sis has stage iv breast cancer w/ bone met- I'm falling apart

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missyg2678
missyg2678 Member Posts: 1

My sister turned 48 in January and the last thing i expected was to get a call in Feb.from my beautiful sister asking me to keep a secret from mom and dad.  I said of course, whats wrong?  She said she had been feeling bad for quite sometime but did not want anyone to worry unless they needed to.  I then said, ok, what the &(&($(%# is wrong, you are scaring me, just tell me, please!!!!  I could hear her trying not to cry or let me know that i need to worry but i said nothing just hoping she would get out whatever was going on.  That is when i got the news that she feels bad and has for over a year and that she had made appointments with all sorts of doctors to have herself checked from head to toe, which made me feel better anyway, i dont know why, now.  She had one more appointment and that one was with your obgyn and she wanted me to go with her to the appointment.  I said, of course,i want to be there and i want to go to all other appointments that you have to little lady!!!!!!  She laughted and said it is probably nothing i have had all sorts of test and no one has found anything but i just dont want to do this one alone.  They did not feel any lumps in the exam but they noticed quite a bit of size difference from one breast to the other so they ordered an mammogram.  We went to that appointment in about 2 weeks.  We went to the doc for the results and i was floored.  She had 2 lumps in her right breast, one of them almost 4cm so we cried and cried.  THAT WAS THE WORST MOMENT OF MY LIFE!  We are talking about my BIG sister and until that moment i had never thought about lossing my sister or my brother or anyone else for that matter.  This has turned my world upside down.  

 My sis just said well it is what it is and we will just have to deal with it!  So, on to the breast removal.  That did not seem to bother her as long as she knew she was getting a new boob and that they would make the other one match.  At this point we had been told it was stage II cancer and knew nothing about the rest of the bad news.  So we cried, we shopped for a wig(becasue we had been told she would have chemo) and cried some more.  While in surgery they had to remove the lemph noids under her arm because 3 of them were infected but they said not to worry that usually there has to be at least 12 infected before you have to worry about it spreading.  She woke up from surgery saying that her right arm felt tight or swollen and when we went to the doc for follow up we found out she has lemphedemia,already!!!   They did some scans and all came back fine except the bone scan.  She has a tumor on the T11 on her spine, and i lost it!!!!  I told the doctor that i hated him and that his answers were just not good enough.  I also stated that if i did my job like he did his i would be fired!!!!!  My boss would not except, i dont know, as an answer and neither would I.  He said he was sorry but that he could not cure her that there is a 90% recurrance rate and it would probably recur in less than 5 years and they would just radiate as they find the tumors from the scans every 3 months and i told him he sucks and left the room and went to the parking lot and cried for hours.

I have researched the lemphatic system and learned how to massage her and found the lebed dvd exercises.  I took them over to her and she says that she is just to tired and wont make any effort to help with the situation.  She also has not done any research on her cancer.  She is just sitting there doing nothing, eating double quarter pounders with cheese upsized to large and i am about to yank a knot in her @#$.....  She needs to fight for her life but she seems to not care.  I dont know if this is just a phase or if she is really just going to sit there and let this take over.  

Can anyone give me info on obesity and bone cancer?  My sis is 5ft 4in tall and weights about 250 lbs.  If i am reading correctly her bones can break from just her boby weight but i dont want to tell my sister "hey your fat, move your &%^&"  so what do you know and what can i do to get her to help herself before she is taken over by this!!!!!! 

She has completed radiation as of last Friday but has two really bad burns, one under her arm and one on her neck but she did not really start getting exhausted until the last two weeks so i guess that is better that some cases.  i went to every treatment with her and i see her everyday because i have to massage her and wrap her arm, these are moments that i will treasure.  I have quit my job and made my husband get two jobs.  I told him that if he did not handle the finances and i had to go back to work and leave my sister that i would leave him.......  i will be with my sister everyday that she has left no matter what!!!!  NOW THIS IS THE WORST MOMENT BECAUSE IF SHE DOES NOTHING I LOSS MY SISTER SOONER!!!!!

Comments

  • Racy
    Racy Member Posts: 2,651
    edited June 2012

    Hi, I'm sorry to hear your story. I am not an expert on stage 4 but from what I have read on this site there are many treatments that can be tried.



