new diagnosis
I was recently diagnosed with her2 negative metastatic breast cancer stage 4 that is not in breast but now in bronchial, bone , abdomen , pelvis. I have been coughing a full year. Had breast cancer stage 1b in 2020. So recurrence.
Wonderful Pulmonologist was one that finally found what was wrong through lung biopsy ! Went through Multiple tests! Multiple specialists trying to figure out what was causing cough! Had pneumonia too. Even had a normal mammogram! Bloodwork came back normal previous months before and tumor marker bloodwork was 38 in March of this year . Now TM is 75 and recently 100
New Oncologist is starting me on letrazole and kascali (don't know if i spelled correctly) I have a cough that doesn't quit but is changing. I am in pain in multiple places/fatigue . I have been prescribed hydrocodone for pain. I am concerned about my loss of appetite! I weigh 110! I previously was 135 pounds5 ft 6inches tall ! It's been a very difficult time. Does my prognosis not look good or will treatment help me gain weight and have an appetite again and feel better??. I have felt pretty crappy for a full year! Frustrated it took a year for doctors to diagnose. My muscle tone is basically wasting away! I am 64!I have minimal support system on these concerns. Not comfortable joining a big support group locally. Please help……anyone else have input?
Comments
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Hi @apple61, and welcome to the BCO community. We are so sorry for what you are going through and we are really glad you found us. It sounds like it has been a long and exhausting year trying to get answers. Starting treatment can feel overwhelming, but many members with metastatic disease do find that once therapy begins, symptoms like appetite, pain, and fatigue can improve.
While you wait for others to join in with their own experiences, here are some pages from our main site that may help:
Letrozole (Femara): What to Expect, Side Effects, and More
Kisqali: What to Expect, Side Effects, and More
We are here for you. Please keep sharing how you're doing, and let us know how we can support you.
Sincerely,
The Mods
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Dear Apple61,
I don’t have what you’re experiencing but I felt love for you when I read your post. Just want to let you know your thought of with tender care. I often forget to breathe under stress, so remember to breathe 🌬️. Wishing you all good wishes.
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@apple61 I'm so sorry you have had this diagnosis, but the newish treatments (like Kisqali) are really changing the game, and many people are living for a long time. I hope this is true for you and that the treatment brings you strength and relief.
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I also experienced a delay in diagnosis. I originally had stage 2 oestrogen positive breast cancer 15 years ago and, after going through surgery, chemo, radiotherapy and 5 years of Letrozole, thought I'd left cancer behind. How wrong I was! In September 2025 I had sudden excruciating pain in my right hip, couldn't walk, went to A&E, x-ray showed no fracture, they diagnosed muscle damage and referred me to physio. Several physios said I'd torn my hip flexor muscle, gave me exercises, which didn't work and I got progressively worse. Although they all asked me for my medical history, so knew I'd had breast cancer, no-one joined the dots and suggested tests, until May, when I had a MRI so I could have a steroid injection in my hip. I feel that I wasn't taken seriously, just another 70 year old woman with hip pain. The MRI showed I have cancer in my pelvic bones, so after that I had all the scans and tests. I have metastatic breast cancer, spread to pelvic bones and lungs. I've had radiotherapy on my hip, which has eliminated the pain, now on Anastrozole, Denosumab and Ibrance. It's all been a terrible shock, and the delay in diagnosis hasn't helped. I can only think that if I'd had the tests earlier the cancer may not have spread to my lungs and I would have been saved months of pain. It seems that A&E doctors and physiotherapists have no awareness of secondary breast cancer, which I find very worrying.
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Hi @jane333 and welcome to Breastcancer.org.
We're so very sorry for the reasons that bring you here, but we're so glad you've found us. You're sure to find our community a wonderful source of advice, information, encouragement and support - we're all here for you!
A metastatic diagnosis can be so upsetting and overhwelming - especially when it was delayed. We hear your frustration, but we're so glad your care team has you on treatment now and hopefully things will start to get better soon for you.
We wanted to point you to our Bone Mets and Lung Mets threads, as well as our Ibrance thread, where you can talk with others in a similar situation.
Also, we wanted to share that we offer weekly virtual support groups for MBC — we hope you'll check out the schedule, register, and join us for more support.
Do you have any questions or need further information about anything specific that we can help with? Please let us know as we are here to help.
Sending hugs to you!
—The Mods
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