If you are not Stage IV but have questions, you may post here
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Tina, l lymph vascular invasion means that some of your cancer had gotten into your blood and lymph fluid system which circulates through out the body. You'll just have to wait until the biopsy is complete to know for sure if this is a metastases. Even if it is, there are still many treatments available for you, it is not the end of the world.
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Tina marie, I'm so sorry about your MIL and all the stress you've been through, and now this. I'm glad you're getting further imaging. One thing I would question -- because it happened to me -- is if you also have an undiagnosed fracture somewhere in your hip or femur. You might want to ask them to look closely at the MRI again, specifically for that possibility. Also, are you on Tamox or an A/I? I'm just wondering if something besides those tiny spots, which may not even be bc, is going on to cause you so much pain that you're limping.
It sounds like you have wonderful docs, especially your internist who took the time to check up on you. That's really impressive.
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dlb: I am on A/C-T regimine.. I only had 1 infusion so far (managed SE well). My next Infusion is Wednesday.
So the LVI explains how cancer could spread without the node involvement. I looked it up last night after you mentioned it.. and it all came together.
My next question is.... if it is bc... would that be a very quick progression from clean mammogram in 2/2016 to stage iv breast cancer the following year? That just blows me away.
Also thank for your kind words about my mil.. my brother in law had stage iii esophagus cancer dx in January as well. So it has been a rough year, especially for my husband. My BIL is now in remission and had the same Oncologist. Hoping he can do the same for me.
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Tina Marie, it's unlikely your chemo would cause hip pain, but if you got a Neulasta shot, that can cause horrible bone pain as it stimulates bone marrow, and the hip is a big bone, so very prone to have Neulasta caused pain.
A mammogram would not image your lung. If you had a clear CT or Pet scan prior to starting chemo, then yes, something newshowing up that fast, especially while you're on chemo, would be surprising.
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Hi all. Thinking of each of you who are going through the process of waiting and worrying. I have an update on my latest test. I had a bone scan today and picked up the report. The report did not show any hot spots except in the broken rib. In the conclusion it states:
Solitary hypermetabolic focus is noted in the lateral right rib corresponding with PET scan abnormality. The differential diagnosis would include healing benign rib fracture versus a solitary osseous mets with pathologic fracture.
The way I read this report means to me that it could be a healing rib fracture or a solitary bone mets. Can someone chime in and say how they are reading this conclusion? I see my oncologist Monday. Thanks,
Georgie
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GeorgieGirl, I take it to mean the radiologist is leaning towards a benign healing fracture. Do you recall any incident that could have caused a fractured rib -- a fall or hard bump???
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Hi DLB thanks for your response. No trauma to the area at all. Appreciate your positive response! Will be good to have my appt with oncology and move forward! As many have said here, waiting is hard!!
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waiting is brutal......
I'm at the hospital waiting for a bone scan. MO ordered a chest CT and bone scan. Waiting for the dye to take effect.
Ironically while I went to get some soup, an elderly man fell in the parking lot. It was literally in front of my car. I got out of the car to help him up and now my back is really hurting.
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Tangandchris, bless you for helping the elderly man. What a day you had. Thinking of you as you wait for test results.
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Tangandchris,what a nice thing you did for that man who fell. Sending you good thoughts as you wait for your results.
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results are back and everything looks good. MO still wants to do MRI on Tspine though. Oh and I have a nodule on my thyroid. I will have to have that sonogramed.
Thanks for the support.
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That is awesome about your results!!!! Pls. keep us posted on the rest of your testing.
Best,
Georgie
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Confused as to how I can have multiple hard nodules to my chest but nothing shows on ultrasound? At least, that’s what the technician told me. Also had multiple views of chest X-ray. Guess I’ll get a call on results next week. I want answers as to what these nodules are
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Mom_sweetangel, have you thought taking herbal remedies such as Ginseng to help with the tiredness, these symptoms are side effects of radiation/chemo. There are other remedies out there such as Green Tea. Good luck.
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Hello Everyone, I was Dx with stage 2b in April 2016 when I went to the OC. I had a CT scan and it was clear, she proceeded with Neoadjuvant chemo April through 09/01/16. I had surgery UMX in Oct and reexcision in November. The pathology from surgery showed LVI. The OC did not discuss it with me just refer me to radiation. Does this mean I have Mets? I've been coughing lately 9 months after radiation. I read about a study that came out recently pointed that Neoadjuvant chemo induces tumor metastasis. Could the chemo cause LVI?
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Hi Houston2016, to answer your question re chemo causing LVI it's a resounding no, not possible. LVI means that your tumor had a blood supply.
As for your cough, that would more than likely be caused bu the radiation that you recieved but if it is really worrying you, my suggestion would be to ask your doc to do some tests to rule out Mets for your peace of mind.
