If you are not Stage IV but have questions, you may post here
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Toomuch, that sounds like a pretty nasty fall! Since we're friends beyond BCO, I'm going to message you right now. But I had a similar experience when the report for some diagnostic imaging I had called out significant suspected liver mets. Thankfully, I knew I have a liver hemangioma, and when they got ahold of a past PET done several years ago for another concern prior to bc, it was there. Hopefully, this will turn out to be a similar pre-existing artifact, which is why it's never come up in he past. But I'm going to PM you.
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Hi to everyone.My Mom became too fat after treatment.She looked as if she is 7 months pregnant.And also she had pain in both hips .Is abdominal fat related to some illness.??She also get muscle twitches 1/2 times a day.I am terrified.
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Katie, I'm sorry your Mom is dealing with these issues. Many of us have dealt with bloating caused by our treatments, and weight gain can also occur, especially if treatment has altered her habits, including how much exercise she's getting. Are the stats shown on your post yours or hers? If they're hers and she was treated in 2015, then she should absolutely report any lingering concerns to her onc, so that he or she can decide if some sort of imaging would be helpful to see what's causing the hip pain, for example. Beyond that, it's hard to comment with such limited information, but I would also be sure she's taking a good probiotic supplement. Tummy issues result from chemo destroying all the bacteria, good & bad, in our stomachs and intestinal tracts, and that takes a long time to rebuild. This is where a good probiotic can be helpful. Also, depending on your Mom's age, the things you mentioned can also be simply menopause related. Her onc and/or GP really needs to help her figure out if there's a cause beyond age and/or lifestyle changes. Deanna
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Thnq dlb. Yes the stats are of my mom's.She is having pain on touching the side of both hips. She had a ct scan of abdomen and pelvis in august which was clear.She had a very small nodule on her lung,which doctors said is nothing to worry about.
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Hi, my wife was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in december 2016 (she was 33 this time last year.) She has gone through all the treatments, like: chemo, herceptin because she's Her2 positive (I think is why she is on it?) and perjeta while she was doing chemo. She had a double mastectomy done on June 8th and had a decent recovery.
In early October, her right side pelvis bone area really started hurting. She describes it as if it's a bruise, and when she moves in certain twists/turns, that it feels like someone is kicking her on the bruise. When this started happening is when she was working outside a lot, but she stopped for a few days which made the pain lessen, but never really went away per her description,
There are days where it's fine, days where it's not fine. More often than not, she mentions it bothering her (she's a pretty strong fighter, so it takes a good amount of pain for her to say something like that.)
The thought in both of our minds is: Did the cancer already spread to other areas in her body? The pet scan she had earlier in 2017 showed that it was in 7 or 9 (don't remember which for sure) of her underarm lymphnodes (left breast.) The other scans and blood tests that have been performed haven't shown a tumor marker increase. There's another Pet scan coming up at the end of the month, but the anxiety is killing us.
Based on what I described, does it sound like her cancer did spread to other origins of her body? like we got it too late? I know everyone knows what I want to hear, but I wouldn't mind hearing an objective opinion favoring one side or another.. She has no other "stage 4 symptoms" that I've read, "just" this pain near her pelvic area.
thank you for any insight
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Mtucker, is your wife on a antihormonal medicine, such as tamoxifen or Arimidex? Both of those meds can cause hip pain or pain anywhere in the muscles and joints. I had an injury to my hip years ago and it never hurt again until I started Tamoxifen. The first reaction is to think, "Oh no, the cancer is back." Usually, if you wait it out a couple of weeks, the pain lessens or goes away. I have had a few scares, but then figured out the cause of the pain, usually related to some activity that I don't normally do or from the meds. For example, I had fairly severe hip pain once and it turned out to be bursitis. Try not to stress too much and keep us posted. Best wishes!0
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I second Peregrine's thinking. Antihormonals exacerbate any injuries I have; since you described her outdoor work I too wonder if it isn't an injury that is aggravated by increased joint pain. Does ibuprofen help?0
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Thank you Peregrine and Falconer, I appreciate your responses! I wasn't sure if this thread was still actively monitored after so many pages :-)
She's not taking any hormonal stuff right now; although I believe she did in september/october, but I don't want to be quoted on that. She will be starting low doses of "effexor"(sp?) because her OBGYN said that can help with hormones as it seems like the Chemo treatments put her in post menopause symptoms and is now experiencing hotflashes.
The thought of "cancerw that doesn't mean that's what my wife is experiencing, it does fit along those lines. Is it a chronic condition?
is back..." is definitely a huge concern for us, and I really agree with your sentiment, Peregrine. Thank you for your bursitis comment, while I kno
Thanks again you two!
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Dear all,
First of all, I would like to apologize for my English.
I'm new to this forum, and not sure whether I should be considered stage III or IV (I couldn't get a clear answer to the question from the doctors so far).
I was diagnosed with a ductal infiltrating breast tumor (almost 6cm) in april 2015. After neo-adjuvant chemo (may - october), surgery and radiotherapy till feb.2016, I received preventive hormono-therapy (femara).
