Bad Pet Scan Results-please read and help me understand!

Lisjo - There is hope. The starting point is a biopsy to figure out the characteristics of the cancer you have now. Post all your diagnostic results in your signature line (update your profile and make it public). Get second and third opinions. Ask every question that you have on these forums and to your oncologist (why are we biopsying the lymph node by my esophagus?). Find the specific threads that correspond to your disease and read them. Find the bone mets thread. There are some really good bone mets treatments. And read bestbirds review of current treatments for metastatic cancer.

Respect your concerns about quality of life. Treatments that undermine your basic health can work but they can also be counter-productive. One of the many judgement calls you will have to make for yourself. No right answers for Stage IV except what feels right for you. Scary, but we all intend to beat this ...

Welcome

>Z<

I have one of those nodes near the esophagus, I think it said hilar node. They were slightly suspicious but after it showing up 3 times they are just saying it's reactive.

There is definitely lots of hope and I doubt that you are near the end! Stay here and you will learn a lot and get all the support you need. He may bwant to do chemo to get things under control if there is a lot of mets, then probably go to an AI or something much easier. I have mets for 4 years and still feel fine, working FT, and many have been here many more years than that!

Lisajo, yes it can be managed. The biopsy will tell you what characteristics your cancer has at the moment. That'll help inform how to treat it. For instance, there are many clinical trials available for women with certain cancer mutations.

If they give you "chemo" it will almost certainly be either a different drug or at a much lower dose than before. That should help with the side-effects. (FYI Ibrance is a chemo, so is Xeloda, but they're both pills)

I can tell you're nervous about chemo. SO. Here's where you need to decide what's important to you. You'll figure this out as you go along. For instance, some women would live with nausea if it prevented pain. Others would choose the opposite. So when you try a drug, if it's giving you side-effects you can't stand, you get to decide you want to switch.

I had local Mets 8 yrs after orig dx. Radiation treatment. Mets to spine another 8 yrs later. Faslodex/Aredia treatment. Met to left adrenal gland 3 yrs later. SBRT and now NED.

Hang in there!!