Radiation does not mean you have Mets, it is used to 'clean up' any possible lingering stray cells in the hope to prevent you getting Mets.
Hoping this eases your mind.
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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I've really been trying to avoid asking a question, because I feel paranoid. My cancer clinic does not do scans "just because". I did have a a bone scan due to something on an MRI and it came back clean. My TN tumor was discovered during surgery, hiding behind my ER+ tumor. Starting with my last AC infusion and going into Taxol (3 coming up) my right side muscles ache. Sometimes it is the ribs and even at the space in center of rib cage. Sometimes, but rarely, it moves to my back. My logical self says it is pain caused by chemo - it i is a common SE. However, my 3am insomniac self thinks it is liver mets. Would liver mets feel like this? Thank
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Hi VL22, yes the middle of the night can make all things seem a whole lot worse than they really are. It does indeed sound more like a side effect of AC but I fully understand where and why your mind is taking you to dark places.
Liver mets can have no indicators or a whole lot of pain but I would think that it's highly unlikely that that is what's happening as you are still on full chemo. There is a possibility that your liver is having difficulty processing the chemo and that may well be why you are feeling the pain. Are you drinking a lot of water? If not try to increase your intake as that can sometimes help.
Hoping this helps a little.
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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Good morning. Just wanted to update to my previous post, check in and say hello. I saw my oncologist yesterday for my annual visit and also to review my recent Br MRI, PET/CT, and Bone Scan. She said the results were not conclusive, could not rule out mets but that a solitary bone met in her experience is not usually the way mets presents but....she couldn't say for sure that it wasn't because she has seen it before. She said I could do a biopsy but then quickly moved on to suggesting the oncology radiologist review my scan. She said she would consult with him and get back to me. I request to have an appointment with him so I could hear what his thoughts were and to also see the actual scan results. I have that appointment today. The oncologist moved me back to 6 month checks and I guess we will touch base after I meet with the radiologist oncologist. I am glad they were able to get me in today!
Best,
Georgie
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VL22, have you had your gallbladder checked? Pain from something going on with that is frequently centered, as you described, but can also be "referred" to other areas. I would maybe ask for an u/s to see of it's possibly inflamed for some reason, perhaps from chemo. The fact that your pain moves around, combined with your dx stats and, as Chrissy pointed out, that you're still doing chemo, makes me think it's something other than bone mets.
I also second Chrissy's suggestion to be sure you're drinking enough water. Chemo, as you probably know by now, can be very constipating, and surprisingly, even pain from that can happen up quite high. I've had it myself when things were stopped up.
Good luck, and please keep us posted on anything you figure out. Deanna
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Deanna and Chrissy, thanks so much for the support. I go for chemo tomorrow and will talk to the MO and request a us.
I probably do not drink enough water - I need to do a better job keeping track!
Vaness
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Hi all, I'm confused yet again. Today, lol, I'm confused by an article I saw about Mindy Cohn, Natalie from the old TV show Facts of Life. She said she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and that after undergoing BMX, chemo, and rads the cancer metastasized and kept spreading and coming back. The article concluded with saying that she was now cancer free. My question is if that's possible? Every time I think I understand the realities of a BCdiagnosis something like this article comes up and I'm confused all over again. I feel like what the article meant was NED but that's not what it said and it's confusing.TIA
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TWillis, this is what happens when non-medical writers write about mbc. They just do not understand it. Mindy Cohn, from what I can gather, may be NED or NEAD at the moment -- the most accurate term for "in remission" -- which means cancer is not detectable at the moment on imaging. This is not uncommon, especially if it was in a very limited area. However, once someone has had mbc, with the exception of perhaps 1 to 2% of us (as counted by conventional research; there may be more cases not counted), no one is ever truly cancer free -- as in totally over it. Sadly there are most likely still mbc cells in her body, most likely hibernating or sleeping or hiding out until something sparks their proliferation again.
Hope this makes sense. And your question is an excellent one, much discussed on FB today. Hugs, Deanna
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Thanks dlb823, that's what I thought I was understanding. This is why BC is so confusing and discounted sometimes, just get treatment and "cure it". The "awareness" this month is really bugging me. I'd like a BC fact to follow the word awareness every time I see it, I'm sickness of that word being used alone. JMO
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Hi, This is my first post. I found out my mom was diagnosed with Stage IV a few months ago. It has been really difficult. The chemo she is on now makes her pretty sick for like a week after treatment. She doesn't like to share a lot of information, and I try to respect what she wants to share, and to be there for her in any way I can, including listening to her and talking to her when she is struggling with her down days and being excited for her when she has her good days. I hope this question doesn't come across as selfish, because what I'm wondering is if it's still ok to talk to my mom about my problems. She was always my person, we talked every day and she gave me advice and supported me through everything in my life. Since being diagnosed, we talk less because she doesn't feel well. I live far away from her. I had some relationship stuff happen and I really want to talk to her about it now, but I don't want to burden her with my problems when she is going through so much. Basically, I guess my question is, is it still ok to talk to my mom about what's going on with me, or is it too much of a burden with everything she is going through with her cancer?
