Fourth Time Now

I have just been told my cancer has returned for the fourth time in the same breast.  My first time was 1984 when I had a lumpectomy and radiation treatment.   I was in remission for four years and then another little tumor grew back.  I had a second lumpectomy.  I was then free of cancer for over twenty years.  However during this time I was suffering from some radiation overdose side effects because back then they were giving higher doses of the stuff.  Alot of the tissue on the upper left hand part of my torso is gone and I look like skin and bone there and the side of my neck and chest look permanently dirty because the skin is black in places.

Move on to 2008 and what I thought were radiation changes to the breast also turned out to be cancer again.  Surgery was not an option because it was not a lump this time but a bigger area of tissue.  I was put on tamoxifen and within weeks there were enoromous improvements in the breast and almost two years on it I was told I was in remission for the third time.  Last month changes in the breast again and I am told the tamoxifen stopped working and the cancer was back.  Now I am on Letrozole and it is too soon to know if it is having any effect.

If my oncologist tells me I am in remission again I think I will slap her because as far as I am concerned there is no such thing as remission.  And there you have it.

I have not been on here for some time but just wanted to post an update.  Well when the Tamoxifen stopped working I was put on Letrazole for 2 months and it did absolutely nothing for me.  And also I was told I now had some disease in the other breast also. So I have now been on Capecitabine for 6 months, 2 weeks on and 1 week off, and things are more or less stable for the moment.  I have minimal side effects, 2 or 3 days of diarrhoea and tummy ache towards the end of the second week and bad taste in my mouth.  However I just finished my 8th course and no tummy ache or bad taste.  I am being coaxed into going on 1 week on and 1 week off but I don't want to disturb things if they are stable and since my side effects are so little I told my doctor I will take it one course at a time.  Thanks LRM216 and all the best to you also.