Breast Cancer Stage 4 My Journey

I've been on Morphine for just over a year. You can't stop taking it cold turkey. It's not good for your body and I found out the hard way. I called in a refill last Thursday and my prescription wasn't filled. They are pretty good at refilling the same day or at the latest the following day so I wasn't worried that I only had a day left of morphine because I thought for sure I'd get my refill before the weekend. Yeah, I was wrong. My doctor left work for the weekend on Friday without calling it in to my pharmacy. Her nurse suggested I take vicoden for pain over the next couple days which I did.  By Sunday my body started to react. I was going into a dark depression with thoughts of dying and suicide (this hurts my heart like you wouldn't believe to admit this). I couldn't get myself out of bed. I was crying because I wanted to give up. I just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.  I didn't have the will or desire to do anything but lay in bed....

Today was a waste. I woke up with a spirt of energy and I was happy. I actually said out loud, "It's gonna be a good day" the sun had just risen and the air was crisp. I went to run an errand and unfortunately it depleted all my energy for the rest of the day.  Walking from my car at the curb to the front door was a chore. I almost ran out of steam halfway up the driveway but I said to myself I better not stop, keep walking and that I could rest once I got inside. The door was locked, ugh, I had to knock as my knees buckled a bit. I leaned on the door until someone unlocked it. Once inside I made it to the kitchen table and sat down happy to take the weight and pressure off of my weak legs. I feel as if I have no muscle tone on my body whatsoever. I tried to eat a taco but I could only stomach one bite. I then tried a biscuit but my stomach wasn't having it either and I realized I had no taste. Man that really sucks.  I spoke a few words with daddy and I felt...

I'm just so tired. I'm three weeks shy of being on chemotherapy for 1 year. I get my infusions every three weeks and I'm always fatigued. Always. The week after chemo is the worst of course. Five days after chemo I had to go to the bank and go inside to withdraw funds for my rent. I couldn't do it at the atm because it succeeded my daily withdrawal amount. Well, there was a long que and I immediately felt worried because I knew I'd be standing for a while with nowhere to rest. I wasn't halfway through and I began to look around to see if there were employees readily accessible because I felt I might need a chair soon because my legs were feeling weak under me. As I stood there in line I could feel my body sway a bit. I shifted my weight and kept telling myself that the line was moving along and I'm getting closer and closer. I could feel my head and shoulders getting hot. I felt like a marionette puppet attached to strings that my mind controlled. I had...

My last CT showed NED (no evidence of disease). I had mets to lymphnodes, chest, neck, liver, right lung and bones (spine). My oncologist still wants me to continue perjeta, herceptin, taxotere, zometa and steroids. I guess to keep up the momentum? I'm sooooo tired of being sick for an entire week. Actually this last time is over a week. It's so depressing. I get my infusion every 3 weeks. I'm just tired and frustrated. I know I need to look at the silver lining...NED. Chemotherapy Treatment Fund  Click here for 1st option :) Click here for 2nd option :)

I took a screenshot of a post I made two weeks shy of a year ago. I was lost, sad, alone and depressed looking for "Others" who were stage 4 like me. I'm so happy I found a group on Facebook with so much love and support. We laugh and cry with each other and we've shared our ups and downs. I'm tearing up because I knew no one with stage 4. Everyone else who knew someone with cancer told me to fight and that I would be in remission before I knew it and I could be cancer free. They didn't "get" or understand Stage 4. I had to explain that it was a LIFELONG thing. I will ALWAYS have it till the day I die. No chance of remission. I have to learn how to live with it. I can never go back to my normal life. My oncologist said I was to be on chemotherapy INDEFINITELY. Of course things could change as far as how often I do chemo and what she puts me on if something stops working on me but yeah. It's been a tough year and I feel the dust is just now...

       Well, i'm off this week from work. They are giving me the week after chemo off due to my typical symptoms. My employer is great about it, God is Great.        Well, I had lite stomach aches Friday and Saturday night throughout my sleep but my days have been ok. I was fully expecting to wake up sick today because I was having head fevers throughout Saturday and Sunday night but, no. I woke up ok, just a bit hungry. My stomach is a bit bipolar this morning. It's going from stomach ache to hungry in a matter of seconds for the past 2 hours. Since I still have some energy in me I'm thinking of getting up and getting some food in my tummy!        I had chemo on Friday. I'm usually good for two days, that being Saturday and Sunday (thanks to steroids) and USUALLY my symptoms kick in on Monday (today). But I'm doing pretty good considering. My head fevers have subsided and my energy is average a...

Well, chemo#14 went as planned. The only difference is that I went alone. I've been spoiled for too long. I usually have my sister or my mom with me. Not by my choice entirely. I don't mind either way cause I hate putting people out but it helps keep things in order as far as information given to me whether it be results or future tests that I need to get cause I can be forgetful. They like supporting me and in their eyes I'm not putting them out. So I got everything except my zometa which is my bone strengthener. I get that every 6 weeks. I got my usual cocktail of Perjeta, herceptin and taxotere. I got benadryl and a steroid as well. My markers are at 10 I believe. I'm not having a CT in March which I'm surprised cause I get a CT every 3 months. She seems to think everything looks good. The last CT didn't detect any cancer which means it has shrunk to under 1cm everywhere and my markers are low. My labs are very good according to her. There is no indication...

Sometimes I forget that I'm sick. Sometimes I feel normal. There are times when I'm sitting on my recliner watching tv and it's like I'm back in time. To a time beyond a year ago, before finding out I had breast cancer. To a time when I had a normal life.  Then, as I'm watching TV a commercial about a new medication comes on and I'm instantly snapped back to reality. The new medication is to help treat or shrink cancer and at that moment it feels like a vacuum has sucked the air right out of me. Reminding me that I have cancer and I'll never be rid of it. How dare I for a moment forget that fact. My eyes instantly swell and fill with tears. I take a deep breath and tears run down my face. There's a lump in my throat that feels more like a knot. Sadness overcomes me and I begin to quietly weep.