Bone Mets Thread
Comments
-
Thanks ladies for the info on tramadol. I tend to have a strong reaction to pain meds and can't tolerate them or they make me so sleepy that I can't function. It sounds like many of you were able to get some good relief on tramadol without too many side effects so I hope I have the same response when I try it this weekend. I didn't want to try it on a night when I have to get up for work the next day so Advil will have to do the trick until Saturday night.
I agree with Chrissy that words are just words. Today I am alive and feeling good and tomorrow is yet to be seen and that applies to everyone, not just cancer patients. Anyone can get "hit by the bus" tomorrow. The difference is that we are standing in the road and can see the bus coming. I'm just hoping that the bus takes a long detour before it reaches my stop.
Wishing everyone a painfree night--Cathy
0 -
Hi Ladies -
Been off the boards these last few weeks. Had a rough go when I was doing rads twice a day. About halfway through I managed to hurt my shoulder somehow and that ended up being the worse pain that I have felt yet. Then it was time to not only scan my hurt shoulder but get a CT to see where I was. The onc appointment was yesterday.
I am ecstatic! All the lesions that have been radiated are now showing signs of healing. And the one on L5 that hasn't been radiated is stable. What a great Valentine's present for me and hubby!
The shoulder has a tear in the rotator cuff. But the ortho appointment isn't until March 6 so I just have to continue to put up with it. Since I've had a lot of problems with this shoulder since surgery it isn't anything new for it to hurt. But I sure am tired of it! I just want to get it fixed permanently. The PT that I've had has helped but I still have some appointments that insurance doesn't want to pay for.
Down to a 10 mg methadone every morning and evening. I'm not sure if I'm going to just drop the methadone and go back to Vicodin or not. But the pain level is so much better now!
I also had a second opinion down at Seattle Cancer Care. She's the one who suggested it was time for scans. She prefers the PET but my onc is a little more reasonable and knows that my insurance won't cover those as a standard scan. She also said that she is seeing some really good results using Parp Inhibitors against BRCA cancer. But unfortunately there aren't many trials right now and I don'f fit the criteria. So she felt if the scans were good then the path my regular onc has laid out is a good one. It was nice to hear another onc agree with my treatment plan.
Hope the rest of you are doing well!0 -
Has anyone ever had swallowing SE's after Rads to spine. I had 10 rounds to T9.. finished on Tues and would have to say this swallowing issue started just after. I am not having pain when swallowing just an issue with stuff going down..almost hiccup or burp everytime i get a drink. Not sure if it is from Rads or chemo...thanks for any info. Have a great day.
Jena0 -
Jena, I had 15 rads to the T7/T8 (last March) and also had swallowing problems that started at the end of treatment. At it's worst I made sure not to have anything tomato based. After a few weeks it was better but still occasional discomfort. Over the summer I took omeprazole for a few weeks and that really helped. I now take that for a day or two whenever the problem comes back and that takes care of it. Good luck!
0 -
Thanks SonnyB...Tomato soup bisques have been one of the only things that taste normal to me right now with chemo...lol.. i will try to lay off of them for a while. The acid may be an issue with whatever rads have done. thank you.
0 -
Swimmom--I loved your comment about "standing in the middle of the road and can see the bus coming"! It made me laugh and it's true. To put it in different words--our mortality is more "in our face" than it is for most people. I understand how easy it is to start feeling down, hopeless and powerless. It's difficult to be "Zen" and live in the moment but, I consider it part of my "revenge" on cancer to try. ((HUGS)) To everyone...this is a tough path.
0 -
My last radiation treatment is Monday. Boy is my femur sore from the rads. My low back is going to love not having to deal with that hard table too. Tuesday is my followup appointment with the ortho surgeon for a check on the IM rod surgery. With all my spine issues, she said she would refer me to a spine oncologist as she thought I needed to have one in place, lovely.
Friday, I have CT's and bone scan, lab work, Zometa and a follow up with the oncologist. After the surgery, she placed me on Aromasin to get me through post op period and what she thought was only going to be 10 radiation treatments. We never know with any drug but I had such progression on Faslodex, I can't help but worry about the Aromasin. Crazy of me, I know.
