Arthritis vs. Bone Mets
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Thanks shiny (((hugs back))) Bunch of tough ladies that I am proud to have made fiends with.
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I'll try to pop in then from time to time to get to know them too.
Take care of you.xx
Shiny
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Hope everyone is having a good day today...it is beautiful here, hop eit is by you too.
hugs and prayers
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I also lit up like a Christmas tree on my recent post surgical pre-chemo bone scan. In fact so much so, that the tech called a couple of students to show my scan, and later on even a more senior staff member was called in to check if this scan is acceptible to file on the hospital server-- that's SOP. The whole test played out very annoyingly to me, and a little too many eyes for comfort saw it. Why the fuss? Unfortunately, I too was able to sneak a peak and see my full body image, carelesly left on screen for 10 seconds, before they noticed that I'm staring at it. So, the knees, wrists and shoulders lit up, as well as spine, I think. However, it was pretty paralel, and I also recently had other radioactive injection tests. It could mean that I am walking around with turbo arthritis and don't know of it, or that my knees are still harboring tracer from the CT and MRI, and lymph node surgical marker. Anyway, I still have 7 days to officially find out if the scan was abnormal from my doctor, as tech are not supposed to comment, I have my kids party to plan for the weekend, life to live, you know how it is....
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Why 7 days to wait? I got my results the following day. I too had "hot" and "cold" spots where the radiologist said NED. Difference from previous bone scan was a "probable" rib fx. If that is the case, it had to happen between last May when I had my PET/CT and the current bone scan.........and having another PET/CT to confirm. I guess I am just confused as to why you must wait so long to get your results! I asked to look at the bone scan on the computer (I am a nurse) and they let me do so.......even though really are not supposed to. I had spots on both knees (already knew I had arthritis) and hip/spine areas. These, however, were unchanged from scan in '08. PET/CT in 09 confirmed NED. I think I would try and find out if you might get results sooner. Just a thought. Good luck.
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Bump
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Thanks all,
had MRI for thigh pain and Pet scan for the lung thing so will have results later this week. Am not losing sleep over it but will be relieved to hopefully have both come back clear! or arthritis, can handle that :-)
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irish..I wish you the best results..do let us know
I went to see my surgeon today...surgery is scheduled for 6/16/10. My hip hurts so much I am kinda looking forward having this pain gone. It make my knee and thigh throb also, 3-4 days in hospital and then to a rehab as I won't have anyone to be able to stay with me all day everyday. Maybe just 5-7 days for that. I think it wwill do me a world of good.
Hope everyone is well!
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Hi hope everyone is ok. I had to see my cardiologist. Echocardiogram came back with an abnormality but they can't tell where. Could be a false positve. I have to have a stress test before they do the surgery...waiting to get the ok from my insurance company. If is isn't onw it is another, huh! Hugs and prayers.
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Candie, good luck on the stress test. I have tricuspid regurgitation. It's like a back-wash of blood from my heart (bum valve). They can still do surgery, they just need to know about it so they can handle it properly during the surgery.
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ooo, that's quite interesting what you have Barbe. I will let you know the outcome as soon as I have the stress test.
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I had the stress test on Friday. It was quite scarey since it was done with meidcation. It made me so tired I was hanging over the treadmill..lol. Will know results on Wed. Hope you areall having a nice weekend.
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Well, I haven't received the results of the stress tesst yet. 2 weeks from today is my hip replacement. I am trying not to get too nervous. The waiting is just horrid!
Hope you are all well.
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My MRI is finally tomorrow Candie! You're getting surgery and I'm finally getting a test. My appointment with the surgeon is on the 18th to find out what has been going on. Not sure I really want to know....
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Good luck tomorrow Barbe,
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I hate to jump in to this thread but the original post question caught my eye. My understanding is that bone mets tends to show up in areas with lots of red blood cells, such as the hip.
