Anyone here with another primary cancer diagnosis??

atanea

Hi,

Breast cancer a year ago, acute leukemia two months ago. Both without the common symptoms..

JohnSmith

I'm new here and just getting up to speed with the mechanics of the disease and treatment options.

My wife was just diagnosed with HR+ ILC. We are in the process of getting a 2nd opinion and having her imaging re-done since the diagnostic tests at the first facility weren't the best.

This is her second cancer. As a teen, she had a rare Lymphoblastic Lymphoma in her leg 30 years ago which was treated with chemo and radiation. No fun. Since this is her second cancer, she's getting a ton of genetic tests done. Her BRCA1/2 test was negative. We imagine the "Womens Hereditary Cancers Panel" (ATM, PALB2, TP53, etc) test by Invitae will be negative too. Personally, I imagine science will discover the gene(s) responsible for causing multiple cancers within the next 10 years, perhaps sooner.

This seems like a great group of educated people and I look forward to contributing.

GoWithTheFlow

Was just told today that I have brain mets.  Finished treatment last August (2013).  Four weeks ago started feeling sicker than I've ever felt in my life, couldn't even describe what I was feeling.  Though it was inner ear at first, got worse then thought it was a migraine from hell.  Finally, my nurse practitioner decided to send me for an MRI which showed the single large tumor.  Surgery is Monday.  Very thankful we pushed on and figured out what was causing it.  The steroids I'm taking have made a huge difference in my mental clarity, which is allowing me to get things done before I'm back out of commision after surgery.  They are saying about 3 weeks to a month of no driving, but assured me I wouldn't want to go out anyway.  That's not really helping my need to organize and get things in order around here before hand.  I want to grocery shop and pick up a few nice things to amuse me while I'm stuck at home.  Looks like I'll be online shopping this week.

Pessa

so sorry to hear about the brain mets.  Wishing you well for your surgery and recovery,

Sinsin

Gowiththeflow, sorry to hear the news but wishing you much luck in your surgery and recovery! Let us know how you're doing!

lekker

Sinsin - how did your gastro testing go?

Sinsin

I guess alright. Waiting on biopsies. My results says everything looks "normal" except for possible eosinophilic esophagitis, which when I looked it up is a reaction from food alleriges, which I do not have. So, not sure what to think of that especially since my endoscopy in Feb. didn't show any of that. 

Hope everyone is doing well and thanks for inquiring after me, Lekker!

Gingerbrew

SinSin are you taking any of the AI drugs like Aromasin etc.  I had really, really, severe side effects from them. I take Tomoxifen now and have few side effects. Just hoping your answer is simpler. Big hugs

I have a secondary thing but it isn't cancer, I broke my back in a car crash 9 mo ago. Slowly healing and getting physical therapy to get strong to relieve some pain. I wish you all the best. I popped on here because I saw SinSin was the author of the thread. 

Ginger

Sinsin

Ginger, I am only on the Taxol currently. I know that my chemo is exacerbating my GI issues but sadly I had half of them before I started chemo. The hardest part is having such symptoms and no cause found yet. The unknown is the scariest. 

I'm glad the Tamoxifen is more agreeable to you. I think that's what I'll be on after chemo and radiation. Sorry to hear about your accident and your pain! This may sound crazy but have you tried marijuana for your back pain yet? It's a known alleviator for it. I don't suggest actually smoking it but ingesting it would be safer. Smoking still has the carcinogenic effects that we don't want. 

 Anyway, I hope the road to recovery is running as smooth as possible for you! 

SinSin

lekker

Any news, sinsin?

Sinsin

Yep, all the biopsies came back fine so I don't know what to think. They just can't seem to find the culprit that is making me so miserable and the chemo just makes it all worse. Sigh . . .

Ageppert

The mammogram and ultrasound followed by the surgeon's consult do not look positive.  Scheduled for a biopsy but I have a feeling . . . .

Sinsin

Ageppert, worried about having breast cancer or another cancer? Hang in there! The worst part is the waiting!!

Timbuktu

July 5 is 3 years since my bc diagnosis.  Last November I developed endometrial cancer.

Last week the dr told me I was positive for Lynch syndrome.  Still reeling.  Especially for my children who

have a 50/50 chance of having inherited it.  This is very hard.

stepangel

I had an aggressive type of melanoma 3 years and 1 week before my BC diagnosis. I had to have lymph nodes removed at the time too. I guess the good news was I didn't have to go and find a BS and oncologist when I got my BC diagnosis...I already had them!

