If you are not Stage IV but have questions, you may post here

LindaE54

Thank you for the update.  Sure is a lot going on!  You all deserve a good rest!  Your Mom may be on the A/A combo - Aromasin + Affinitor.  Aromasin is a hormone blocker and the other is a targeted cancer therapy.
Best wishes to you all.

Linda

jolenevs

My mother was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer, but they said they removed all tumors / affected cells during surgery. How can you be stage IV if you do not have any cancer left?

chrissyb

Hi jolenevs, so sorry to hear that your Mother is stage IV..........I know you will be reeling with that news. Even though the docs say they have gotten all cells at the time of surgery, it is impossible to be perfectly certain of that statement. It only takes one single cell for the cancer to be able to spread.

We all hope that all cancer cells are removed at surgery but it sometimes happens that that one cell has already escaped prior to the surgery.

Depending where your Moms mets are, she can with treatment live many years with good quality of life.

Love n hugs. Chrissy

dlb823

jolenevs, in addition to Chrissy's explanation, you can think of Stage IV this way... Once bc cells have escaped from the breast and lymph nodes near the breast, the diagnosis becomes Stage IV, which doesn't charge because of the reason Chrissy gave you. But in your Mother's situation (assuming there are no known active areas) it sounds like she might now be considered Stage IV (because bc cells were found elsewhere) "in remission" -- as opposed to "stable" (when there are known areas of disease, but they're not changing or worsening), or "progression" (in which case the disease is active and a change of meds is the usual course).

Hope this helps! (((Hugs))) to you and your Mother! Deanna

beth1965

Hello everyone - I have a bone mets question. I have been doing well for awhile now finally feeling somewhat normal. I have just hit 3 years since dx. But I have for almost 2 months a pain in my back that just popped up one day  it feels like its right at back of my lung. I actually had a test done for lung blood clot as I have had them before and that is what it feels like - I am clear and lungs are clear. Its like an achy pain that never goes away whether I am standing ,sitting  or laying down. I always feel like I need to take deep breath  It seems to feel worse at night but probly because I am trying to sleep on it I guess.  Has anyone experienced this with mets

sandilee

Hello beth,

I'm sorry you're having a lot of pain. I answered because the pain you describe sounds a lot like what I felt before my spinal and rib mets were found. I don't mean to alarm you, but I assume you are here to get information. What feels like the back of your lung could also be a rib or your spine. The good news, if it is mets, is that both the pain and the growth of bone mets can be controlled with many of the medications that have been developed over the last 10-20 years.

A regular x-ray may not show bone mets, so it would probably be a good idea to have an MRI or a bone scan. Do you still see your oncologist every few months or so? Tell him or her about your pain and request a scan. Let them decide which is the best for you, but insist on one. Feeling the way you do, I think that a scan will either confirm your fears, or give you peace of mind. You'll be able to move forward, either way. Good luck!

jolenevs

Thank you to Chrissy and Deanna for your replies. It does help to get some clarity - the confusion and fear was really getting the better of me...

chrissyb

Jolenevs, glad you have a bit more clarity. This disease is really hard to deal with and understand so you are not alone in your confusion and fear.

Hope all goes well for your Mom.

Love n hugs. Chrissy

beth1965

Thank-you Sandilee for your honesty. I appreciate you letting me know that is what yours felt like I try to not think about pains etc.. unless they do not go away so I don't over react. I am a bit worried but hate all the testing as we all probably do so just needed a opinion whether thought it was needed. I appreciate the information letting me know about meds and treatment - I always find the more you know sometimes it is a bit less scary because there may be treatments. My doctor has said from start they could never say I was cancer free or that if I was I would not stay that way because of cancer amount and aggression or something like that so I do try to keep on top of things and be observant of my body changes but at the same time try not to be a hypercondriac ether - its tricky sometimes. I will be requesting a bone scan at next appointment to check this out. Again thanks for taking the time to answer my question I appreciate it

Hugs to you -Beth

rleepac

Hello all. I just had a routine pre-chemo PET/CT scan and the only thing that showed up was a 4mm 'nonspecific' nodule on the left lower lung. My MO doesn't think it's clinically significant because I live in the California Central Valley and he says they see a lot of this due to Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever). He says it's too small to biopsy and we will just recheck it on the next scan. Does that sound about right? I don't have any symptoms but I don't recall having any previous lung infections either so it just concerns me a little.