The plan was that she (oncologist) was going to put me on Xeloda. Hope I can get my tummy issues under control before Friday as think it can be hard on the stomach. I think all the meds I am on are catching up with me, maybe Morphine and Aromasin most.
Ana, I have a rotator cuff tear also. I used to work for an orthopedic group and the one doctor that as a family we have remained closed to, point blank told me not to have the surgery to repair. He reminded me that the surgery is hard one to recover from, the recovery itself is hard and that he could inject some cortisone along to give me some relief. That is how we have handled it and so far so good. Know when you hurt you want relief but thought I would share what has given me relief without the surgery. After the IM rod needing to be placed in my femur, I know I don't want my shoulder worked on. Hope you can find relief and if you have the surgery you get along beautifully.
We have had a weather change, warm temps to snow showers and much colder temps. In bed with the heating pad on the thigh that had the rod placed. It is so tight - like spasms and my left foot has numbness issues, today it has been totally numb. I hope everyone else is having a better, more exciting evening than having an affair with the heating pad.
Hugs,
0 -
Hi,
I'm new to this discussion thread; having been diagnosed just over a week ago with bone mets in my femur, spine, hip, and rib (as well as "little spots elsewhere"). No sign of spread to other organs. I had surgery last week to put a rod in my femur and have a question about it. How long is the typical amount of time to return to work after this type of surgery? My boss wants me back ASAP and I need to return to keep my job, but I'm still really tired.
I am to have five radiation treatments on my spine and femur starting in a couple of weeks, and then hormone therapy of some sort; they didn't have the pathology back yet when I was discharged from hospital on Wednesday. I am pre-menopausal. And I am absolutely terrified, but I know I'll quit the pity party soon.
When I was diagnosed before, the discussion groups, forums, etc, saved my sanity. Thanks for being here.Dx: Stage 1 IDC October 2006, ER/PR+, HER2-
Lumpectomy and radiation 2006 - 2007, Tamoxifin five years
0 -
Jena, about half way through my rads on my spine I got the hiccups! Uncontrollable and they would last for anywhere from a few minutes to several hours! It was horrible and people would start to laugh not realizing that those hiccups really hurt me and made it difficult to breath. The RO gave me some "Magic Mouthwash" that help tremendously. After about 6 months they finally subsided and now I rarely get them and when I do they only last for a few minutes. The rads were so close to my diaphragm that they cause it to have spasms which caused the hiccups. The rads never really touched my diaphragm, but it was close enough to cause the spasms. I also has some problems swallowing some things that were thick like oatmeal, mashed potatoes, creamed soups and the Magic Mouthwash helped that also. I don't know why they call it mouthwash since you swallow it, but at least it works.
Hope everyone has a pain free evening. AJ
0 -
Hi Kiwicatmom and welcome to BCO and this thread. Im not sure what the typical time frame would be for returning to work after a femur rod as I have a humerus rod. I do know that that took about six weeks to heal enough to have reasonable movement. I guess it just depends on how quickly you heal.
Your rads will help with your pain and you will feel a whole lot better once they are done.
There are a few women here who have had the rods put into their femurs and I'm sure one or more will offer their advice soon.
Love n hugs. Chrissy
0 -
Naniam- I don't know if you remember me, but I responded to some of you concerns before you had your IM surgery. I'm glad that your surgery and almost all of your rads are behind you. Congrats! Your recent comments brought up some memories for me about how my leg felt after the whole thing. The tightness that your're feeling is probably fluid build-up from the lymph nodes in your leg being affected by the rads. I have lymphodema in my thigh now, and it was the worst at the beginning. One thing that helped me was wearing footless leggings from the morning on, removing them only at night. Don't get the ones that stop at the knee; get the ones that go to the ankle so the fluid doesn't get "stuck" at your knee. I bought mine at Walmart and they worked well. They were way less expensive than compression-wear.
I had to figure out what to do on my own. Both my rad. onc. and my regular onc. seemed unconcerned and said that's just the way things would be. No one even brought up the subject of lymphodema until I asked why my leg was swollen. The swelling was hard to bear some days since I teach and I have to be on my feet a lot. By the end of the day, my right thigh would be easily a third wider than my left. The tight leggings REALLY helped.