However by end september 2016, a strange spot (which I first thought to be an insect bite) appeared on my abdomen. After a new surgery, I started radiotherapy again. But before the end of the sessions, new spots appeared, this time on the left breast. I started other hormonal therapies, and even a targetted therapy (which seemed to work for 2 or 3 months). Now the skin mets are exploding and extending to the right breast.
Last week I received first injections of Faslodex. As so far none of the hormone therapies worked, I'm not sure this one will make a difference.
So I wandered whether there were other patients with skin mets ... and whether I should raise this question here or under stage III ?
Thank you
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Yaelle, If you have skin metastases, some people would refer to you as stage IV although that isn't quite true. But any cancer that has moved from it's original location to somewhere new, means they don't have a systemic cure for it. I've seen skin metastases referred to, but I don't quite remember where. If you do a search you should be able to find them. Good luck
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Yaelle, I don't know much about skin mets, but Johns Hopkins, one of the premier cancer treatment centers in the US, probably does, and they have an on-line forum for answers from their health care professionals. I think, but am not sure, that they might also do long-distance consultations, especially since you are outside of the US. Here's a link to a page for asking a question, and there's also a phone number where you might find out if they do telephone consultations for a situation like yours. I am sure you have wonderful doctors in Belgium, but Johns Hopkins might be able to answer some of your questions your doctors have not.
http://www.hopkinsbreastcenter.org/services/ask_ex...
I also just did a quick search of our discussion boards here for you, using the search to the upper left, and I found this thread on skin mets.
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/8/topics/...
Good luck! I'm glad you've found us. Please keep us posted on your situation. Deanna
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Hi Everyone, I’m not sure if I’ve posted here before. I am stage IIA. The question of skin mets caught my eye because I had a growth on my chest about 1/2 inch. Pink with 3 tiny bumps.I’m seeing my dermatologist tomorrow.
Here is a detailed article on skin mets including from breast cancer. Medscape requires an email address and a password, it’s easy.
Dermatologic Manifestations of Metastatic Carcinomas: Overview, Distinguishing Metastases From Primary Tumors, Etiology
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1101058-overview
Now I am worried!
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Thank you Cive and Deanna (especially for the link to Hopkins.
I'm very glad too, that I found this place .. and you all.
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mtucker, I hope things improve for her. I'll also add that after multiple surgeries and rads for me it's taken so many months to feel better. The treatments all take a toll. I had an MRI after months of neck pain that wasn't resolved by physical therapy. The radiologist saw a lesion on my spine, so I had a bone scan. The bone scan revealed that it was a benign tumor called hemangioma as well as significant arthritis. I'm only 47, so that was unexpected. I understand your worry. But I think that before certain scans are done other avenues will be tried like physical therapy for her aching hip. Good luck to you both. She's lucky to have you looking after her.0
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Hello. I've haven't been on in several years but I've been reading posts over the past week or so. I was lead to a pet scan after having sternal painot on and off for a while with upper right abdominal pain and slightly elevated liver enzymes. Results received yesterday state intense uptake in distal stomach and antrum with maximum SUV of 19.8 my onc says not to worry most likely gastritis. I am scheduled for endoscopy Monday. I did have endoscopy and colonscopy January 2016 with inflammation noted at that time amd have been on on protonix since then. I always have abnormal bowel movements amd have had heartburn for years. Do you believe with 19.8 that this can be gastritis? I have been up all night researching and realize that stomach ca is a rare met to have. Has this happened to anyone before? I just turned 47 have 5 children 16 to 25 and am full of anxiety all while remaining calm as to not alert my children.
Sorry to ramble. Off to work now like I'll be able to concentrate....
Thank you in advance to anyone who may provide any support and advice.
Keri
I'm also BRAC 2 positive.
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KeriG. , I am sorry you're going through this. I don't have any answers but wanted to send support. I am sure someone familiar with ILC will be by soon to give some insight. I think with the US Thanksgiving holiday the boards are a bit slower. Good luck and keep us posted.
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Hi Keri, it's very possible that it is gastritis. A couple of years ago I had very similar symptoms and after having an endoscopy, an ultrasound and CT, that's exactly what it was with an inflammed gall bladder.
Sometimes we need to stay away from trying to second guess what the docs are telling us and just wait for their expertise. Yeah, I know, so much easier to do than say but the reality of it is that it does cut down on the amount of stress we put ourselves through.
Keeping my fingers crossed that your results are all benign but please do let us know how you get on.
Love n hugs. Chrissy
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Thank you bevin.... I appreciate your support!!!
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Thank you chrissyb!! Yes I keep telling myself that I have to put the phone down and the past 2 days I have. I've enjoyed playing some board games with my kids... they are my heart and soul.... I truly appreciate your support and have my fingers crossed also.. I have a busy weekend planned and just waiting for Monday. I hope my GI MD with have some answers on Monday.. thank you again!! And will post results when I get them. I just needed someone to tell me that they have a similar situation. It's just the uptake that had me concerned. 😊
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i had stage 3a idc 7cm er/pr+, her2- BC. The top of my skull hurts not like headache like. Hard not to think brain or skull Mets. It's not all the time but most days. Any reason for concern? Thanks
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Rosabella, I'm Stage IV with extensive bone mets and have skull mets, lots of them, and my skull does not hurt at all so I hope that's reassuring for you. Have you seen your oncologist lately? Because if you're concerned the best thing to do is to make an appointment to have your worry discussed and possibly checked out. I don't believe we should wait around if we have the least concern but should act on it. Sending love and hugs....
