My mom has stage 4 breast cancer (mets to lung, bone and liver). She was diagnosed in 2005 and has been battling breast cancer ever since. I can tell you that her markers have always gone down and stayed down when we used a combo of Eastern (Reiki and restricted diet) and Western medicine (chemo). She also suffered from plural effusion and it was the chemo and a tube that was put in to drain the fluid that put a stop to that. You should really think of an integrative approach to your mother's therapy and not just one or the other. And please, please get several opinions from specialists. Do not rely on a surgeon or GP to guide your mom's treatment. Why isn't your mom expecting to survive? Tell her to fight! Make her fight. You really have to fight to live when it comes to this disease. If she feels pain in her bones it could be because the cancer is leaching calcium from the bone causing small fractures. She can get a monthly medication for that and a small dose of pain killer. My mom went through that last year. Make her understand that she has to fight.