Stage 4 or Stage 2 ?

That sounds really crazy, and I think you need a new onc. I am so sorry.

It also sounds to me that you probably ought to report this to the medical board in your state.

Bless your heart Sunny. I can only guess the ONC wanted to "watch" what is on your liver in a wait and see approach but at the very least he should have been forthcoming about seeing anything on the scan. My sister has scans because she has lobular carcinoma; the cancer that is hard to detect on mammograms. I have Stage 2 IDC. A micromet showed up on the SN so I went from l to 2. I know my sister has scans and the drs have spotted a few things - she had a place(cant recall what they called it not a lesion) on her lung that the dr said probably has been there for 10 years or more. They collapsed her lung and removed it. She is not a smoker and the dr said those whatever they are called things(sorry) comes from a disease transmitted by birds and prevelant in the south...go figure. Did they say you were Stage 1V? I think it is time for you and your ONC to have a come to Jesus appt. My first question would be why didnt you tell me followed by what are you going to do about this thing on my liver given chemo wont take because it is too late? I would change ONCs too. There are lot of good ones out there. Keep us posted. Diane

Sunny....so sorry you are being treated so unprofessionally. Since you live so close to City of Hope, call there and they will see you right away.

sunny...i am sorry you are going through this waiting period.  There is a liver mets section on the stage iv board that you can read/ask questions although it sounds like you are still in the testing phase and don't have a firm diagnosis.  Also there is a section on the stage iv forum called "if you are not a stage iv and have questions post here" you could post your questions there in the meantime.  Hoping you get all your answers at your onc appt

Hi Sunny



You have had a really tough time and it hasn't been fair.



I am glad you have a new onc. You sound happier when you talk about him.



Please don't believe you only have a year. There are plenty of women on the stage IV boards who have had a similar diagnosis and are still here years later. Please believe you WILL see your youngest graduate.



I think I have a different type of cancer to you so I don't know much about the hormonal drugs, but there are other ladies who can tell you more. Keep asking the doctors questions and also the stage IV ladies. The more you understand it the better you will feel. It is still very scary but in time you start to feel better about it.



I am sending you best wishes from down under.



Love Angela

You must sue that doctor if he was that incompetent.  However, Herceptin could be the drug that keeps you in remission for years.  Especially if you have never had it and therefore have not built up a resistance to it. Although your initial doctor mishandled your case, there is much hope for you. I am soo very sorry you were in the wrong hands the first time around.  But your new oncologist sounds like he/she knows what's going on with you!

Sunny, submit the complaint and block that old Dr's phone number. He is an idiot.



A stage IV diagnosis is not what any of us wants to hear. your next task is to educate yourself about your prognosis and Move on to your new oncologist. He sounds like he is putting your health information together and will get you on a good treatment plan soon.



My liver progression was from 2010, I'm still here, its not growing and I don't plan on going anywhere soon. If it grows some more there are many more treatment options yet.



Some stage IV ladies have cleared their liver mets completely from different treatments. It can happen. Let your new team reassure you and get you moving forward.

Sunny,

I am so glad you've found a new onc. Stage IV breast cancer is nothing we want to have but many of us live normal, happy lives for many years. Stage IV patients do have surgery and there are many chemos to try even if one doesn't work. Good riddance to your old doctor!

Caryn

I had no initial radiation, it wouldnt have helped. I was not symptomatic at all. When I started out stage IV the primary tumor became a secondary concern and also a measurement of response to my treatment. I did not have surgery or radiation but went directly to anti hormonals. The primary tumor shrunk by 80% in the first quarter of treatment and I was stable with bone mets for 18 months before the Aromasin failed and the liver became involved. A couple of AI changes didn't keep the liver in check until Xeloda started last April. Since then I have been stable with some regression.



Listen to your new Dr. Of course continue to advocate for yourself and learn everything you can. We are all pulling for you.

Sunny,

No, I had a bmx because it was thought I was stage IIB but two months after my surgery, my bone met was found by accident. I had no symptoms and no pain but I did have radiation to to bone met to kill it, so to speak. It is now necrotic (dead) and I have been on Arimidex and Aredia and NED, for close to17 months. So rads can be given for bone mets that are not symptomatic to get rid of them, not just for pain relief.

Caryn

sunny...good grief girl bless your heart. You have to enough to deal with and now a Dr who steered you in the wrong direction. I understand these guys are humans and not perfect but they are also humans who are in control of what ails us and how to keep us living. I agree he shouldnt be giving you an expiration date. He doesnt know and should have told you that. I think the days are long gone when we take our drs word as final. Not saying there arent a lot of qualified drs out there and we need them but every now and then there is one who is clueless and he is playing with your life. It is like against their Hippocratic oath to say they dont know. You and the rest of us have to be our own advocates. I would think UCLA would have some very qualified doctors but like Johns Hopkins or MD Anderson or Mayo Clinic I am sure there are ones who arent as qualified as others. With our disease we do have options. Dont worry for a sec about saying liver tumor instead of bc metasizing...it is confusing sometimes. All that is important is that you know what you are dealing with and what the alternatives are. I think it was very telilng the dr called you back several times. He knew he had screwed up. That afterthought of his could have cost have been a disaster. On a much lesser note I took my youngest son to see the dr because he was upset he was so short. I am not tall - 5'-2" and husband is 5'-9" and several sibs are just under 6 feet...anyway they measure your bones...sorry blond moment....he came back and said my son would be about 5-5 maybe. I decided to get a second opinion...didnt really like the dr anyway - very cocky. The dr calls me and obviously ticked because I would question his expertise and volunteers to talk to the next dr I take my son to...I am like why would I do that he can read an xray. Didnt like it at all...My son is just under 5'-9"...okay not even close to being a big deal just a story about drs and their egos and incompetence. Good luck...keep us posted. diane