Anonymous wrote:This is the OP, she has stage 4 breat cancer metastasis to the brain. In addition to several brai lesions she has Leptomeningeal carcinoma, meaning the breast cancer cells are in her cerebrospinal fluid and coating the outside of her brain. It is a very aggressive cancer. She probably had just a few weeks to live.

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. My sister's condition is declining. She is home on hospice since before Christmas and it seems she is reaching the end of her life. I was able to be with her a few days ago and to tell her that I loved her. I'm pretty sure I won't have the chance to see her again. It is just so hard to let go.

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. My sister's condition is declining. She is home on hospice since before Christmas and it seems she is reaching the end of her life. I was able to be with her a few days ago and to tell her that I loved her. I'm pretty sure I won't have the chance to see her again. It is just so hard to let go.

Anonymous wrote:Sending good thoughts and wishes out to you, OP.

I have a very dear friend in her 80's who I have worked weekly in a volunteer organization. For over 2.years. she has been having health problems for a while that the doctors said they could not pin down. They looked at their test results and did not address the sharp visceral pains she was complaining about. Finally this summer they told her she had liver cancer (they had been concentrating on kidney problems for over a year) and put her on an aggressive chemo regimen. She deteriorated rapidly and in September they told her she was in end stage liver failure aas the cancer had consumed a significant part of her liver and was given days/weeks to live. The hospital could only administer her the chemo and could not administer morphine for the pain, so she opted to go home for in-home hospice care where she could get morphine administered for the pain. She went home and spent two weeks getting many visitors to say her goodbyes and completely stopped her chemo and was only taking doses of morphine as needed for the pain. She was not expected to see Halloween. But after about 5 weeks her physical health picked up from being off of the chemo. In mid-November she came back to our weekly event (as a participant, not a volunteer) and has made st several weeks. She recently made unexpected Christmas plans to visit her son and grandkids out of town and her hospice care has made arrangements with a hospice care group near the sons house to attend to her needs. We all know she can go at any time, but we are so grateful to have the extra days and weeks with her.

I hope that you have more time than you expect with your sister.

Anonymous wrote:From a genetics perspective, you have reason to worry. I would ask to get a physical & maybe a genetics referral.

Anonymous wrote:OP I am so sorry about your younger sister. I lost my beloved stepmom of 30+ years last April to brain cancer and my youngest sister 10 years ago. It is a horrible cancer to have and I'm sure I don't have to tell you to spend as much time with her as you want/can from this second on...it will probably be very quick.

I haven't read the other posts but you mentioned your family has a strong history of cancer - have you looked in to the HNPCC gene? Many in my family have it and we tested at Georgetown for it (which is good and convenient). It can involve pretty much any cancer between the brain and the ovaries and many family members with cancer at young ages who die from it - it's not just colon cancer, despite the name.

Again, I'm sorry for your situation.