Secondary Breast Cancer of the Bone

Hi oliversnana,

I'm so sorry to hear your news and the difficulties you are having coming to terms with your new diagnosis.  Have you been given contact numbers for your local macmillan nurse team? They can usually put you in contact with someone for you to talk to and share your fears and frustrations. Just talking and having the opportunity to 'off load 'can make you feel stronger and able to cope.

1. I'm happy to share my experience with you as although you sound like you have had a rougher ride. I was diagnosed in 2017 with breast cancer after a routine mammogram.  I got away lightly with a lumpectomy and 3 weeks radiotherapy.  I got on with life and although the experience was at the back of my mind I never imagined I'd get further problems.  However, February this year i was also diagnosed with bone cancer, like you in my right femur.  Also have in my sacral area, right hip and spine. 

Do you go out to work? I do work and although I sometimes wish I didn't,  it does help having people around me. If you can try and keep busy and try to be around people it may help to take your mind off it all. I know it's the quiet moments when you are alone that your mind can start wandering and you feel angry and sad and all the other emotions that go along side the diagnosis.  Do you have family you can share your thoughts with? I know that is hard because we feel we need to be strong to support them as well, that's why it would be good for you to talk to an outside agent.

I do hope you begin to feel better soon. If you want to off loads in words I'm happy for you to send me a rant!

Regards

Yvonne

Hi Yvonne,   thankyou for your lovely reply,   i am currently off work and have been for a year following an operation to insert a titanium rod into my right femur, my cancer has eaten away 50% of my femur at the top, nearest the hip so now I find it difficult to walk far, I've applied for ill health pension from work, they have been  very supportive and I have lots of support from macmillan nurses and occupational health, I think with me it's actually trying to process that my cancer is incurable, I have so much anger and feel life has been a bitch to me so I'm having councilling right now to help me with that.   Are you on any medication for your cancer? I have daily medication of Anastrazole  and 3 monthly infusion of Zometa

You take care now

Julie. X

Hi Julie,

Sorry I have taken so long to reply. Hope you are feeling a bit better. I hope the counselling is helping you to cope. Any luck with getting ill health pension? 

Do you regret having the titanium rod or did you have no choice? I've been under the care of an orthopedic surgeon as well as part of my treatment. He has considered either a hip replacement or a rod like you. At the moment neither are really necessary as, although my hip is sore I can walk. 

Interestingly,  I was on anastrozole after my initial breast cancer diagnosis.  That was obviously not doing the job it should have been doing. Following my new diagnosis I was taken off anastrozole and commenced zometa like you, but I have it every 4 weeks. I also have fulvestrant injections at the same time time.  Two 5ml injections in each check of my bum!  Next week I am starting another protein inhibitor tablet which doesn't sound like a picnic in the park!! Can cause nausea, fatigue and drop in white blood cells making chances of infection more of a risk. Oh, what joy. 

Interesting the different treatments and regimens depending on oncologist and maybe where you live in the country. I'm living in the Yorkshire area.

I guess, for you, because you have difficulty walking it is a constant reminder of the illness. I get that. I had some radiotherapy on my sacral area and when I sit down I feel like my bum is on fire! ( what with that and the injections,  I'm like an inferno).  

Keep your chin up Julie. I was listening to a youtube clip recently and there was a lady giving her experiences. She said the way she coped was to tell herself she wasn't dying of cancer she was living with it. 

Have a good bank holiday.

Love

Yvonne. X

Hi there Oliver Nana, I thought i would share my experiences with you as it may help.

I was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in February last year. Sadly I only found out after a private MRI as my doctors were  treating me for syatica!! So I was very scared and  angry and felt very let down by our NHS.

However despite them initially giving me only 3mths to live I am still here fighting and I have had Radiotherapy for lesions on my sacrum and my  head which was challenging but I am doing so much better now. The palbociclib and Letrozole are working for me at the moment.I give myself one thing each day to achieve and I concentrate my time and efforts on my wonderful son, daughter-in-law and 2 grandchildren as their energy and love give me something to fight for each and every day. I hope you are feeling better soon, as I know the mental challenge is as big as the physical one each day....xx

Hi Oliversnana,

I totally understand how you are feeling; it’s the thought that this is what the rest of your life will be that is overwhelming. I too am a relative newbie to Secondary cancer. I had some chest pain 12 months ago and was sent for an x ray to check for bone mets. Nothing showed up, and although I had a little lump my gp thought it must be cartilage. Being covid time I didn’t actually see her! In February I started having abdominal pain; saw doctor this time who said gallbladder; after tests it was clearly not; eventually got a diagnosis in Mid May. 16 years after mastectomy,  followed by chemo and hormone treatment for 11 years my cancer was back in liver, spine and chest wall. I still find myself thinking life is normal and it is just covid limits I am dealing with, but then I remember. I don’t think you need to or can stay strong all the time; you need to find time to grieve for the life you might have led. At the same time, you can start to appreciate things that normally we take for granted. Spring flowers, our grandchildren, friends. Yes we know that our lives are going to be shorter than we might have hoped. At least we can plan for that. Good luck with your treatment x