That was the answer my doctor-brother gave me once when I was panicking about the possibility that a small arthritic joint might be mets. Turns out it was a little arthritis, brought on by extreme cold weather so I used direct heat application for relief. At 55 I need a hot shower first thing in the morning on cold days, helps all those little joint pains. I am blessed to have survived 7 years so I can talk about the aches and pains of middle age. If heat helps, then I stop worrying about mets.
Okay, you ladies go back to your discussion. You do seem to have serious health concerns and I wish you all the best! er
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This is a rather interesting post. I just had my first bone scan since my original diagnosis. It too showed increased uptake in areas. But here is the deal, I have had trouble with those areas for a while, much prior to being diagnosed with BC. MRI scheduled anyway, better safe than sorry right? I just attribute this to the WONDERS of Aromatase Inhibitors, they suck! One thing of interest is that while the scan was being done, the areas that had an increased uptake became very warm as the machine pasted over them. So I was not at all surprised at the results. All this being said I will still have a few moments of "what if's". Geeze, the fun never stops! LOL Just glad to be cancer free right now! Have a great night ladies!
S
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Just curious, does anybody know if bone mets would show up on a CT/PET scan?
Susie - Does an MRI show bone mets more definitively than a bone scan? I too have had hip pain for at at least two years pre BC diagnosis and my ONC doesn't seem to be a fan of scans. I believe his exact words to me were" I'm not as anxious as you are to find that you are really stage 4". Also, I'm sure I had BC for at least 5 years before it was diagnosed. I had a CT/PET which didn't mention anything about the bones at all, but never a bone scan. I'm not sure if I should insist on one, or just have an orthopedist order an MRI. Part of me wants to ignore it altogether because I think knowing for sure might be worse if it is mets.
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Barbe, so glad your MRI is today...how'd it go?
Jo, my stress test came back negative for any problems!! We seem to have a lot of arthritis..I often wonder if arimidex doesn't contribute to it.
Yes, Susie , I tend to agree with you about the AI's
Lee45, I know some Dr's send patients for CT?Pet scans, so I am thinking it does show up...but I don't know for sure.
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Had to have my MRI during the day due to the contrast having to be hooked up by IV. So I couldn't go in the middle of the night. Got hooked up today and they didn't use contrast! I asked why not and the tech said they saw what they needed to. So that must mean they saw something...right? Otherwise they'd have used a contrast to try to pick something up....right? Now I have to wait two weeks tomorow to find out the results. Sigh.....
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Barbe, I don't think it means they saw something bad..it just means they got the info for the area they needed to. I am sure all will be ok...in 2 weeks I will have my hip surgery...we wait together... :0)
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Lee, Yes bone mets would show up on PET/CT...mine sure did. My baseline PET/CT showed increased activity in both femurs and it was highly recommended that they do a MRI to rule out mets to hips. But I was NEW to this cancer nightmare and my onc convinced me I had nothing to worry about---and that I did NOT need the MRI. (I always wondered why I was the only one that never had a regular bone scan.) Now in hindsight I believe it was all intentional because that would of made me stage IV and would mean Hercceptin forever and routine scans, labs, etc. (Basically I would cost alot more money.) JMHO
So now lets jump to almost 4 yrs later I was having such bad hip pain off and on that I INSISTED on a MRI & bone scan. My right femur was bad...so bad that the orthopedic oncologist I went too would NOT let me leave the building without a walker and wheelchair until he could schedule me for surgery. He said it was an "impending fracture". You want to repair it BEFORE it breaks.
So when you say your not sure if you really want to push for a scan...that part of you wants to ignore it. (I so understand where your coming from...I've felt like that so many times since being dx..) But please don't do that...it's better to know for sure in case it is ready to break. It's much easier to place a rod in your femur and get that taken care of...then to have it just break on your when your out some where. Plus it could be very dangerous. I was angry because I had 3.5 years of being NED which means had THEY done the recommended scans on my femur...I could of had it repaired during that time. But I didn't find out until I recurred and was stage IV. That stopped me from starting chemo and put everything on hold. My hips were hurting long before my cancer dx...I had been seeing a Neurologist. He said it was brusitis. (sp) Which is painful. So that is what you might have...but for peace of mind and safety's sake...I would request a scan to rule out bone mets. Your hips can hurt for many reasons...but better to be safe then sorry. Wishing you all the best.
