Women Stage IV past 5 years

I know a woman who is over 20 years with mets.  She's never been NED and has had progression but is still going strong.  She had a young daughter when she was first diagnosed with mets and two weeks ago was that daughter's wedding.

I was dx Stage IV from the start - 2 years ago on May 1, '07. I haven't had surgery or rads, just chemo and Herceptin. After 3 rounds of chemo all signs of cancer were gone. I have remained that way and stayed on Herceptin only. I am now looking at having a double mx and taking a break from all treatment.

I see myself 10, 15 and even 20 years from now (I am 37). I imagine myself holding my grandchildren.... although hopefully not for a while since my oldest is only 11! I am constantly inspired by the stories of the women on this board that having been dealing with mets for years and years.

Stay on this board and like Fitz said - read the roll call. I pray for comfort and peace for you while you absorb this new life you are handed.

Anita

KrisTom, what is your er / pr / HER2 status?

My mom went almost thirteen years without a reccurrence, she was diagnosed three years ago this month as being Stage IV. She has liver mets and is doing well right now. She has been on chemo for almost two years.  

19 years with BC and 9 years as stage IV. 

Have hope!

Anna

If you have the opportunity, read the book "The Red Devil"  It has really encourage me

I had been diagnosed with 3rd stage breast cancer in 2007, I took intensive chemotharapy but for some reason the tumour size increased instead of shrinking and it started to spread so I opted for it to be removed surgically and post-op radiotharapy .. after 6 months it reoccurred on the left side and was intensive and I knew from previous experince that chemo would just make it worse so i this time i went straight for the surgery, but by that time the cancer had spread all over ... right now i have it in my respiratory duct, my liver and chest! .. i get excruciating pain at nights in the liver area, i cant sleep, im sick most of the time (Flu), Im very weak and depressed, I have two kids and a loving husband Im not on any kind of medication right now and just using painkillers. I dont know how longer i can go.

6 years BC  ...... almost 1 year mets.     Still doing chemo and hanging in there strong.  Love hearing the longevity from all these women!   Women are living so much longer!  I've always felt that this cancer would not get me.  I will live long and strong and some other whatever will be my demise..... but not cancer.   Can't tell you why I feel this way but I do!!   You just hang right in there and keep fighting and hold that head up high!!  We are here if you need us!!

Dx Stage IV 4+ years ago.  After trying various treatments, the current treatment of Doxil has done wonders.  Those who know me forget I'm a cancer patient, those who don't know me would never guess.  At Dx I informed the doc that I needed to be around to dance at my grandson's wedding - the child was 3 at the time!  Doc's evaluation is that this kind of cancer is now seen as a chronic disease, one to be managed.  That, to me, puts a long-range spin on it.  Thanks for starting this thread - it's been soooo encouraging to read about all this longevity!      Nancy in MN

My onc says that women with mets to bones usually live a long long time.  It is when it spreads to other areas of the body that it really becomes much more serious.  It would help if we included where are mets have spread to.  I was dx 10/07 with Stage IV mets to lungs and bones, and most recently, to the outer abdomen

Lashon,

This site right here is an excellent start.... There is a Trip Negative thread. But there are alot of ladies right here on the stage 4 thread , who are also Trip Negative. I'm so sorry about your Dx of Mets. A few of our sisters have been dx'd with brain mets and have had different successful treatments. I am sure they will be along to post. Take it easy on the internet searching for info. You WILL get information overload and alot of the statistics are old or false, but there is alot of good info too. We just have to learn to be able to tell the difference. Well take your time looking around at different threads and post with any questions.

