Hi just found out I have breast cancer with mets to the brain. Absolutely petrified and reaching out to anyone who may be in a similar position to me. Thanks xxx
Welcome to the breast cancer support group. I am so sorry to hear your news and that you are joining us here. This is the club that we all wish that we could have avoided. I am not in the same situation as you, as I haven't been diagnosed with brain mets. However, I am sure that there will be ladies along on here who will share their similar experiences with you.
Do you know anything about the type of breast cancer yet? The waiting to get all the facts related to diagnosis and then to know what the treatment plan is to be is very hard and very stressful. I think most of us here have found that.
I have had strongly HER2+ slightly oestrogen+ cancer which was 52mm on diagnosis with one positive lymph node at the initial biopsy. I know that this is not the same situation as you, but wanted to share with you that I had my chemotherapy treatment plus monoclonal antibody [herceptin + perjeta] treatment BEFORE surgery.
These drugs completely destroyed my cancer, both in the boob and the lymph node. I had the treatments every three weeks for 6 cycles and even from a couple of weeks after the first dose I could physically feel the lump get softer and smaller.
At surgery they removed tissue where the lump had been and the lymph node which had been cancerous at biopsy, plus 5 more to test. The pathologists could tell that 2 of the nodes had previously had cancer. They reported that was a complete pathological clearance i.e. no cancer left at all, as a result of the drugs. I knew that treatments of breast cancer had advanced in leaps and bounds in the past decade or so and that there are new targeted medicines being developed all the time, but I was still surprised at my good result.
I hope that there is a treatment regimen which will be as effective for you, as the one that I have had was for me.
I am still under treatment with Letrozole [for 5 years], the H&P[every three weeks for 9 months] and bisphosphenate 6 monthly for three years and am now near the end of radiotherapy. I am 65 this year and was diagnosed in November 2020.
The oncology team have so many things that they can throw at breast cancer now.
I am feeling well and optimistic. I try to make the most of each day with gardening, walking with friends and family, keeping house and cooking.
My very best wishes to you. Let us know how tings go for you. The ladies here are a great source of strength and support and certainly helped me throughout the process.