Chelee
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lee45 Here is what it says on the American Cancer Society's web site:
"MRI scans are often the best test for outlining a bone tumor. They are also particularly helpful for looking at the brain and spinal cord."
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_3x_how_is_bone_cancer_diagnosed_2.asp
I have had a CT scan of the area back several months and it was clean. So the MRI is a good thing!
I am on TAMOXIFEN now so I hoping the pain will subside.
Lee it is better to know now as Chelee said, treatment now as opposed to later when more damage might be done or spread for that matter. Plus it is off your mind and then you are free to focus on healing and staying NED. Right? Big hug to you!
Have a wonderful weekend.
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I am having a hip replacement next week. I have had 2 MRI's and a bone scan. They show osteoarthritis. I am still scared it can me bome mets. I won't feel better until I come out of the surgery and they tell me what they found while doing the replacement.
Chelee and Lee, the best to you. Keep us informed.
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Candie, Chelee and Susie, Thanks, you all convinced me. I went ahead and got a prescription for a bone scan today - haven't made an appointment yet though. I thought when I decided to use MSKCC that scans and tests would all be performed and read there, but apparently I have to go outside for everything. Not quite the integrated care I was hoping for. I wonder if my doctor was in the Manhattan location if things would be different.
Chelee -I understand your frustration. I was sure I had BC for years before I was diagnosed. Had mammos and sonos every 6 months, constant cyst aspirations, made my breast surgeon do a breast exam after my last negative mammo. Finally demanded an MRI and sure enough, BC. Makes me so mad because it was so big I know if they had done an MRI the first time I'd asked 5 years previously, I might have caught it early enough that I wouldn't now be just as sure that it's already lurking somewhere else in my body. Unfortunately lobular mets don't show up on most scans, so even when I get a clean pet/ct, x-ray etc. , I don't really feel like I can relax.
Susie - Thanks for the link. I see you had ILC also. I'm not sure if I understood your post. Did you have a clean CT and later find bone mets with an MRI. or rule them out with an MRI? I did a little research and it seems CT/PET is better at showing IDC mets, bone scans and MRI 's are best for ILC mets.
Candie - Good luck with your surgery. Please let us know how you make out.
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thanks Lee and good luck to you with your scan. I am having other problems right now and I hope I can still have the surgery next week. My blood pressure was 220/100 yesterday at my PCP's office and my stress test came back abnormal. Have to see both Dr's again tomorrow. Will be in touch.
hugs and prayers
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Okay, my problem is spinal stenosis. That means my spinal column is being squeezed by something. I still have to see the ortho surgeon but will most likely be referred to a back doctor. Here comes another long wait....sigh. I went to my PCP last week to get my meds upped, Hydromorphone now 9 mgs twice a day and oxycodone for breakthrough pain up to 4 times a day. He was able to read the report on the MRI so that's how I know. I'm glad there is no signs of mets, but I still have to consider back surgery to relieve the pain. I think it's like carpal tunnel syndrome where they have to open up the sheath to allow the junk inside to spread out and not pinch against each other. I'm hoping it's that easy!
Candie, how is your surgery looking? Any results on your heart?
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Barb, my surgery was postponed.They found out that my left carotid artery is 70% blocked so they wouldn't do the surgery. I go to vascular surgeon on Wed. Also, went for my annual mammogran and ultrasound the other day...found a nodule with calcifications.Having biopsy Tues morning.!!!\
Barbe, now when do u go to the back Dr.? So happy no sign of mets!!!
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holy crap candie!!!
at least they found out this way and not an emergency way
we"ll hang in together
sigh
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yes, together sounds great!
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