Metastatic or recurrent breast cancer: when to get help
Go through these in order and stop at the first one that applies. If you are reading this for someone else, answer for them.
1
Is any of this happening now?
Call 911
Seek emergency medical care for:
Sudden or severe difficulty breathing or chest pain
New weakness, facial drooping, trouble speaking, or loss of balance
A first seizure or a seizure lasting longer than expected
Severe back pain with leg weakness, numbness, or bladder or bowel changes
Sudden confusion, collapse, or difficulty waking
A severe allergic reaction during or after treatment
Other emergency signs, for anyone
Someone who is struggling to breathe, gasping, choking, or cannot get words out
Someone who has chest pain, tightness or pressure lasting more than a few minutes
Someone who has sudden weakness or drooping on one side of the face or body, slurred speech, or sudden confusion
Someone who is unconscious, or cannot be woken
Someone who is bleeding heavily and it will not stop with firm pressure
Someone who has had a seizure that will not stop, or does not wake up afterwards
Someone who has lips or skin that look pale, blue, grey or blotchy
Someone who you believe has taken an overdose or swallowed something poisonous
2
Is any of this happening?
Be seen today
Contact your breast or cancer care team promptly about a new lump, persistent pain, increasing breathlessness, ongoing headaches, unexplained weight loss, jaundice, worsening swelling, or symptoms that do not settle.
Also seek prompt advice about treatment side effects, especially fever or signs of infection during treatment, repeated vomiting, severe diarrhoea, unusual bleeding, or being unable to keep fluids down.
Follow any urgent instructions provided by your treatment centre.
These symptoms can have causes other than cancer, but they should not wait for a routine appointment.
3
Does any of this apply?
Book an appointment
And for anyone, someone who:
has noticed a lump, a mole that has changed, or unexplained weight loss
Every sign above is quoted from the sofidex article on Metastatic or recurrent breast cancer. If you are not sure, err upward — it is always reasonable to be checked.