Cancer is a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body.
Cancerous tumours spread into or invade nearby tissues and can travel to distant places in the body to form new tumours (a process called metastasis). Cancerous tumours may also be called malignant tumours.
Cancer that has spread from the place where it first formed to another place in the body is called metastatic cancer. The process by which cancer cells spread to other parts of the body is called metastasis (National Cancer Institute,2021).
I have been struck with this disease since 2006 and have fallen down physically, mentally, spiritually & financially. I stood up and fought all the difficulties for the sake of my family.
In 2018 I had fallen down again and had been just finding it a little easy because of my first experience earlier. Even though I had been emotionally broken, I had to hide my tears and move on.
Treatment with chemotherapy was the hardest part. But I had to stand up again because I knew how my family suffered after the MOTHER of the house had fallen down.
Today I am standing up even though I know I have got metastasis of the breast. Life is a struggle but wanting to survive is even harder.
Learning to stand after falling down many times is a challenge; struggles are required in order to survive in life.
Everyone is struggling in life in some way or the other, but some people are just better at hiding it than others- and I am one of them.
Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer among females that can be a leading problem of death in middle-aged females.
It mainly affects women and even men. There are different types of causes of cancer of the breast. Nobody knows the exact cause.
There are various modes of treatment for cancer. Healthcare providers may use several treatments, sometimes combining treatments based on your situation. Common cancer treatments include:
Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy is one of the most common cancer treatments. It uses powerful drugs to destroy cancer cells. You may receive chemotherapy in pill form or intravenously (through a needle into a vein).
In some cases, providers may be able to direct chemotherapy to the specific area affected.
Radiation Therapy:
This treatment kills cancer cells with high dosages of radiation. Your healthcare provider may combine radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
Surgery:
Cancerous tumours that haven’t spread may be removed with surgery. Your healthcare provider may recommend therapy.
This treatment combines surgery with chemotherapy or radiation to shrink a tumour before surgery or to kill cancer cells that may remain after surgery.
Hormone Therapy:
Sometimes, providers prescribe hormones that block other cancer-causing hormones. For example, men and people assigned male at birth who have prostate cancer might receive hormones to keep testosterone (which contributes to prostate cancer) lower than usual.
Biological Response Modifier Therapy:
This treatment stimulates your immune system and helps it perform more effectively. It does this by changing your body’s natural processes.
Immunotherapy for Cancer:
Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that engages your immune system to fight the disease. The treatment may be called biological therapy.
Targeted Therapy for Cancer:
Targeted therapy is a cancer treatment that targets genetic changes or mutations that turn healthy cells into cancer cells.
Bone Marrow Transplant:
Also called stem cell transplantation, this treatment replaces damaged stem cells with healthy ones. Autologous transplantation uses your supply of healthy stem cells. Allogeneic transplantation uses stem cells donated by another person.
I was treated with radiation (5 seatings) after metastasis to the sternum and sacrum was diagnosed.
In September 2022, an injection of Zolendronic acid was given along with Letrozole and Tablet Ribociclib 600mg.
Before the treatment of Ribociclib, Platelet, WBC, and haemoglobin (Hb) were normal after one course of this new treatment, WBC, Hb, and platelet became 3100, 11.2, and 172000, respectively, but they returned to the normal ranges again in other courses.
In the new assessment and 3 months after this oral combination therapy, the chest x-ray of the lung showed a complete response (clearing metastasis) I am alive in Dec 2022.
My primary treatment was targeted therapy Tablet Ribociclib, an oral inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK 4/6), has been approved for metastatic breast cancer (mBC) treatment of hormone receptor (HR)-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative.
Survival rates are estimates based on the experiences of large groups of people who have different kinds of cancer. Like prognoses, cancer survival rates vary based on cancer type, stage, and treatment.
According to the most recent data from 68% of people with any kind of cancer were alive five years after their diagnosis. (National Cancer Institute,2021)
Self-care is an important part of living with cancer. Doctors and other health care providers would always suggest eating well. They would explain the importance of overcoming fatigue, which was the most common symptom.
They would ask me to go for counselling, but the best part is I had overcome many difficulties and challenges despite having metastatic breast cancer and my treatment, I work confidently and do my best to help anyone who needs me.
I know I am a cancer survivor. Cancer survivorship starts the day you receive a cancer diagnosis and continues for the rest of your life. As a cancer survivor, you’re likely to experience many challenges or complications.
Sometimes, cancer treatment doesn’t eliminate all cancerous cells. These cells can become new cancerous tumours.
Cancer that comes back, or recurrent cancer, may appear in the same place as original cancer, in nearby lymph nodes, or spread to organs and tissues far away from the original site. My cancer after my first diagnosis in 2006 came back in 2018 and 2022.
The second cancer is new cancer. People who have second cancer may have cancer in the same organ or area of their body as first cancer, but it’s a different type of cancer from what it was before.
They may also have cancer in different areas of their bodies. Second cancers are more common, as more people live longer with cancer.
Some cancer treatments have lasting side effects that may cause pain. I have pain in my mid-back, which is sometimes difficult to bear.
One study found that 39% of people who completed cancer treatment had chronic pain. About 75% of people receiving cancer treatment tell their healthcare providers that they have issues with memory, concentration, and their ability to complete tasks.
This is called brain fog, but I have not experienced this problem so far. I will talk to my oncologist physician about any issues I experience while I am undergoing cancer treatment. The very common problem I face is neutropenia, WBC is always less than 4000.
The words “you have cancer” may be one of the hardest things my family has to hear. Learning that I have cancer made them feel frightened and overwhelmed.
My relatives felt as if they’ve lost me already. I could understand all of those feelings. They know a cancer diagnosis is a life-changing event. They also know cancer treatment is a stressful journey.
I try my best to motivate many people who are facing problems like me. Just keep yourself happy and accept life as it is. Everyone does not get a chance to see a new day; you have got to see a new day.
Enjoy all the happiness the day brings. One does not need to sacrifice too much, just be a strong warrior, sometimes it is hard to move on, but once you move, you will realize, it was the best decision you have ever made.
Hard times will pass, just hold on stand up and you will get to know the joy of standing up after a fall.