Metastatic Breast Cancer and My Life

(16) Since my last blog post the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee recommended both Palbociclib and Ribociclib for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in Australia.  We now wait while the manufacturers and the Government negotiate the price women will pay per prescription for these two much needed drugs...... ~

(15) Currently the optimal treatment for hormone positive breast cancer is by an aromatase inhibitor and the relatively new drug, Palbociclib.  I have been prescribed Letrozole as an aromatase inhibitor.  This is a drug that's been used successfully for many years and its role is to stop the secretion of oestrogen.  Oestrogen is the hormone which feeds hormone positive breast cancer cells.  They are greedy little creatures, cancer cells, and will search out oestrogen and gobble it up.  Even postmenopausal women still produce a small amount of oestrogen and that's enough to keep those breast cancer cells growing and spreading so it's vital that all oestrogen is stripped completely from the system and that's how Letrozole has been very effective but, as I've mentioned several times, eventually those greedy cancer cells find a way of creeping in the back door and getting past Letrozole's defences and off they go again, munching their way and spreading again. U...

(14) I hope you'll bear with me while I step back to the time after I left hospital which I described with in blog post number 7,  "Hospital and Gradual Recovery".   Pain medication tends to lead to memory blanks and there are times when I remember events that happened long after the event and, because my purpose in writing this blog is to inform, there may be times when I zip back and fill in a blank if my memory of an event suddenly grabs me.  In this case, I have remembered how I came to be referred to my first oncologist.  Many people who have or have had cancer will be aware that not all oncologists are created equal and there are times when we have to follow our instinct if something doesn't feel right. After I left hospital there were so many appointments that I can no longer remember the chronological order but can only discuss them as they come to mind.  There were post-operative visits to the breast surgeon to have my drains checked and removed on...

(13) Before you read this please note this is not MY story but I'm publishing it on behalf of a          lady who asked that her terminal cancer story be shared.          NOTE:  Be aware that it is very confronting. Out of respect for this lady I am keeping it anonymous and posting it exactly as she wrote it apart from spacing it out to make it easier to read and an explanatory addition in brackets.   She was about to enter a hospice. "Living” with Cancer What a laughable statement. Living with cancer is an oxymoron. You wake up everyday with your mortality staring you in the face. Heari ng that time clock ticking away...tick tick tick. Never knowing how you are going to feel that day. Which personality are you going to start with. You take fist fulls of pills, poisons and potions just to partially function and get through your day. It’s supposed to kill the cancer but it’s a slow march to your death. Your inevitable...

(12) For those who are unfamiliar with the Stages of breast cancer,  I'll give a summary: Stage I is when there is a malignant lump which is within the breast and is smaller than 2cm Stage II is when there is a malignant lump within the breast which is larger than 2cm Stage III is when the cancer has left the breast and invaded one or more lymph nodes Stage IV is when the cancer has invaded other organs, usually lungs,  liver,  brain,  and/or bones Stage IV is also referred to as Metastatic because the spread of cancer is called metastases.  It's also referred to as Advanced breast cancer. Stage IV does not become Terminal until all treatment options have been tried and have failed.  Some people confuse these two Stages but it's important to note that, while some with Stage IV can live for some years if they have the right treatment, it depends upon other factors how long their life span is after diagnosis.  Some breast cancers are more ...