I couldn't get the text smaller...sorry! Hello! I am new to this discussion group so bear with me!!! I was diagnosed with stage III BC in 2004 and did the surgery, chemo, and radiation, reconstruction, and continue on Aromasin.  I don't know if what happened to me could be tied to chemo but last year ( yes, after 4 years I am still struggling terribly with fatigue, etc) I suddenly developed a massive case of reflux that the GI docs were unable to treat.  We tried all the meds! Nothing helped and I was losing like 2 pounds a day because all I could eat were a few pretzels off and on throughout the day.  I ended up having to have a surgery called a Nissen Fundoplication (sp?) to repair the problem.  Long story short I also have asthma and the acid that comes up with the heartburn seeps into the lungs sometimes making you choke and feel breathless. I am a nurse and it makes total sense to me that it might be your problem.  I would definitely ask your oncologist about treating the reflux.  If you do have that and it goes on for too long the acid eats away the lining of the esophogus and has the potential of causing cancer. So GET IT CHECKED! We want you to be ok! And I too have dealt with awful pains for 4 yrs.  I tried the Lyrica and it really helped but I gained 30 lbs in 3 months and figured in the long run it wasn't worth it cause I could develop diabetes or high blood pressure or something.  Cymbalta was somewhat helpful if you have a little depression it takes care of that plus pain, but getting off of it is hard- you have to do it real slow. My Doc also had me taking 2 Naproxen twice daily and it worked wonders for me but the stomache thing ruined that, I can't take any NSAIDS anymore.  I noticed you are on Celebrex and so you know that could be the cause of your heartburn.  You could hopefully counteract that with the over the counter Prilosec OTC.

Sorry I am rambling so much about meds but I've spent 4 yrs trying them out so if I can help someone with my experience, great! One more, my onc also gives me 200mg Ultram ER as well as the tramadol and it makes a big difference.  The long acting one is a life saver and it actually comes in higher doses. Now I have a question for you? Why did your doctor say that you'll pretty much inevitably get your back? That scares me! I wish mine would tell me my odds.  I am currently having symptoms that are scaring me and I just have this nagging feeling that whether its now or later, I will go through it again.  I really do have a very good outlook through everything I've been through so I'm wondering if it really is intuition or do all of you also feel that way?