Secondary breast cancer in bones

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Hi, I’m new here and I was just looking to see if anyone had any information.

my sister now 31 was diagnosed with breast cancer just over a year ago she had her breast removed and she seemed to be on the mend only on what I think was her 6 month check ( it’s all a bit muddled because everything seemed to happen so fast) she was then diagnosed with secondary bone cancer in her spine rib and pelvis which is absolutely devastating for us as a family my sister has had a very difficult life as she has something called Prader–Willi syndrome which contributes to her being obese she also has autism amongst other issues unfortunately because of her life long disabilities she is no longer able to get on a scanning mhine so quite honestly we as a family don’t know how the cancer is progressing all we do know is she unable stand anymore when she moves from bed to chair/loo she is in excruciating pain she is rely struggling to breathe and is on oxygen full time now also when she was in hospital last week she was suffering from what we thought was a pulled muscle from trying to lift herself up but the doors said they think her rib has broken so I suppose my question is really does anyone have any firsthand experience with this and can offer any advice/guidance on what to expect going forward 

thank you for taking the time to read this and insight would be greatly received

xx

  • Hi  

    I noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet so responding to you will 'bump' it back to the top of the discussion group again.

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  • Thank you  to be honest I put this on here on the off chance someone has been through a similar situation with a family member I think I may be quite a unique situation with regards to my sisters life long disability but it’s definitely worth a try thank you xx

  • Hi there

    im so sorry to hear your news about your sister. I too have secondary breast cancer to the pelvis, femur, sternum, shoulder blade and lower spine areas. I was diagnosed in February 2023 and my hip pain was awful at the time. I thought it may be to do with me having rheumatoid arthritis at first but found out it was the cancer.

    The first thing I’d say is it’s a tremendous shock and the pain can be pretty bad so I would recommend you speak to the Oncologist and her breast care nurse about pain relief, and more importantly the treatment plan for her. 

    No two patients are the same with this disease, I was given inhibitors called letrozole and ribociclib then went onto palbociclib a similar treatment. My original breast cancer and my secondary lesions are hormone driven and called er+ hr-

    You need to find out more and when you say she can’t get on the scanner is that because of her pain, health, fears. Many patients can be sedated or lifted onto the scanners but you’ll need to be proactive about her issues. Many people with bone lesions can be given radiotherapy to ease the pain and pain relief. Some people on here were in wheelchairs then improved once their treatment started to calm things down.

    I’m  assuming she’s already been given scans to determine her diagnosis so don’t give up hope. Also, blood tests give an idea of cancer levels in the body.

     I hope a treatment plan gets sorted out for her and she can get better control over this disease and out of pain.

    good luck and best wishes to her and your family 

  • Thank you ever so much for your reply and I am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis it’s a cruel world we live in so the not being able to access scanners is due to previous health conditions and unfortunately for some reason sedation isn’t an option she has been having regular blood tests and we have now been told to spend as much quality time with her as possible because they don’t think she will make Christmas I’m assuming they know this from the levels in her blood? 
    again thank you for your reply and I wish you all the very best with your treatment xxx

  • Hello

    im so sorry to hear this grim prognosis for your sister. There are no certainty in life unfortunately.

     wish her and your family all the best for the time you have left.

    take care