out I had breast cancer last June.

The side effects of the hormone medication have been terrible, my stomach is very boated, my joints hurt, i get heart burn, tired all the time, the list goes on.   Anyway i mentioned my weight gain to my GP a few weeks ago. she organised an ultrasound scan. I updated the breast care nurses what was going on as i want to change my medication due to the side effect of the medication.  I was told to call her back after I have had an ultrasound scan. The lady who did the ultrasound scan said it is probably focal fat sparing.

I phoned my breast care nurse back to get an appointment with the oncologist to change my medication.  The telephone consultation should have been last Wednesday. However, I got a call from the breast care nurse to say that they have found a lesion in my liver on the right lobe.  Last year i was told i had two lesions; a haematoma and haemangioma, one on the left lobe and one on the right.  I was told they were nothing to worry about. 

The breast care nurse phoned me last Friday to say that the consultant was looking at the ultrasound scan results and comparing the MRI and CT scan results from last year.  She confirmed yesterday that they have ordered at CT scan for me.

I am extremely frightened as was given a full bill of health last year and was told that my prognosis was good. Last week she repeated that my prognosis last year Was so good.  What is she trying to say now? Now this.  Wondering if the bc has now spread to my liver.  I received a call from my GP last Friday and yesterday, as they seem to be really worried about me. 

Please can anyone help ease my mind, as I feel like I have written myself off already.  I am not sleeping with worry.  I eat extremely healthy too.  Is there anyone in the same position as me, if so please, please share with me x

Hi sorry to hear your news. Dont google and dont write yourself off. When you have a plan and know what you are dealing with you will be able to get on with life again. Secondaries started for me in October Halloween to be exact last year. Liver and lung. I’d hardly been Ill! But I’ve been on treatment ever since and have got on with life pretty much as normal. Changes have come now I I start chemo next week but the team are again sure they can treat me. It’s far from easy but denial and acceptance come into play. The ladies on this forum also keep me positive.  Take care. Ask questions. But dont give up! Xx

Hi Sunflower,

Sending you hugs, the change and the waiting for scans and the results is just awful and I can empathise xx

As Jennie has said, don’t write yourself off and do stay off Google.  I went through a similar thing back in April this year.  Like you, I have a number of benign cysts and haemangioma’s on my liver and always have done. I was also told they are never anything to worry about, they always pop up in different places on my liver.

In April this year three tiny new lesions apparently appeared in my liver but I was told that the new lesions were too small to tell what they were for sure, but they were going to presume were breast cancer metastases to be on the safe side.  My Oncologist explained that they don’t actually know with 100% certainty if the lesions are cancer or not (unless I had a biopsy) but they have to presume that they are in order to make sure I can get treatment that is effective.  So I had my treatment changed.

A couple of things I have noticed that have escalated my anxiety and fear since being told I had secondaries:  my GP has been phoning me more often to see how I am doing; secondly I’ve observed that all my clinical team have a habit of speaking really seriously all the time about everything - which has left me in tears on many occasions thinking I’m going to die soon!!! 

I’ve learned that the way medical staff speak/act can and often does make things sound ten times worse than what it can be.  What I do to manage my anxiety and fear is concentrate on how I’m feeling.  If I feel mostly well, I can be physically active and go for walks, do all my normal daily activities without too much trouble, then I know I’m doing alright.

So until you have your scan results, don’t be tempted to read into everything. Even if the new lesion is  cancerous, there are still plenty of treatment options out there and many people live for many years even with liver mets…there is always hope so don’t give up and write yourself off!!! xxx

Hello,

I am in a very similar position to you - very healthy and fit but they have spotted small lesions in my liver  from my BC so I am now going to receive 18 weeks of chemo - I am so confused how this dam disease can change your life so quickly - I can’t sleep or don’t feel hungry.  So many people have told me how chemo helped them and my diagnosis is years - but what does that really mean.  All I can say is ask lots of questions - do you have a cancer nurse you can call and ask questions?

Remember your live is the only self healing organ so we can do this!

Take care

Debbie