All about Breast Cancer II

[margee]

No prob glad to help. Will she be coming back after the operation?

[neriann28]

@margee don't know baka magpagaling pa muna sya before going home

[prettybarbie]

hi may i ask how old na is your mother when she was diagnosed?

[neriann28]

prettybarbie, 52 sis

[astarte]

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer couple of years back and has undergone series of treatment and chemotherapy. If I  remember correctly, the doctor said na in the future possible na magkaron ng complications from upper body going down. So she had pneumonia na and thank God she's okay na then stones and she survived it din so we're all grateful for those successful fights with illnesses. Nagwoworry lang ako sa next na mangyari, di ko alam if coincidence lang na from pneumonia to stones which mean pababa nga from your chest. Nakaka paranoid lang siguro talaga mag isip pag ganito. In case lang na may makapag advise from here that would be very helpful.

[Ma.Jewel_1987]

I was able to get my result of ultra sound na.both breasts may cyst hindi naman daw malignant pero imomonitor in case na lumaki I can have it removed.

[FoxyPhoenix]

Hi everyone.. after her biopsy result of stage 2b breast cancer, my mom had already undergone mastectomy right breast last month. But last saturday we received the worst news, accdg to her histopath she has stage 3b breast cancer....

She needs to undergo chemo and radiation. Shes turning 64 now. I want her to live longer... we are now gathering all info/advise re chemo and radiation, we will also ask for endorsement sa pcso for financial assistance. I want her to live longer, wala na si papa ayokong pati mama ko mawala..

Sis if may idea kayo kung san may affordable na chemo and radiation please please let me know. Ngayon kahit naiiyak ako, we need to stay positive and hope na gagaling din si mama like other stage 3b cancer survivors..

[momi]

Hi doc.im 40 y/o.nag althea po ako 3 yrs ago ng straight na 2 yrs.may nabasa po ko na nakakacause dw ng cancer ang long term use ng pills.wala naman po ko nararamdaman.wala din pong nagka cancer sa family ko.may dapat po ba kong iworry?pede na po ba ko magpa mammogram?thks po.

[robinemz]

I'm so glad to have found a forum for breast cancer. akala ko mapapasyal lang ako ng gt dahil sa party planning pero pati pala sa mga ganitong situations may mga makakausap ako. thanks sa gt community.
 
nwei, sis pareho tayo ng dilemma.. confirmed with stage 3b cancer din ang mom ko last end of feb lang and she is also 64yrs old. yun nga lang when she had her ultrasound nakitaan na rin ng ilang bukol sa liver niya. metastatic liver cancer daw tawag dun. yun bang kumakalat na yung tumor sa ibang internal organs. tapos may suspected pneunomia dahil ubo ng ubo for from jan to feb. how is your mom? nagstart na ba kayo ng chemo and radiotheraphy sessions niyo? my mom's doctor did not recommend this primarily because of her age. mahirap magheal at baka di na kayanin sa age nila. her doctor instead recommended hormonal therapy. try asking your doctor about this. my mom is using femara and zilongjin. so far ok naman effect sa kanya. nasa province siya with my papa kaya di ko namomonitor yung sugat sa breast niya but my papa said umiibabaw na raw yung sugat at lumiliit yung bukol.
 
concerned ako sa sinasabi niyang bone pains niya. her doctor recommended to take morphine on as need basis. kaso ngayon, konting pain lang daw humihingi na ng morphine sa papa ko. so tuloy lagi siyang drowsy at antukin at walang appetite sa pagkain. ganun ba talga effect nun or na-overdose na siya?
 
nag uusana din mom ko. she's taking essentials 3x a day, proflavanol 2x a day, and active calcium 2x a day. i told my papa to get her nutrimeal na rin kasi mahina na kumain at mas gusto mag shake, baka kako makatulong bumalik strength niya kasi pampataba daw yun. kelan nagsimula ang tumor ng mom mo?
 

Hi everyone.. after her biopsy result of stage 2b breast cancer, my mom had already undergone mastectomy right breast last month. But last saturday we received the worst news, accdg to her histopath she has stage 3b breast cancer....

She needs to undergo chemo and radiation. Shes turning 64 now. I want her to live longer... we are now gathering all info/advise re chemo and radiation, we will also ask for endorsement sa pcso for financial assistance. I want her to live longer, wala na si papa ayokong pati mama ko mawala..

Sis if may idea kayo kung san may affordable na chemo and radiation please please let me know. Ngayon kahit naiiyak ako, we need to stay positive and hope na gagaling din si mama like other stage 3b cancer survivors..

[wahmaholic]

Hey everyone! Ask ko lang, does anyone have any idea magkano magpa-digital mammogram sa St. Luke's? My aunt has a lump in her chest kasi. Thank you in advance!

[fittotravel]

Hey, sisses! 

@ wahmaholic: Ring St. Lukes. Covered din ng most HMOs ang diagnostics as long as endorsed/ recommended ng HMO-accredited doctor.

@ robinemz: Kailan siya huling nakita ng doctor niya, sis? The pain she's experiencing may be due to tumor infiltration in her bones. I suggest you have her seen by her doctor for a follow-up check-up. Was a bone scan done sometime during the course of her chemo session? How about a CT scan? What did the latest result say?

Morphine's side effects include pruritus (pangangati) - the most common, abdominal pain, nausea, and drowsiness (as it is a CNS depressant).

@ momi: Yes, pwede ka namang magpa-mammogram. But first, seek consult with your doctor.