    Has your sister had chemo yet and is she taking any oral medication such as hormone therapy?



    Where is your sister being treated? If she is not happy with her oncologist's plan, she can see another doctor for a second opinion.



    Your sister may benefit from joining this site to learn more about her treatment options and get support from others with a similar diagnosis.



    It sounds as if you are doing everything you can to help your sister. Only she can tell you how she is coping with her diagnosis.



    It's a really hard situation all round and I understand your pain and frustration.



    Sorry I can't be more help but you may get advice from others here who have been in a similar situation.

  • Cindyl
    Cindyl Member Posts: 1,194
    edited June 2012

    Your love for your sister is obvious a I applaud your desire to help her, but I think it might be more helpful to ease off, just a bit.  Yes being overweight can complicate cancer and it's treatment but what your sis needs right now is time to rest and heal.  If someone had been badgering me to watch my diet and get off the couch and move as I was trying to recover from radiation I'd have kicked her out. 

    So what can you do?  Well you know her better than anyone.  You tell me.  What healthy food does she love?  Bring that to her, fruit, veggies, just have good stuff around to snack on and shut your mouth about the McDonalds.  What does she love to do? Help her do it.  Anything to coax her out of her gloom.  Start small, find a movie she loves and watch it with her.  Talk less, listen more.  Keep going to her appointments with her, help her by listening to what the dr is saying.  Help her tidy her house, help her find at least one cute outfit that she can wear when she has something special to do... you know this stuff. Just be her sister.  As she starts to recover from radiation, and starts feeling like getting a little exercise, keep her company. Yoga and walking a great places to start... even a walk around the block, but let her take the lead and decide what she's up to.

    Don't go crazy with Dr. Google.  He is full of misinformation and some of the half cocked cures and stats out there will do more harm than good.

    Good luck, and keep in touch.

  • midnight1327
    midnight1327 Member Posts: 1,475
    edited June 2012

    Hi missyg, you sound like a wonderful supportive sister and thats is really encouraging for your sister. But i agree with cindy, you need to take a back seat about the food abit, she  is probaly finding comfort in that.  but as cindy says, get her into food that is healthy, but of her choice. it is probably denial and a whatever attitude, just the way she is handling it  at the moment.  She is so lucky she has you so hang in there and be the sweet caring sister you are, but not too intrusive as far as her food goes, that,ll pass, food stops you thinking about what you are going thru and thats why it becomes a comfort, like booze, drown the sorrows, well your dear sister is using food. take care missy and lots of hugs and xx to both of you. keep us informed.

  • riley702
    riley702 Member Posts: 1,600
    edited June 2012

    It sounds as though your sister is depressed, which is understandable! But her doctor can prescribe an anti-depressant or anti-anxiety drug to get her through this time. I also know that radiation (I had radiation, too) can cause extreme fatigue. I wasn't doing anything and I was exhausted. Some days, I slept 14 hours! Exercise was out of the question until the fatigue eased up.

    I can understand how upset you are; my sister was the same way, even though I have been fortunate enough to not be Stage IV. Just try to be there for her, as others have suggested. Maybe start with getting outside to just sit and watch the sunset while talking. Work up to taking a short walk after dinner. Instead of having tension about her diet and the need to lose weight, this can be a time for the two of you to just talk and enjoy each other, as well as the exercise being good for her.

    (((hugs)))

  • Stormynyte
    Stormynyte Member Posts: 650
    edited June 2012

    Not to sound harsh here but what do you expect her to do? She just found out that she has Stage IV cancer. I'm sure she is depressed and this is how she is dealing with it. Facing your own mortality is rough. Let her deal with it in her own way. 

     She knows you are there for her and that is a huge thing, to KNOW you have someone when you need them. Go with that, be there for her, when she needs you to be there, but give her time and room to come to terms with what she is dealing with.

    Sending you both hugs and good thoughts

  • Racy
    Racy Member Posts: 2,651
    edited June 2012

    Though you and your sister are going through a very emotional time, it probably doesn't help her when you show anger towards her doctor. Listen to your sister and her needs. Then, when the timing is right, you can gently direct her to the resources on this site.



    Your sister is probably feeling many emotions that those of us who are not stage 4 cannot fully understand.

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