Hello

[anzu2snow]

Hi! I’m new to this forum. I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in April 2020. Didn’t have a cancer diagnosis before that. Still feel pretty new to everything. Mine’s er+, pr+, and her2-. Mets are widespread throughout my skeleton, and recently found out that it’s spread to my skin. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 47, and metastatic bc at 54. Hers was not as aggressive as mine is.  She passed away in 2012 from an abdominal tumor not related to her bc. So, I have some experience with watching her deal with it, but it’s different going through it. Plus, I’m 35, so much younger than she was even with her first diagnosis. Her mother and grandma had it as well, but later in life. One of my aunts on that side, that’s still around, also had it. Oddly I’ve tested negative with the genetic testing they’ve done so far. I had some radiation, but couldn’t finish the full course of treatment. I had a radical hysterectomy recently. I’m on Ibrance and arimidex. I broke my right shoulder back in March, and without the x-rays they took they wouldn’t have found the mets or cancer. I’ve been in palliative care since April. It’s difficult to do things while still recovering from the broken shoulder and other cancer stuff. They’ve helped me a lot.

I’m a self-published author (have 5 books out), clarinetist, love learning about other cultures, languages, horror/mystery books/shows/movies, and more. I have 2 cats and live with my parent. All of which have helped me a lot. 

[Budgie]

Welcome to the Community @anzu2snow.
I'm sorry it's under such awful circumstances. Breast cancer runs in my family too. My eldest sister was diagnosed at 36 & died at 46. My 2nd eldest sister was diagnosed at 40. She's still with us in remission. My mother died from a cancer of unknown primary, but they are pretty sure it was ovarian. I had a radical hysterectomy back in 2009. I think that has prevented me from having breast cancer so, but instead I'm suffering from terminal kidney cancer. I also have bone mets. Very painful when they're starting.

What are the titles & genre of the books you've written? And I'm very glad to hear that you're a cat person 😺. I love cats, & I'm fortunate to have a ragdoll who loves sitting on my lap & will have conversations with me to no end. She's very demanding.

I hope your shoulder is healing well. I know some drugs can inhibit the healing process.
I'm glad you've reached out to us here, & hope you can find answers to the question that may pop up.

Budgie

[anzu2snow]

Thanks for the warm welcome. 🙂 Yeah, the bone mets have caused me a lot of pain. Luckily, with palliative care, I got that under control and barely have any pain most of the time. Didn’t even feel much when I apparently fractured a vertebrae and a couple of ribs a few months ago. 

There’s a fantasy series called Alliance with 2 books out. First one’s just called Alliance, 2nd is Alliance: Dawn. A collection of short stories based on my nightmares called Sweet Endless Terror. More Than Meets the Eye is my memoir. (A ton has happened since I put that out, might write another one.) Finally, a cookbook, called My Mother’s Treasure Trove of Recipes, based on the recipes my mom collected over the years in a huge binder. That one was kind of an homage to her. There are recipes that have been passed down the generations in it. My pen name is R C MacDonald, if anyone’s interested. 

That’s awesome! One of our cats is a tortoiseshell, named Rosie, and has claimed me as hers. She’s very protective and stays around me all the time. She’s become very talkative lately, as well. The other’s older, named Tasha, and is a Turkish Van. She’s more my parent’s cat, but she does try to get close to me too. I think they both know what’s going on with me. They try to comfort and help me in their own ways.  

Feels like my shoulder’s taking forever to heal, but I have made a lot of progress. At some point, I hope to start physical therapy. Right now I just keep doing the exercises my orthopedist gave me. 

[Budgie]

Wow, you've certainly done some damage to yourself. Were you practising stunts for some of your books? 😉 They sound like a great read too. I like a bit of horror - not too much.
I love the idea of collecting your mum's recipes.
I think all "pets" can pick up on their owners needs. They're part of the family more than they are pets. Turkish vans are supposed to like water, aren't they? Does yours? They're gorgeous too.

Keep up with the exercises, & I hope you heal up soon.

Cheers