Sinsin

Timbuktu, I am so sorry! I hope that your children don't have it too! Hopefully, they'll screen and do tests often if they do. Hang in there!!

Stepangel, my mother is a skin cancer survivor. I hope you're doing well in both your cancer battles! 

stepangel

Thank you Sinsin! I hope you start to feel better very soon! 

DoubleWhammy

I had breast and endometrial cancers in 2010.  They were diagnosed 4 days apart and luckily for me, each was early stage, low grade.  Had breast surgery, hysterectomy, chemotherapy for breast cancer, radiation for breast cancer all before 2011.  Zoom, Zoom. 

Becs511

I had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at age 14 (19 years ago) and underwent two years of chemo. I was diagnosed with breast cancer (stage 4 straight off the bat) in May. Knowing all of the terminology, what questions to ask, and what to expect from chemo has made the process a lot easier this go around. Although there is a much higher emotional toll hearing you have cancer for the second time before turning 33 years old!

Sinsin

I'm so sorry to hear Becs but it sounds like you are one hell of a strong and prepared fighter! I hope that treatment kicks cancer's ass again for you and ypu become one of the stage 4's who get that wonderful NED!

lekker

Wow Becs - you've really become a pro at all of this.  How is your current treatment going?  You're way too young to be dealing with cancer much less stage IV.  I always ask about genetic testing - have you had any?  Not that you have to answer here of course, just wanted to put it out there.  I doubt it would change treatment decisions for you at this point but it could impact your family members if you were found to carry a harmful mutation.  Regardless, I hope you meet NED soon.

ktfelder

Thyroid cancer 20 years ago. Breast cancer this year.

momand2kids

early stage  bc in 2008.  Papillary thyroid this summer-- thyroid surgery 1 month ago--- no connection between the two.... am also being followed for a lung nodule that "does not look suspicious" according to doc-but was an "incidental finding on the lung ct to figure out why I was coughing all winter ( thyroid nodules were also incidental findings of same ct and ultimately were the cause of the cough).  I now feel fabulous!!!! 

Sinsin

Momand2kids, glad to hear you're feeling great! Hope that little nodule is indeed nothing and that you remain cancer free and have no recurrences! You have certainly had your share!

momand2kids

Thanks-

lung doc sent email that said "the odds are very much in your favor that the nodule on your lung is not worrisome for cancer"... so I figure he knows what he is talking about but it will be good to go get it re-measured to be sure--- then I can focus on the closing out of the thyroid incident with the iodine treatment.

This has been hard and anxiety provoking, but everyone said that thyroid was completely curable-- and they were right.... and this lung thing according to all of my doc colleagues is a case of "incidentalitis"--something they pick up and have to follow-- because I had two clear chest xrays and my lung ct was absolutely clear except for this almost indiscernible 6mm nodule.  Even the pulmonologist said" back in the day- I would look at you, see that you are healthy, listen to your lungs, see that they are healthy and review your chest xrays--and that would be that. But the sensitive technology now shows us things that we never saw before and in almost all cases, it is nothing."... So, I  have to believe him-- but we will be visiting a few more times I suspect before they can release me.  

My cousin is a  pulmonologist.  He says that these things are almost always benign- and if not, they can be resected (would rather not have that, thank you very much!).... He also says the only mistake one can ever make is to not follow up-so I will put on my big girl pants next week and go in and do this.  I am pretty optimistic from my first meeting with him and his review of the scan and his note that it was not suspicious to him in the least and he did not expect it to grow--but if it did, and I wanted it out, out it would come, and even then, he speculated that it would be benign.

That is what I am going with!!!

But boy, I will breathe more freely on 8/20.....

Sinsin

I hear you! I have several very small, nonmeasurable spots on my liver that were picked up in my original scans in January that have me worried. So now that I am done with my chemo, my doc ordered me a CT scan to check on them. I go Wednesday for it and boy, my scanxiety is nuts!

msdebic2

i have stage 3 lung cancer also.

Timbuktu

Turned out that I did not have Lynch Syndrome!  Thanks for the good wishes.  I thank God every day that I don't have it and my children will not have to suffer!

lekker

Timbuktu - so glad to hear you don't have Lynch.  If you're willing to share, how did it come about that you were told you were positive?

Fiaranch1

I had uterine cancer in 1996 and breast cancer in 2000. In 2013 I was diagnosed with cancer again . 2 separate cancers breast cancer again and Lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes).