Hi All
I received my Secondary diagnosis in November 2020 and really struggling now with this second lockdown and shielding ... anyone else?
I am 50 years of age and 7 years ago was diagnosed with Primary Breast Cancer and had lumpectomy / all lymph nodes removed from one arm / chemotherapy / radiotherapy and then a reduction on the healthy breast. Following all treatment which finished on 11th September 2014 when I had my scans in the November was given the all clear. Yay - or so I thought. Who knew that Cancer was the gift that kept on giving. I developed Neuropathy in my feet and hands / lymphoedema in my arm and breast / hypothyroidism / osteoarthritis and diabetes. You would have thought that my list was long enough without the addition of secondary breast cancer and another load of drugs. I don't like the chemo drugs - they make me nauseas / exhausted and have aggravated my neuropathy. I have pain in my jaw / teeth I am not quite sure to accompany the pain in my pelvis and legs where my tumours are.
My secondary diagnosis came 7 years after my primary one. I was shocked and devastated to get the news ... I thought I was invincible and had won the cancer fight. I developed a sore back ... to the point I couldn't walk / sit or lie down without pain. Following xrays / MRI and CT scans the bone metastasis was identified in my pelvic bone and my right femur bone.
I am on a cocktail of palbociclib / letrozole and zolandronic acid infusions. This along with all my other medications for all my other ailments means that when I do walk I rattle! Lol
Lockdown is tough - I've seen 1 friend in over a year. Thank god I am in a bubble with my parents and get to spend some time with them at weekends as I am still working full time, albeit from home.
I am tired ALL THE TIME ... I think I could stay in bed now until the day I die but I know i must keep going which is why I am still working, it gives me routine and purpose as there are some days I question that. I am on my own and finding that really difficult. I have never been that successful in the relationship department and know that there is no way now that I will ever meet someone so for me, thinking about all the things I would like on my life list, I know I won't achieve as I don't have anyone to do those things with. Yes friends and family can only do so much - but I find that difficult.
I also had to come to grips with the fact I would never be a mother, I so desperately wanted to be, but cancer robbed me of that. I have days where I am so angry - why me - but then other days - why not me. It is an emotional rollercoaster as I am sure you are all on for one reason or another.
Anyhow I think I've just offloaded months of therapy - as I haven't really spoken much about it since diagnosed and my parents are somewhat in denial it is never mentioned.
I look forward to sharing and hearing more about you all xx
Hi and a very warm welcome to the online community
It sounds like you've had a lot to deal with but you've come to the right place to connect with others who will understand how you feel.
The online community is divided up into different support groups so I'm going to recommend that you join the secondary breast cancer group which is a great place to ask questions, share experiences and get support. You could copy and paste your post from here to save you typing it out again.
To join just click on the link I've created and then choose 'click to join' or 'join' (depending on the device you're using) on the page that opens. You can then introduce yourself and post in the same way as you did here and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.
It would be great if you could pop something about your journey so far into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar diagnosis. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
If you have any difficulty navigating the community just drop me a reply and I'll be pleased to help.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