I start chemo on 3/5 so I don't know when my next scan will be. But I guess if he says it's too small to biopsy then there really isn't anything to do or worry about right

chrissyb

Hi Rleepac, there are many things that have the non specific name of 'nodule' that appear in the lung for a variety of reasons and most of them totally benign. At this stage of things I would go with what your doc is saying and don't worry about it.

Once your chemo is completed I'm sure your doc will keep an eye on you and in particular what ever that 'nodule' is..............I have one in the lung as well, it's been there for years with no change so forget about it for now and concentrate on getting through your chemo.

Good luck with everything!

Love n hugs. Chrissy

Almasi

This is a bit off topic but I have been struggling with my mom's stage IV diagnosis and while I was gone taking care of her my friend took my dog 2 hours away from home and lost her. She's not just a dog; she has provided emotional support for me through severe depression and even lived with me in the college dorms for that purpose. I have done everything imaginable to find her in the past 2 months and no luck. She was micro-chipped and tagged. Now I am suffering with my mom's illness and the depression from that, compounded by the loss of my dog and my inability to use the dog for comfort. I am in a really bad place.

MusicLover

Almasi, I am so sorry about all that you are going through.  Don't give hope yet on finding your dog. I am assuming that you posted flyers and things like that about your lost dog.  Does your dog require to be groomed? Maybe try the groomers in your area and vets too. 

Our first dog just passed away, he had not been doing well for the past year.  I reluctantly decided to get another dog last year.  I knew he could never be replaced but I thought it might fill the void after he had passed.  My kids will never forget their first dog but our new puppy is a helpful distraction.  Getting another dog maybe something that you can think about in the future but like I said you should not give up hope at this point.

Best wishes to you.

dlb823

Oh, Almasi, I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. But as MusicLover said, don't give up hope! It's not uncommon for a lost dog to show up two months or even 6 months after it was lost. I assume you've offered a reward? What did your friend tell you happened? Maybe we can help you brainstorm or use Facebook or other social media to broaden your search. Let us know! (((Hugs))) Deanna

Almasi

Hi Deanna and musiclover. My friend said she was invited to go to christmas eve dinner by her in-laws. They took the dog and left it in the backyard and their in-laws have a guest house in the back. Their renter opened the gate and the dog got out. They say the renter did not tell them the dog had gotten out until hours later. I would never have left my dog with her if I had known she would ever leave her in the backyard unattended. I rarely go anywhere without my dog because I need her but when I do I never let anyone who will do that take care of her. My psychiatrist retired and I don't really like his successor. She took her sweet time getting my paperwork renewed (it expires every year) so I could travel with the dog. Anyway, push came to shove so I decided to leave because of my mom's condition and thought I could trust my dog would be well taken care of. I was gone all of one day before the dog was lost. I could not even leave go back and look for her because of my mom. All of that doesn't matter because it cannot change anything now.

Yes,  I have put up almost 200 11X18 laminated, fluorescent flyers, hundreds more paper flyers, I check with the shelters everyday craiglist and facebook. I put an ad in the local paper. I initially did not offer a reward because she is very shy and I was advised that people would try and chase her if I did (trying to catch her for the money) and I still got a good number of calls which did not lead to anything other than finding other lost dogs! Even without a reward some really cruel people have used my posters to call me trying to get money by pretending to have the dog or claiming to have killed or injured her. Someone else used it as a ploy to convert me to her religion (!) and just weekend someone called and asked about the dog and then tried to solicit sexual favors from me. My new posters offer a reward now so who knows who will come out of the woodwork now! I don't know how much more of this I can take. I don't want to give up but the search is also emotionally draining. The fact that my friend lost her 2 hours away is the worst of all of this. If she had been lost in my area she would've found her way home; or the cops or animal control in my area are very good and would've caught her (where she was lost they don't care) or at the very least I would spend every day knocking down every single house looking. I cannot afford to keep making that drive. 

