8 years today since diagnosis of liver mets!

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SchnauzerMom
SchnauzerMom Member Posts: 374
edited August 2020 in Stage IV/Metastatic Breast Cancer ONLY

Hello,

I am posting this today for two reasons: to perhaps give hope to people who have a similar diagnosis, and to share my gratitude and amazement in having this time with that diagnosis.

Truly I never expected so much time after my diagnosis of liver and bone mets on July 31, 2012. There have been rough times, several failed treatments, and difficult side effects, but there have been wonderful times, effective treatments, and good quality of life.

I am beyond grateful! I wish all of you well!


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  • candy-678
    candy-678 Member Posts: 3,950
    edited July 2020

    Thank you for posting this. I am almost 3 years (Sept) with liver and bone mets. I am on first line therapy still. I know progression can come at any time, but reading your post, I know there will be another option for me when progression happens.

    Thank you for giving us hope.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited July 2020

    Wonderful, inspiring post, SchnauzerMom! This hope is always much needed and appreciated!

    Here’s to many, many more years!

    — the Mods

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2020

    How wonderful! Congratulations and thank you for sharing your joy and gratitude.

    It’s always great to hear from long term survivors, wishing you many more happy years.

    XO


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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited July 2020

    Excellent! Congrats and here’s to more years to come

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  • Anotherone
    Anotherone Member Posts: 633
    edited July 2020

    thank you for posting !

    Have a great life !

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  • SandiBeach57
    SandiBeach57 Member Posts: 1,617
    edited July 2020

    This is wonderful news! I really needed to hear some good news and viola! ..you posted!

    I will toast you for your continued health and much happiness to come.

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  • Bestbird
    Bestbird Member Posts: 2,818
    edited July 2020

    Congratulations on this wonderful milestone! Wishing you many more years (and decades) of great news!

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  • SchnauzerMom
    SchnauzerMom Member Posts: 374
    edited August 2020

    Thank you so much for your good wishes. I appreciate your comments. I do think that "metsters" understand better than anyone else what our anniversaries mean.

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  • DivineMrsM
    DivineMrsM Member Posts: 9,620
    edited August 2020

    ShnauzerMom, congratulations on 8 years! I hope you continue doing well. Here’s to many more years of life, love and living the fullness of it all!


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  • Kjones13
    Kjones13 Member Posts: 1,520
    edited August 2020

    woo hoo 🎉 wonderful post, lady! Congratulations on your milestone. May there be many more to come! And keep on keeping on!

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  • nopink2019
    nopink2019 Member Posts: 329
    edited August 2020

    I'm approaching 1 yr and still not in the optimistic mood. Your post is inspirational and brought a smile to me. Thanks for sharing. Congrats
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  • HopeandGratitude
    HopeandGratitude Member Posts: 524
    edited August 2020

    thank you for this reminder. I am almost at 1.5 years on my first therapy but cannot think of 8 years out yet. Trying to shed the fear of what is to come and the limited time I have, so I can live my best life. Not there yet, but hopeful. It’s the first thing I think of when I wake every day. I am trying to change the story and I hope with time I can. It helps to hear your story. Congratulations and I wish you many more years to come - happy and healthy years

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  • Elderberry
    Elderberry Member Posts: 993
    edited August 2020

    SchnauzerMom: Yay!! 8 years and many many more for you. You give us such hope. I hope I can post 8 years when 2027 rolls around. Given the way things are going globally, that is IF there is a 2027. I'll be really old by then and something else might carry me off. Stay well, Ladies. Never give up hope.

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  • arissasmom
    arissasmom Member Posts: 17
    edited August 2020

    Yaaayyyy!!! Congrats, and thank you for sharing - you give me hope.

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  • LoveFromPhilly
    LoveFromPhilly Member Posts: 1,308
    edited August 2020

    Congratulations Schnauzermom! That is ABSOLUTELY worthy of a big celebration! Also, I am so grateful I came across this post as I was diagnosed two weeks ago with progression to my lungs and liver (was all bone mets for the past 3+ years). Wednesday I have a liver MRI to hone in on the pesky bugger and then it will be time to discuss options. I am in need of love, support, optimistic posts and shares and to also know what may lay ahead for me, the good bad and ugly. The better I can mentally prepare, the better I will do. Lots of love!

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  • deanders
    deanders Member Posts: 66
    edited August 2020

    I just got my diagnosis over the last week of MBC and am devastated. It is so nice to see this post to give me a little hope that once the shock wears off - there is life after diagnosis. I know there will be tough times and set backs but I am hoping to be posting anniversary dates and lifting others up many many years from now.

    Thank you for sharing. I think we all need to see it.

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  • moth
    moth Member Posts: 4,800
    edited August 2020
    Sadly hormone receptor status makes a huge difference in our prognosis.
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  • Cranky_Koala
    Cranky_Koala Member Posts: 7
    edited August 2020

    Dear Schnauzer Mom Congratulations and thank you for posting. Your post was gratefully read. I have just experienced a progression after two years on my first line and was feeling a bit glum, but posts like yours put a spring in my step !

    Thank you xxx

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  • Cranky_Koala
    Cranky_Koala Member Posts: 7
    edited August 2020

    Dear Schnauzer Mom Congratulations and thank you for posting. Your post was gratefully read. I have just experienced a progression after two years on my first line and was feeling a bit glum, but posts like yours put a spring in my step !

    Thank you xxx

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  • Cure-ious
    Cure-ious Member Posts: 2,626
    edited August 2020

    DeAnders,

    It seems as if you were originally ER-positive and the cancer then mutated to ER-negative upon metastasis? If so, you should try to find some treatments that include immunotherapy. because there are some preliminary reports that cancers that so-called "converted" (ie were ER-positive but then mutated to ER-negative) are far more sensitive to immunotherapy than eitherthe convential ER-positive or ER-negative cancers.

    Judy Perkins, who took CAR-T therarpy, and Barbara Bigelow, who took Halaven-Keytruda combo trial, have both been apparently cured of their metastatic cancers, and they were both in this category of "converters". A very small analysis indicated maybe half of the converters respond to immunotherapy combinations, compatred to like 15% of ER-negative and 5% of ER-positive. Mostly, if you do respond, there tends to be a benefit in overall survival because subsequent treatments seem to work more effectively after you have boosted your immune system. And the recommendation is take the immunotherapy early in the sequence of treatments while your immune system is still in great shape (although both of these exceptional responders had received other prior treatments)-

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