@ FoxyPhoenix: Sorry to hear that, sis. Only during a histopath exam will a doctor know for certain the stage of breast cancer. With a mastectomy kasi, the surgeon takes the whole breast and dissects the draining lymph nodes (kulani). The specimen removed will then be analyzed by a pathologist. He will determine the tumor size and its borders, depth of involvement, spread in lymph nodes (if there are any) and make an overall assessment = staging.

As far as I know, part ang Stage 3b breast cancer ng PACKAGE Z ng Philhealth. Mas malawak ang coverage nito kumpara sa hospitalization for non life-threatening cases. For the radiation therapy, the only amount you have to pay for is the doctor's PF as this is not covered by Philhealth. All RT sessions naman, covered (~2,500 up din yun per session) And RT sessions are usually done 5 times a week. Duration depends on the doctor's (radiation oncologist) assessment.

Philhealth pa lang 'yan. Meron pang PCSO. 

@ Ma.Jewel_1987: Some lumps are benign (fibroadenomas), lalo na sa mga healthy child-bearing age na kababaihan. Kailangan lang talaga maging masigasig sa pag-assess ng sariling breast kasi ultimately, 'yung may-ari naman ang nakakaramdam if there are any noticeable changes. 

Ayan, napakwento na naman ang inyong abang lingkod.  Ang daldal ko! Hehe!

[krystynn]

Hi DocShe, bago lang po ako sa thread, ask ko lang po if your name is Dra. Sherry Lee MD of Clinica Manila? Gaano po katagal magpa-appointment sa inyo and how much ur consulatuon charges? If required ng breast ultrasound, magkano din po yon? I'm 34 homestay mom, may nararamdaman po kc ako sharp pain sa same part ng right breast ko. May days n masakit, may days n wala. Kapag kinakapa ko, wala naman ako mafeel n mass or ndi ko lang alam. Nakakapraning and nakaka stressed [textspeak!] po kc 3yo p [textspeak!] baby ko. Maraming salamat po!

[chuckchloe]

Guys need your inputs where to take chemotherapy and how much the cheapest.  One of my relatives diagnosed just now of lung cancer sa UST hospital, pero before meron din sya breast cancer 10years ago na akala namin wala na yun na operahan na sya na remove yung isang breast nya and now eto lung cancer naman..

What's your experience? what to do? or can i go to pcso to ask financial assistance?

Thanks!

[astarte]

^ sis this is what I can only recall since almost 10 years na rin since my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and during that time wala ako sa pinas, sister ko lang nag assist sa kanya. 1st gumawa siya ng request letter na attached yung medical results and requiring her to undergo chemotherapy for 6 sessions and may endorsement din sis from local government official and that time si Lim ang Manila City mayor and fortunately nakahingi sila ng endorsement letter. 2nd they did a background check based dun sa form siguro na they filled up from the office then you will wait for their call. 3rd when my mom's request was approved they gave a certain date when she needs to come back and since madami talaga nag aapply for pcso assistance, as early as 3am naka line up na sila and they were called in the morning na maybe around 9 or 10am as far as she can remember. The grant wasn't cash or check, it was 75k pesos worth of medicines required for the 6 sessions chemotherapy treatment at PGH where she was admitted. Not sure lang sis if same process applies pa rin as of now, tagal na din kasi nun but I hope this helps.

[chuckchloe]

@astarte that was huge 75k worth of medecine. hoping we can also receive those kind of help from pcso. big thanks to you, really help a lot.

[astarte]

^ oo sis nacover yung pang chemo nya so other treatments and medications beyond chemotherapy na lang ang shoulder namin. Try to call na lang din pcso or baka may info sa website nila about sa process, in case lang na iba na procedure for application ngayon. Ready nyo na lang din siguro yung medical records, request letter and endorsement letter. Hope maging okay lahat.

[robinemz]

^^ sis kung may philhealth relative mo at di pa naman stage 3b ang case niya pwede siyang icover ng philhealth case type z benefit package ang tawag, up to 100k yun. google mo na lang details sis. hth for breast, prostate, and cervical cancer pa lang pala yung coverage nung z package ni philhealth.. not deleting this post though baka makatulong sa iba.

[fittotravel]

@chuckchloe: Isa sa common site ng metastasis (pagkalat) ng breast cancer ay sa baga. Meron iba, sa buto naman. The cost of chemotherapy sessions will depend on the regimen (group of medicine) that the doctor will use. Not all chemotherapy sessions follow the same regimen. Pati 'yung dosage and intervals of treatments, based din sa overall assessment ng bawat patient.

Ask for a CLINICAL ABSTRACT from your doctor. This should include the diagnoses and the treatment plan. Alam naman na nila 'yan. Just tell them you're going to seek help from PCSO and they'll give you all the necessary papers.

[chuckchloe]

thanks @fittotravel @robinemz for the info.appreciate the help guys.

Unfortunately lumabas na results and stage 4 lung cancer na and pati liver nadamay na din will undergo chemotherapy as palliative care. today sya pwede ma discharge sa hospital but we still need the oxygen kasi hirap pa din sya huminga on her own.

medyo expensive yung oxygen tank and yung everyday na refill hassle din, may idea po ba kayo if mas okay yung oxygenerator or oxygen concentrator? 

Thanks!

[The Lioness]

i think there's no harm in trying din herbal medicines. yung officemate ko she told me about ashitaba plant. she said she learned about it daw dun sa neighbor nila na diagnosed ng cancer 10 years ago but still alive and kicking to this day. i actually did look it up and it sounds promising naman. kailangan daw kumain ng dahon nun. like 5 leaves if ashitaba everyday.