    I have been Stage lV for 11 years.....probalby longer, but they did not discover it until they finally got sick of my complaining about pain in my sternum and did a bone scan, followed up with CAT scan.  Thank goodness I changed oncologists.  I am now awaiting results of the CAT scan I hae yesterday to see if they have the mets in my liver and lung under control....the bone scan did not show any new mets wich is what caused them to put me on this new chemo....that adn the fact the spot in my liver which has never changed finally started to get larger.  I do not like all the of side effects, but if this combo they have me on works, it is worth it.  I have been very fortunate in that I have responded positively to just about every treatment I have been on.  Did the entire hormonal route and other than getting pamidronate at first until we switched to zometa was treated entirely with hormones for almost 12 years and one round of radiation (3 wks of rads to my sacrum).  I started on tamoxifen and from there went to arimidex and aromasin....now get faslodex along with this current chemo.  I do no think the oral chemo they had me doing before this was really successful, but I think part of the reason my onco did it was to ease me into chemo which I said from the very start I will NOT do chemotherapy....  Well, when faced with the alternative, I sort of changed my tune on that one.  Last month I sat next to a woman in the treamtment room who has been Stage lV for 13 years......up until then I was thinking I was special or something.  Stage lV is not a dealth sentence although I thought so at first when I read the statistics.....Bad thing to do.  We are people, not numbers.  Breast cancer is something we can live with.....all you need is faith, inner strength (you will find you are stonger than you even thought you could be) a will to live and a good oncologist who finds what works for you.  They now treat breast cancer as a chronic disease, just like other major diseases.  We must learn to concentrate on living and not the possibility of dying.  As I have said so many times I am probably starting to bore people, We are all terminal.....every living person is terminal since nobody lives forever.  Hang in there.  Good luck with your MRI WendyV.....waiting for results is always the hard part.  I was thinking when I went for this latest CT how amazing it is that so much hangs on one test......we are the same as we were the day before, but now it is suddenly staring us in the face again....the big What if and where do we go  from here.  Reneepal, you advice was excellen....don't listen to the negative posts.....thinking negative never got anyway anywhere, except for feeling down and sad.  I work full-time and stay active.  StageVcancer, how are you doing?  Have you even gone for an opinion from other oncologists.....some have new theories as to how to treat cancer and it's not always easy finding the right treatment combination.  I know it isn't always easy to think positive when things are going the wrong way, but try to keep your spirits up.  I will be praying for you and all of us.  . 

Hello, I'm also recently diagnosed Stage IV with mets to bones. I just had my second oncology appointment yesterday, one month since treatment started, and my primary tumor has shrunk significantly. Your mileage may vary, but here is what is working for me:

Conventional therapy: Tamoxifen, Zoladex, Zometa and calcium;

Supplements: Omega-3 capsules, Coenzyme Q10, and a multivitamin;

Read David Servan-Schrieber's book Anticancer: A New Way of Life and try to follow as much of it as possible. I have given up ALL cola and replaced it with tea, green tea when I can find it, and I now take a half-hour walk nearly every day. Also eating lots more broccoli, raspberries, blueberries, and whole-grain multigrain bread. Also trying to get to bed earlier - immune systems need sleep.

Good luck, and may we all live to meet our grandkids! 

Lashon, we are all praying for you still!! Please PM me so I can get in touch with you. I have asked about you several times on the Aug 08 chat. Alot of us are still praying for you. If you would be so kind and just give those of us an update on that forum, we'd appreciate it. Also, if you give me your phone # in a PM I will call and try to help you. We love you and are giving you special hugs.  I was told by my naturopathic Dr, that if you exercise 3-6 hours a week you have a 50 percent reduction in reoccurence. I have cut out all sugar, mammals, wheat, white flour, and white potatoes. i read where someone was in stage 4 and went on a glutten free diet. She is doing well after 2 years so far. To all of you on this forum - God bless and keep looking up. Love and hugs,  your BC sister

Thank-you for this thread -- it's very encouraging.

LASHON -- So sorry about your dx.  You are a lovely young woman and I want to encourage you to fight.  There are lots of women here that are fighting and living, by living I mean enjoying life.  I suggest that you do a search here on brain mets and see what others are saying.  My mets are elsewhere so I don't have any personal experience to share.

Why don't you start a thread here asking about brain mets and ask people to share their experience?

I wish you all the best Lashon.

Elizabeth

xox