IBC with Metastasis

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JFK56
JFK56 Member Posts: 4
edited June 2014 in IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)

My sister-in-law (my wife's younger sister), who lives near Berlin Germany, was diagnosed with IBC in Feb 2008, shortly after giving birth to her only child.  She was on chemo , then mastectomy, followed by radiation.   On 11 March 2009 she was diagnosed with Metastasis in the liver and lungs, and is again on chemo.  Unfortunately I do not know which drugs she is being treated with, only that the cancer is HER2 negative, so that Herceptin is not being given.  Since the 2nd chemo last week, she is very weak, with considerable pain in the one kidney area, and general bone pain throughout her body.  Is this a typical reaction to the chemotherapy ?  I am concerned that she may also have bone Metastasis,  which has not been diagnosed.  Susanne has not had any form of scan since October 2008, before the mastectomy.

Any advice you can give is greatly appreciated.

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  • Caseysmom
    Caseysmom Member Posts: 507
    edited March 2009

    JFK56:

    I'm not a doctor or a nurse but my opinion is for her to get a PET scan will either confirm or rule out that the cancer has spread to her bones.  I know that there are some ladies on this site who might be able to answer your question better than me.  I personally did not have any bone pain while I was going through treatment.

    My prays are with you and your family.

    Hugs

    Laura

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  • JFK56
    JFK56 Member Posts: 4
    edited March 2009

    Thank you both very much for your advice and words of support.  Susanne has now been diagnosed with bone mets, and is now receiving a drug, apparently similar to Zometa, in addition to the weekly combination chemo.  She is now on morphine, this is helping significantly with the pain. It is very difficult to obtain specific information from my sister-in-law or the other family members who are caring for her at present.  The whole family, except for my wife, refuse to talk about troublesome issues in any detail.  We will be driving to Berlin with our 3 kids at Easter, (we live near Stuttgart, about 600km away) and depending on Susannes condition, my wife will stay on for some weeks and take care of her sister, and the 18 month little boy. 

    We hope and pray what Susanne's life can be extended without pain as long as possible to see her small boy grow up some.

    My very best wishes to you both for your own recovery.

    John K

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  • mrs_X_Sunneedazee
    mrs_X_Sunneedazee Member Posts: 541
    edited March 2009

    John,

    I am so sorry that your family is dealing with this devastating monster.  I hope that chemo works for Susan, and hope that her pain can be managed.  Speaking from experience, Susan will be so grateful for help with her baby.  I was diagnosed when my youngest was 15 months old, and it was extremely difficult to deal with feeling lousy from cancer and it's treatments.  I am so grateful for all the help that I receive, and I bet Susan will be as well.  I hope you have a good visit, and that chemo will help decrease her cancer, and get her feeling better!  Please keep us posted. 

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