Hello everybody, I'm 66 years old and live near Milan. I've always been doing preventive screenings, once a year, so when , in 2024, I was diagnosed a IV stage breast cancer, with secondary bone metastases, rage and panic took me and I went (and still go) mad wondering what I did wrong, what should I have done instead, what I would do of myself, of my life (what remains of it). The fact is that, after two years of hormone-respondent treatment, one surgical intervention, three radiotherapy cycles, it seems the situation is getting worse and I don't know what treatment I will be proposed. I would like to talk to people living similar experiences, would like to learn where do you find the courage, how can you face so many hard days. Thanks to everybody Liza
Hi Liza (LizaBreastIV )
Welcome to our MacMillan site. I am sorry you are living with stage 4 breast cancer with bone metastasis. Please don’t blame yourself. Unfortunately cancer strikes people in all walks of life and a lot of the time the answer to why is you just got unlucky. Worrying about what you might have done differently in the past can’t change what’s happening today.
The community is divided into forums by cancer type and cancer experience. I can recommend that you join some or all of the following, as you will be more likely to come across people going through the same experiences. As we are a UK based charity, most of the people are being treated in the UK health systems and our help information also reflects UK treatment paths. That probably doesn’t matter much as treatments for cancer are evidence driven so will be similar the world over.
The forums are:
Breast cancer forum This is a general forum, very busy. Most users have primary breast cancer but some people are stage 4.
Secondary breast cancer forum People are stage 4, a quieter forum
Living with incurable cancer forum - patients only Stage 4 cancer of any type, a busy forum.
I am also living with stage 4 breast cancer. Mine is triple negative and it spread to my liver. I am a community champion on all of the above forums.
Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week between 8am-8pm
I am a Macmillan volunteer.
I have metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer, in remission
