My wife diagnosed stage 4 in Feb

I am on the same regimen and have been for the last two years (dx'd at about your wife's age). When you say tumor hardening, do you mean the primary in the breast or the liver met?

Then yes, I have experienced times over the month where it seemed like yay! the tumor is shrinking! because it seemed softer or smaller and then times (usually on the week off Ibrance) when I worry because it seems harder/growing. In the end I got about 40% shrinkage of the primary over two years, although given where the placement is of the tumor and how it grew (sub areolar and very deep, growing up to retract the nipple just before diagnosis) I have to really dig around to feel it, but my main judge is the nipple retraction. When the tumor is "harder" it appears like the nipple is more retracted. There was one month in mid 2020 when it seemed much harder than before and I flagged it for a quick observation but oncology didn't seem to think it mattered, and it didn't because the next scan was when I had the greatest shrinkage.

my partner was diagnosed in November. She is 40. Stage 4. Metastatic Inflammatory Breast cancer. Bilateral. Er+ pr+ her2- Mets to s2, l3, and right 7th rib. Her tumor shrunk significantly after 6 rounds of red devil chemo. It looks and feels like its back to "Normal" its no longer swollen heavy and hot so she is able to get more comfortable laying down now. She takes ibrance, Femara, and gets zoladex injections. She has a lot of fatigue, bone pain, and joint stiffness from all the meds. And extreme hot flashes. When her left breast was so swollen and hard. The dr recommended wearing a tight sport bra it helped with the pain. I'm desperately looking for friends that are caregivers to stage 4 patients. I need a support systems to better help her and keep myself sane. It is so hard watching her hurt and being unable to do anything about it :,(

thank you! I plan to attend the meetings. Its hard finding support specific to stage IV.