Hi all I'm new to this group, I'm a group leader for the breast cancer support group. I was diagnosed with HER2+ inflammatory breast cancer with bone and liver mets in June of 2006. By December it was all resolved (miracously). June of 2009 I was diagnosed with a golf ball sized tumor in my brain, just 2 months after a clean PET scan (full body). Since it was a metastatic tumor they were able to fully remove the tumor (it was smooth, no roots), then did gamma knife radiation on the tumor cavity. I'm not on 6 cylces of Xeloda, on Tykerb and Zometa indefiently. I have constant headaches which I'm guessing is from the surgery (and my head itches all the time too). A brain tumor was my worst fear with my breast cancer, so I'm very thankful treatment went so well. My father-n-law died a year ago from 5 brain tumors (melanoma mets). Anyone else out there a breast cancer survivor, what is your story? I'm only 35 and have a 6 year old son and a 4 year old daughter. My son loves to point out that I'm so forgetful because of the hole in my head. When I came home from the hospital he said I looked like a zombie ate my brains and requested that I keep my staples covered. My kids and husband keep my spirits up and get me through all of this! I'm constantly worried that the tumor will come back again and will grow so aggressively that it'll be too late before we find it. This is with getting brain MRIs every 3 months along with PET scans. I only had symptoms for 3 weeks before my surgery. It started out as a sinus infection without a fever. Then I started vomitting and having diahrheea. My GP gave me a shot in the butt to stop the vommiting and put my on compazine for nausea and Mucinex D for the sinus headache. A week later it all came back even worse, my doc's partner added steroids and migraine meds, along with antibiotics. After this I started having blurred and double vision, and was too stupid to admit I shouldn't be driving. I also started collapsing but I usually caught myself before anyone noticed and again was too stupid to tell anyone (plus I was so behind on life since I was in bed for 2 weeks). I then went in for my routine eye exam and doc saw a "sliver" on my optic nerve, sent me to the opthimologist that day. He referred me for a CT scan, I was seeing my oncologist the next day per sent me in for a MRI that day, that night I was admitted to the hospital. 3 days later they removed the tumor, by that time I was having serious memory loss and couldn't even verbalize my thoughts without forgetting. After surgery was able to see, think, walk, just had a massive headache imagine that! Looking forward to hearing your stories hugs jessi |
