Topic: Bone Pain, arthritis or mets??

Wink,  your pain sounds all to familiar to me but not as mets pain.  It is bone and joint issues.  First problem is in your lower leg & foot I believe.  It very rare for whatever reason that mets goes below the knee.  The majority of issues seem to be mainly joints.  The fact that motrin and tylenol help with the pain are good signs also.  I would either see one or both, an orthopedic doctor and a rheumotologist.  Some of the aches and pains sound more like an arthritis that a rheumotologist can handle.  Alot of the drugs we take set off these symptoms. 

Basically, my advice, wait for that onc appt, in the meantime see about setting up the other appointments.  I would bet the rheumotologist is going to be the one you need.

If chemo put you into menopause that would be another reason for increased joint pain.

Thank you for your responses LuAnnH, BrendaF, member of the Club and mthomp2020.  I really appreciate all your information. LuAnn, someone on chat last night told me the same thing about mets rarely going below the knees or elbows. That does make me feel better as a lot of my issues are there. I do have some pain in hips and spine (but had some small issues there b4 treatment). I guess I have been worried about mets to the bone marrow. Don't know if it is always in the marrow if bone mets or not. Thought it was some different. Does anyone know?  I was really thinking that treatment has given my minimal arthritis a great big boost but one can't help but worry about mets.                                                     

Brenda and mthomp I am relieved to hear that taxol can aggravate arthritis and in your experiences cause joint and tendon issues.  I am sorry that you had problems but thankful that you shared with me that you did.  Member of the Club, I had a full hysterectomy (ovaries too) 4 years b4 dx with bc and went off hormone replacement the day I discovered my lump. That was a year ago in Feb so I may or may not be over estrogen influence (hot flashes have 99% subsided). Had not realized that could cause joint issues. Thank you for bringing that to my attention.

I am going to definitely bring it up with my onc (although I hate saying something is wrong, I feel like such a whiner and that I should be saying - Great! - now that I am NED) but wanted to be armed with some information before approaching her. I am not feeling Great or even very good but hate having to tell them.

The nurses, etc. at the Cancer Center are always so up beat and tell you how good you look, then ask how you are doing (just like friends do). After being told how good you look, you kind of feel foolish when you say , Well, this hurts and so does this.... Of course, I realize they told me I looked good even during active treatment when I looked like something the cat should bury. It just makes it harder to be truthful with them.  Does anyone else have trouble with this?

Thank you again for the information and if you have more or anyone else can add any advice, please do.  I need all the reassurance I can get right now.

Wink

Sorry wink333, just read down the thread. like I said am new to this,and have now read that you intend to bring it up. Sorry, missed that. Hey, I don't have any advice as am about to do same as you, but just wanted to say ! I 100% understand your not feeling like contradicting their "you look great" comments with "actually, I feel pretty rough" reply! I so don't want my visit to the gp to be taken as a big fuss.  It is important to check these things out, but we are conditioned to just "get on with things" so it goes against that to go and ask for checks. it's just something we have to accept I guess. good luck again.

jdash and shiny,

Thank you for your posts. Shiny, sorry to hear about you having the same problems. Hope yours turns out to be nothing but arthritis or better yet post treatment pains that will go away.  Hoping for the same for me.  Glad you understand about not wanting to say I'm not feeling well.  I know that is a dumb thing and it actually got me a more advanced dx than if I had listened to my body more than a  year ago. Thought I had learned my lesson but well intentioned people make it so hard sometimes. Jdash, so glad your pains turned out to not be mets, arthritis runs in my family on my mom's side so I know that it is nothing to sneeze at but really hoping that is all it is.

I know disc problems are really bad as my brother has had back surgery for such. I hope your problems are something that can be handled well. It's not fair that we have all these other problems besides bc is it? Everyone should only have to have one disease if any at all.

Thank you again for your help! Anyone else experiencing the same problems? 

Wink

shiny and jdash (Julia),

Shiny, yes, as jdash said above. Welcome to the forum, but sorry you have reason to be here.  Wish I had known of it during my treatment but so glad I have found it. Your first time posting and you have all ready helped someone (me) and hopefully it helped you to know that others are experiencing the same things you are. Sorry you are going thru this, especially so young. I was 10 years older when it hit me. Don't think any age makes this easier. Hang in there and let me know what your gp and blood work tells you. I'm going for blood work on Monday too, fun isn't it? Getting my port flushed then too. Do you still have a port?

So jdash, you will be two years out of chemo this August with stage 3 triple neg? Are you still NED? I hope so! I am 14 months out from dx, 6 months from rads. Some days are really good, others I am wiped out. Some of those tired days I can not see any reason why I'm so tired as I have done nothing but rest. Do you still have any of those days?  Did you have a port and have you had it removed? I had a single mast but going for genetic testing as worried about other side. Do you mind me asking if you are a young survivor too? You talked about your kids so was just wondering? 

Thank you again to you both for posting. Hope you have a great weekend! This is a four day weekend for my kids!

Wink

I have terrible pain in my back and legs.  If you have any disc problems in your back it can cause pain in your spine and all the way to your feet.  That is what is going on with me.  I have no cancer in the spine yet I am in severe pain.  My fentanyl is up to 150 and I am afraid it will be upped again as my breakthrough pain is starting to pick up the pace again....  So I would get the spine checked out because that could be the source of all your problems.  I would have never dreamed that my spine would ever cause pain like this.