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Deanna and Chrissy - back in October you reassured me about some rib and stomach pains I was having on Taxol - my mind was on liver mets. I just wanted to again thank you for responding. It was a combination of dehydration and heartburn/acid reflux of all things. You are right - it is so easy to go to dark places.
Your willingness to hold our hands during this roller coaster is so thoughtful and inspiring. I just wanted you to know how much it is appreciated and that you are in my thoughts and prayers.
Vanessa
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If you had that kind of pain from liver mets, it would have had to have been there a long time. My guess is muscle spasms from the chemotherapy. It is entering every single cell in your body. The chemo also makes your back hurt. Unless you know in your mind that something isn't right. It's probably the chemo. It is toxic don't forget. Keep track of what you feel and if something persists and doesn't come and go. I would mention it. If the pains hop around, and come and go, my best bet is the chemo. When I was having my heavy chemo I spent a lot of time in bed, which also causes muscles aches and issues. Try to relax. Don't let your mind runaway with you. Best wishes ~M~
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Vanessa, I'm so glad we were able to ease your fears, and I'm even happier to know the pain you were experiencing when you posted here turned out to be something very treatable! Hugs & happy holidays! Deanna
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Hi all,
hope you are feeling great!!!
I have a couple of questions on mets. I was just told today that I have a recurrence in the chest wall, which is my understanding is a local recurrence and considered IIIC. However, the B.S. says the following:
"we repeated the MRI scan recently. Unfortunately, there is evidence of a chest wall recurrence in the sternum with pleural involvement. This has just been reported
The pleural involvement may mean stage IV, but my RO said that the pleural enhancement may be due to the sensitivity of the MRI and that the CT scan will be a better way of confirming. I have booked the bone scan for next week and waiting for the CT scan.
I have no symptoms other than this weird pain that comes and goes on the left side (side of the recurrence and original dx) but i am not able to locate the origin of the pain as it feel like a muscle spasm but it feels like a bone pain too. So what would be the treatment options? they mentioned surgery, chemo and rads but obviously nothing definite yet until the scans are done.
I haven't read the MRI report as this was just communicated this morning and the report is not ready.
if it is positive for pleural involvement what are the expected survival rates? i know the Drs will have to tell me that but this board has been so helpful when I was first dx 3 years ago so I would like to hear from your experiene. Also the other concern is bone mets and I know some of you ladies are doing well with bone meds but I am worried as I am only 36 and only 3 years out of my original dx and wondering if I can continue to work full time in the future.
on top of this o have my two final exams for the MBA, wish me luck.
Thank you.
Lola
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You don't have a use by date, so we can't predict your survival. As you noted, many women with bone mets have been around for a long time. Even women with lung and/or liver mets continue to hold down a job while being treated for metastases. You are very young and I can certainly see why you are concerned, but until you've completed the tests, you won't know if it has metastasized. Metastatic disease is treated more like a chronic condition such as diabetes or heart disease, the idea being treatments that include quality of life. I'm really sorry you have to consider your own mortality while you are so young.
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Lola, I'm so sorry about your recurrence. Cive has already given you excellent advice, and I just want to echo that how anyone of us does depends entirely on how we respond to tx, which is something no doctor can predict. I also want to point out that any survival stats you may find on-line do not include newer meds, such as the block buster drug, palbociclib (Ibrance), to which many women are having remarkable responses. Newer survival predictions definitely indicate an upward trend, especially for those with bone-only mets. And there are many new drugs, therapies, research stuff, in the pipelines, so plenty of reason to be optimistic, even if you do hear those dreaded words, "Stage IV."
As far as what tx you'll receive, my best guess is that it will probably be something systemic, such as an aromatase inhibitor & targeted therapy, or perhaps some sort of chemo. If your recurrence is in a bone, such as the sternum, surgery probably won't be helpful. R/T for advanced bc is more often used to treat especially painful lesions that do not respond sufficiently to oral meds.
Hope this answers a few of your questions! Good luck on your next appointment, as well as your MBA exams! Not great timing, you will get through it!
Please keep us updated.
Hugs, Deanna
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Hi. Everyone My Mom was diagnosed with stage 3 tnbc in 2015.See my stats for more info.
She is having a consistent back pain for almost 3 months.Her pain is more during the morning time and during bending forward.The pain subsides but not completely gone during the day time ,it also aches during sitting on floor and getting up.The recent ct scan that was in september was clear but it was not for bones,it was for her abdomen and pelvis.Iam terrified.
Thanks for help.
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could she ask her doctor for a bone scan
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No i have not asked about bone scan because she had a bone scan in May which was clear.She had back pain after surgery and after chemo but it resolved on its own and now it had started to ache again from 3 months now.
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