I would really love your help using social media but I would ask that you don't mention my mom's B.C. My mother is a very private person and has not told most people (including some family members) so I cannot risk having anyone find out about it on facebook. I will come back and post the link. 

 

Almasi

Oh and she's not the type of dog that requires grooming but we've let all the pet business in the area know.

MusicLover

How about calling all the vets in that area and maybe you can fax them a picture or forward one through email or something?  They should be able to scan every dog that comes in to see if there is a match with her/his micro chip or at least every dog that resembles yours.  It make take months before you hear anything but I think that you should give it a shot. At least see if the vets are willing to do this for you. 

I am not sure how social media will help because I think you would need a way to contact people around the area where your dog was lost and I am not sure how to do that.  Otherwise, think of the hassles that you are getting now and multiple that by quite a bit.  Good Luck!

divinemrsm

almasi, I am sorry to hear about your dog. I mean, that just sucks! I feel anger towards that friend! And who knew there were such deranged people out there trying to get everything from money to sexual favors from you just because you posted about your missing dog.

Another idea you might consider. Is there a news station in the town where your dog was lost that might consider doing a human interest story about your situation? You are dealing with so much, I think it would pull on the heartstrings of viewers. Maybe there is a reporter you could write to, sending a photo of yourself and the dog, and explaining what all happened. Maybe they could run a short story about it.

Several years ago, a guy we knew lost his beloved cat while moving from one part of town to our area a couple blocks away. The cat ran out of the new place and never returned. The guy is a newspaper reporter and wrote an article about it. He also posted a photo online on a popular town forum. There are always stray cats in our area. We kept an eye out for his cat, "Dewey". My husband and I actually saw him several times roaming about, Dewey, not the newspaper guy, lol. One day, three months later, I came home and my husband said Dewey was in the garage. We shut the door and kept him in there and called the newspaper guy. He said he'd stop after work later that night. He showed up and that cat immediately jumped up in his arms, meowing the whole time. The newspaper guy said he'd had doubts it was his cat before he came to our house, because he'd had many false alarms of others saying they found Dewey. So anyway, there is still hope for you to find your dog.

So, you may also try to write to a newspaper in the area your dog was lost and ask if they would run a short story about it, given all you are dealing with. Also, search for any forums that are frequented by people from that town, or check for Facebook groups for the town where you might post a picture.Best wishes.

Almasi

MusicLover we contacted the vets and animal hospitals in the area. Social media would be a big help because even when people don't live in an area, they have friends who do, or friends who have friends who do. Also, since she's been missing for a bit over 2 months she may not even be in the same area where she got lost. That area is a vacation hotspot so it's likely someone may have picked her up and driven back elsewhere. Social media also helps me apply pressure to news agencies and public figures to post about my dog. I met someone who lost her dog in the area and through social media people have donated $5000 for reward money, free printing for posters etc.

Almasi

TheDivineMrsM  I have been trying to get the story on the news but no luck so far. I keep e-mailing and calling and asking friends to do the same. I send messages to anchors and journalists and some have shared the link to the missing dog but nothing has come of the news story so far. Social media may also be helpful for more tips on how to get the story on the news. I can tell the news about many things to pull their heartstrings but not about my mom's illness because she wants it kept private. I always tell her she's a better person than I am because having cancer sucks so if I had it I would milk it for anything good I could possibly get. I tell her she should not have to wait in lines or pump gas in the frigid cold while she is on chemo. My mom loves that dog too even though she does not care for animals. That's how awesome of a dog she is.