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Hi Saranoh, welcome to BCO. So sorry to hear that your Mom has been dx Stage IV.......it's a hard place to be. Hopefully your Mom is repporting to her onc just how badly she feels as there are many meds that can ease the side effects and make treatment a little easier to bear.
As a Mom to two daughters who was and is their sounding board for life's ups and downs I'm sure your Mom would still want to maintain your relationship. I would always check with her as in, 'hi Mom, are you feeling up to a little d & m?' If her answer is yes go ahead but keep it short as her mental agility could be slowed down a bit by the chemo. Just go with how she is feeling as I'm sure she would be heart broken if your relationship were to cease.......no matter how badly we feel, we always want to he there for our kids and as stage IV, we want life to go on as normal as possible.
Hope this helps a little.
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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TWills..... I agree with dlb823. I go as far as not reading articles or watching documentaries by non medical writers. All they do is confuse the public and dlb is right. Oncologists say that BC, once metastasised is not curable. It is treatable. I was told there will be no such thing as what is usually termed as remission for me but, hopefully, we can bring the extensive bone mets I have under control. If this writer's cancer had metastasised and was still spreading, I'm pleased that she believes she is cancer free but I agree with dlb on that score as well. Sadly, she would be NED which doesn't mean remission or cured.
saranoh...what a special daughter you are. No, it's not selfish to still want to talk to your mother. It's very thoughtful of you to seek opinions on it before you do and I admire you for that. Of course, it does depend on the sort of person your mother is and how she's coping with her diagnosis. At the moment she would still be in shock and disbelief. I wrote about this on another thread. I'll see if I can find it for you and re-post it here. If I don't re-post it, it will be because I can't find it. Basically, what I found was that, with a Stage IV diagnosis, you go through a similar process to that which you go through with grief: shock, disbelief, denial, anger and not necessarily in that order. You might be in more than one state at the same time as another. It takes a long, long time to get to the acceptance stage so you will need to understand that that's what your Mum (I'm an Aussie, I say Mum) is going through right now. That's just some background for you because she will seem distracted at times, partly or mainly due to feeling ill but also just the disbelief that this has happened.
I have a 29 year old son and we're very close. He's always come to me for advice and he's my best friend so likewise I confide in him. I have been very ill for the past year. I was diagnosed Stage IV with bone mets a year ago but despite that we still talk about his problems because it's very important to me that I'm still his Mum and I intend to be there for him as long as there's breath in my body. I'd hate for him to feel he's burdening me if he talks to me about his problems. I encourage it and in that way nothing has changed. In fact, I find it takes me out of myself to have him talk to me. I don't want anyone to see me as being "different" now and I still encourage all my friends to confide in me the way they always have done; otherwise I would feel isolated and unwanted and I'd hate that. I would feel as though I'd been cast off and redundant and I'm far from that. In fact, having cancer has given me a wisdom that is beyond any I had before (says she, modestly haha). Perhaps you could broach this subject with your Mum. Tell her what you said here; that you will always be there for her, no matter what, and that you want to share this time in her life with her, then ask her if she feels up to still being your confidante because you still need her support and advice. I hope it works out for you.
Hugs
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I sustained a fall last week and had liver trauma for which I was admitted to the ICU and then transferred to a different hospital. I've remained in the ICU for 9 days but 3 days ago finally felt well enough to ask my husband to gather together my CT scans and reports that I had brought from the first ED. He asked for them so that I could keep copies at home. Of course, I read the report and after 1-3 commenting on intra-abdominal bleeding #4 states, solitary lytic lesion in the head of left femur. Correlate with previous studies or suggest bone scan to evaluate for metastatic disease. I was floored that no doctor had brought this to my attention. I sent off an e-mail to my oncologist who after 3 days, has still not responded. I have had migratory joint/hip pain ever since I've been on Arimidex but I don't think that I ever had previous imaging of my left hip. I'm trying to stay calm because whatever it is, was there last week too, but after 3 days of silence from my MO, I'm starting to freak out. I left a follow-up message with his nurse today and still no call back.
I guess I'm just looking for some support as time is standing still. Thanks...Toomuch
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Too much, the hopeful part is where it says correlate with previous studies. Maybe it has always been there and no one thought to mention it because it hasn't changed. As far as your oncologist's office not answering, I think I would go there in person and insist on some kind of answer. Please keep us posted.0
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I guess the problem is that I haven't had any previous studies. My MO doesn't believe in general screening for recurrances. I'm still admitted to the hospital for my liver trauma so I can't go to the oncologists office. I'm going to just have to wait and schedule an appointment in 2-4 weeks when I'm able to follow-up...
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