Hi Ladies,

[juleskyork]

My name is Jules. I found out I had breast cancer in sept 17, I had 6 rounds of chemo, docetaxol and EC which shrunk the tumour, then I had a therapeutic mammoplasty and lymph node removal. A Routine CT scan followed and then came the news in March that it had moved to my bones, spine, pelvis, hips. It’s been a struggle to accept the news, went through all the normal emotions. Made plans, started making memory boxes etc. Now I’m slightly in a better place, I have a very positive Gp and oncologist.

This is my second month on letrozole and Ibrance. All seems fine, I get bad pain at night from letrozole side effects but other than that I’m good. Just hoping this will keep things under control for a while. I really didn’t believe I had a future, but now realise I may be able to keep on living for a while yet.

[nstonerocks]

Hi Jules

I’m 4 years in w Mets to lungs. Plan on a future. It is really tough to take this all in at first. And it is a constant effort to live a “normal” life with mbc. Ups and downs emotional and physical. I needed lots of emotional help and still go to therapy and on antidepressants and Xanax which I rarely use now. Find something that sparks you... important to do and be more than a cancer diagnosis. Do not isolate yourself. Pace yourself. Say nice things to yourself and ask for help when u need it. If you have a faith, lean in to it. I found Buddhism and it has been a big help. There have been many great strides treating mbc so while having a will etc in place is something most of us should have anyway, once you have it done go out and celebrate your life. This is a great support network. The people here understand what you’re going thru because we are living it too. May you continue to feel well and do well! ❤️

[juleskyork in reply to nstonerocks]

Thank you, your words make a lot of sense. I have my own small business planning and coordinating weddings, in fact I have 9 this year and a few functions too. I love it, so that I will continue to do. I do see things a little clearer, listen to the birds in the early hours, spending time with the people I love most. I am going to still go and have some counselling, think it would be good to ofload to someone other than family. Trying not to worry about if or when this will spread from my bones as I guess at some point it’s inervitable but I have seen that there are women with brain mets doing well too so although that’s my biggest fear I’m sure if it comes to that there will be something to help. Like I say still feeling my way

[Jerseygirl45 in reply to juleskyork]

You will see on this site that so many women have been dealing with mbc for 10 or 14 years. I was diagnosed with mbc to hips spine back arms pelvis lung. I felt like you, how long do I have? Will this be my last Christmas, summer. Then I joined this site and found out that most of my aches and pains is probably caused by the meds. Which we need. When you ask a question you get lots of answers. I now feel like I have a long time to live. I find myself actually forgetting I have cancer some days. Good luck to you, I think you will feel better everyday. Make them good ones with lots of memories. There are a lot of people out there that can't walk or breathe waiting for the next heart attack or stroke. There are so many meds out there for us and new ones coming. . Maybe no cure but just to keep us going. Nice to meet you keep well.Keeping busy is the best thing to keep your mind on other things.

[SeattleMom]

God bless you, Jules. I couldn't have said it better than the two ladies who have already responded, but just keep faith in the myriad of treatments that have been researched and offered for women with MBC. You are not alone! XO Linda

[Shelly265]

Hi Jules! I am 4 1/2 years from being diagnosed but I think I had symptoms over one year before that. I, like you, was diagnosed with innumerable mets to my hips, ribs and skull. I have been on several treatments, none of which have lasted over one year. However, the cancer has not spread beyond the bones so I am thankful for that! You will have many days where you feel “normal”. Savor those and you will do just fine! My motto is, always have something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to. Also, living in the moment helps too! I wish the very best for you, take care!

[Garnet131]

Jules, my mbc was diagnosed in October 2017 (22 years after original bc). Like you, with mets to spine, pelvis, hips, and also tailbone, R shoulder blade, lymph nodes in lungs, marble-sized lump on neck. Diagnosis happened after a week of hospitalization for shortness of breath and I was sent home from hospital with a walker after being told my L femur was a high risk of fracture. (What was strange was that it was my R hip where I had noticed some minor pain.) I had 5 short radiation treatments to hips and started Letrozole/Ibrance. The lump on my neck quickly shrunk to nothing and assumption is the lung nodes have also shrunk. After using walker for over 6 weeks, when I saw orthopedic oncologist in December, he did pelvic x-rays and said my hips looked "strong and sturdy," that I no longer needed walker and could resume tai chi classes I had been taking prior to diagnosis. In January I added cardio (eventually going to 2 a week), and when I saw ortho onco again in March, he said pelvic bones were as good as they could be and gave me OK to return to tap dancing, which I've done for around 9 years (though kind of on and off the past 2 for various health reasons). I started back with tap 3 weeks ago and tonight started a Nordic pole walking class. It is miraculous to me that I'm doing all this when I remember being hospitalized on oxygen for a week and using a walker for 6 weeks just 6 months ago! Yes, I am sometimes very tired, but it seems like the more exercise I'm doing, the better I feel. I just wanted to tell you all this to let you know you can have a life and a future. It's encouraging to hear from others and help each other through this. (Have to add, love your beautiful picture!)