Anyway, sorry to turn the focus on my problems which are nothing compared to what all of you have to go through and even what my mom is experiencing. Also I hope my comments about using your cancer to get as many good things as you can are not offensive. I just always try to find some bright spot in this terrible illness and the havoc it has caused in our lives. Of course no amount of freebies or attention or good stuff would make having cancer worth it.

lexie5

I've had pain in my armpit for a about a month where I had cancerous lymph nodes removed in 2010. Has anyone experienced this and was it a recurrence? I don't feel any enlarged nodes and it doesn't seem like scar tissue because it hurts when I'm not moving. I had a mammogram a month ago and it didn't show anything.

chrissyb

Hi Lexi, it would be very unusual for cancer to be in the area where nodes have been removed, the pain you are feeling is more likely to be from scar tissue pressing on nerves. If your mamo that you had only a little while ago was clear I wouldn't worry too much but I would mention it to your doc so at least he/she has a record of the area of pain and perhaps can do something to ease it.

Love n hugs. Chrissy

dlb823

Hi, Lexie ~ I agree with Chrissy that the armpit is not a usual site for a recurrence, and that the pain you're feeling, especially if your nodes aren't swollen, most likely is something residual from your surgery. OTOH, I would not be confident that a mammogram actually images that area, so I would be sure to tell your onc and maybe your BS about the pain, so that they can figure out a definitive cause to put your mind at ease. I'm thinking maybe an u/s would help figure it out. (((Hugs))) and keep us posted. Deanna

lexie5

thx Deanna and Chrissy. I see my onc next month so I'll mention it to him. It's just seems odd that it would be from my surgery almost 5 years ago. I work out all the time so I'm constantly stretching and moving that area.

Almasi

HI Lexi, definitely report it to your onc. Did they remove ALL your nodes? My mom had the nodes in her armpits removed and could not sleep on that side of her body for a long time (more than a year) and chalked it up to lymphedema and other soreness. However, when she had her stage IV recurrence and she went on chemo, 3months into chemo the pain went away and she was able to sleep on that side of her body just fine. It could've been coincidence or maybe she had other inflammation there and given the drug cocktails she took on chemo maybe one of them eased the inflammation. We can't really tell.

lexie5

I have no idea how many nodes there are but I only had 8 removed with 1 being cancerous. I see my onc in a couple weeks and I will tell her.

jen1

Dear ladies please forgive me if this question has already been asked. But how did your mets first present.

exbrnxgrl

LOL! Just saw your post here. Your question is very general. Are you worried about a specific issue/pain/symptom? I had no symptoms at all so my single met was found by accident (unrelated PET scan).

jen1

Thank You for responding exbrnxgl. Not feeling well. Long story I post on the not diagnosed but worried thread. Having pain in shoulder and sore collar bone. Feeling changes there. ongoing pain in back but bone scans show degenerative disc disease so says my MO. Ongoing issues with radiated breast RO says just take time. But I know my body. I dont want to be a pest to my doctors. I am a very "compliant" patient. In addition having severe reflux out of my nose(YUK) going in for a bravo endoscopy. Thank you for reaching out.

divinemrsm

I did not have symptoms either. After diagnosed with a malignate tumor, the onc chose to have me get a cat scan to have as a baseline for future comparison. That scan had some questionable results so I was sent for a Pet scan and was diagnosed stage iv. Mets are to the hip, rib and scapula.

In hindsight, my hip was somewhat sore but I chalked it up to arthritis as I was in my 50s. I was also often fatigued and took long naps. These days, I have aches that I'm most certain must indicate progression, yet each scan has remained stable. Best wishes to you as you search for answers. I believe in following your gut instincts, and I don't want to minimize how you feel, yet on the other hand, there are times when the aches and pains are simply the aging process our body goes thru.