Dear Wink and Jdash, thank you very much for the welcome. I am still figuring out how a forum works.. will look more one night this week. my 2 young kids off from school for the past 2 weeks, so that certainely made tiredness worse! Will report back on my "arthritis" and blood results. It was a real comfort to find your responses on here.

I hope to keep in touch regularely, just so you know though am canadian living in U.K (so time zone difference) and with a special needs kid, am a happy but silly busy mum doing my best and am not accustomed to spending much time on net for me, this might be a good change for me. thanks again you help me feel supported today. Am a very possitive person, but the tiredness etc got to me today. 

Wink, I never had a port, finished chemo mid nov 07 (every 3 weeks for 6 goes-3 x fec, 3x t) and it was given by nurse into a canula.

Good luck with your bloods. fingers crossed.

Hi shiny, Glad to hear your drs are taking your pains very seriously. I'm not sure how mine are taking mine. Since finishing radiation(rads) in Oct 4, 07 I have voiced how I wasn't happy with being scanned only if having symptoms (my second opinions all said scan every 6 months of some kind). I had finally come to terms with only scanning if symptoms then yesterday after getting home from port flush and blood draw my cancer center called to tell me the rad dr. and onc have decided to order a pet/ct scan every 6 months for me. I was surprised at my reaction - along with the relief, I also felt a lot of fear. The fear really surprised me but this morning I feel more relief than fear.  If I have a recurrence I would rather catch it earlier than later. They assure me catching it earlier will not improve my survival but it just seems like it would.  

I am so thankful your gp is concerned and looking into things. My onc nurse recommended over the counter meds. If I get worse think I will go to my BS who has said he can now be my gp also. Someone the other day told me that going through menopause and the estrogen withdrawal could cause joint pains, maybe that is what your gp thinks  when he said "other things can cause these symptoms".

 Hoping we both find answers soon and that the answers are not ca related. You sound like you are extremely busy. I feel for you going thru this with 2 young children. Mine are 12 & 15 and running them here and there keeps me exhausted but at least I don't have to watch them like you do little ones. How old are yours?

Better go now and get my dd out of bed for school. My son is off at 6 am this morning on a school trip. Let me know how things go with the pain (if the meds help) and drs. I will do the same.

Wink

I have a lot of what you are decribing. I think it is a lost of complete estrogen, surgery and chemo after effects.

Janis

Fitztwins and shiny, hoping you have a great day and/or evening.

Fitztwins, you were dx in 2004 and out of treatment for quite awhile, and still you have a lot of what we are having?  That is reassuring and yet also brings out the "oh no", in me. Reassuring that it is just long term se from all we've been thru and " oh no" to the fact that it can go on that long.  As long as it isn't ca that seems better for coping with, but still a pain. I know sometimes se's can occur down the road too and be as life affecting as ca. Here is hoping that none of us have any unbearable long term side effects!

Have to go for now,

Wink  

Hi Wink,thanks for your thoughts. I am so blessed to be in a country where tests and scan are free (national health here in the uk and in canada). I soooo feel for you having to worry about money on top of all else. I can't imagine the extra stress.

Yes, bloods tomorrow (if they can get a vein, they are dismal since chemo and due to node clearance, only one side avail of course).

I got the copy of the letter the gp is sending to hosp to suggest the onc team see me sooner then planned and do another bone scan.

Re pain:It may be coincidental, but I seem to be getting some releif from the anti enflamatory drug dicloflex 3 times a day(150 total dose). The pains are still there but there is a reduction. I was told by the mac nurse that they would be using anti inf anyway if it did turn out to be mets, so eitherway, so far seem to be a good thing. Maybe your gp could try these while you wait for your test? 

again, cannot tell you how my hart goes out to you with the insurance costs issue. seems mad from where I am.

best of luck with your test results, you should be getting your blood results soon? do let me know. Are your docs not sugesting a bone scan? just the other types of scan?

best vibes. shiny

GlennaG,

sorry to hear you have a renal cell ca, pleased the surgery went well (it's good when the things that we do have control over go well, like in your case a good surgeon). Sounds like you have a pro active onc too, brilliant. Nothing else will do.

Wink, hope you hear soon about your insurance request. All my best while you wait.

Re: anti inflamatory effect : I decided to buy and fill a week format pill dispenser yesterday and fill in all my doses with the tylanol,dicloflex,amaprazole (tum protector) so that I didn't keep waiting valuable time thinking "did I take a dose, when??" and then not taking a dose cause I can't remember if when I had previous.

what am I like!, anyhow, at least now I can give it the best chance of helping on full dose. Still feel the pain, but recon, it will probably end up being hormonal changes, cause am sure getting tonnes of menopausal flushes, so my hormone levels are probably crashing.

"here's hoping anyhow". lots of good vibes coming your way.

thanks to you both for the comments, it's been a great unexpected help to find this site. shame it's the middle of the night where you are, hope your having some good zzzzz!

hug, t 

Hi 1998,

I posted for the first time this week, on wink's conversation. I can't beleive how many posts I have made since! It's been great to connect with so many people who totaly "get"this bc thing, and hopefully to help people too, and reasure each other when things get "interesting". It's 11:38 am here, off to docs now, but glad you are posting and feeling the benifit.

Take care!

hi wink, hope you have a good weekend and you blood results are in soon and peachy. hug.