While the heating pad might feel good, it's probably drawing fluid into the area.
>Alternate it with ice to see if it will help "pump" out some of the lymph fluid that's gathering in your thigh. Also, elevate your leg when possible to help the lymph drain back and rub your leg,starting from the knee and moving to your hip to help the lymph move out. The lymph nodes are delicate and the rads easily damage them. Anything you can do to keep the lymph moving now will reduce the lymphodema a bit in the future.
It's been 2.5 years since my surgery, and I try to get in a pool and do water-walking whenever I can. The even pressure of the water on my leg has worked wonders and I can now easily keep my problems to a minimum.0 -
KiwiCatMom-
I agree with chrissyb that 6 weeks is about right. I had an IM nail in my right femur due to a break from BC. They were concerned that the bone might not grow back and heal like a healthy person's would, especially because of the rads. My onc. put me on Caltrate +Vit. D right away and I think that helped. My bone grew back right on schedule. I went back to work (teaching) at the end of 6 weeks with my walker. My surgeon told me I had to have a walker so someone wouldn't bump into me and cause me to fall. Evidently, if we IM people fall, we have a better chance of being crippled. The titanium rod doesn't flex like regular bone upon impact, so the bone around it that tries to flex can shatter. I kept that walker at work a good long while until I felt super-confident with my cane.
For about the 1st 2 weeks of work, I would come home exhausted and have to take about an hour's nap to get any use out of the night. After that my stamina began to return. You know, women are supposed to take 6 weeks off for a hysterectomy for obvious reasons. Well, a femur is the worst bone to break in your body, if just for the pain alone. To me, the same rule of time applies. Tell your boss your surgeon and your onc. have control over when you can return to work. Also, refer to my recent post to Naniam so you can manage any lymphodema that wants to rear its ugly head. Best of luck!0 -
Bump
0 -
FairyQueen, Thank you !! That never entered my mind. My leg was like this prior to the surgery - so very tight and swollen and it had lots of fluid. It was wonderful not to have to deal with that after the surgery. Never prior to my surgery, knowing that it was so swollen and full of fluid did myself, oncologist or a nurse suggest I needed to massage for drainage. The radiation treatments I know set this off again as it was fine until then. I will start the massage and also try to elevate. Since I have had the swelling again, I have to be careful in getting dressed as the leg certainly doesn't have the free movement as it did after the surgery. Thank you so much - if you were here, I'd give you a hug. However, my thanks and a cyber hug will just have to do. I probably would have also started the massage at the hip and moved down !
Kiwicat, I did beautifuly after surgery. In fact, the surgeon wanted to send me home the very next day but I said no, I needed more time. PT was at my home within 2 days of my discharge and I was on the cane only within 3 weeks. However, I am retired and didn't have to go back to work like Fairy. I think walker vs cane when you go back to work would depend on how much strength you have regained through PT, how you travel to work, type of work that you do. I am 9 weeks post surgery and post radiation, so do be aware of the swelling that Fairy and I have had and the advice that she gave me. Fairy told you the truth when she said the rod does not give and you are/should be more aware/careful of movements.
Chrissy, didn't know you had the rod in the humerus. That is an area of concern for me too. 16 months ago when we knew I had mets but he wanted a bone biopsy and I was posting in suspected but not diagnosed, you were one of the first to talk to me. In fact, after diagnosis, you encouraged me to make the move to Stage IV thread. Some days seems like a lifetime ago and then again, like yesterday. I was/am sure grateful for your kindness and reaching out to me. Think you are a special lady and just wanted to take time and tell you.
0 -
Thanks Nan......I just do what I feel is right as does everyone one here.
When my mets were found, I was told that my humerus was so fragile that all it would have taken to break, no shatter, was a firm bump....never mind a fall! The rod was placed before the rads and then I had five treatments. The pain started to subside within days of starting the rads and continued to diminish after the rads were complete. I think the pain of the split muscles, for me, was worse than the cancer and of course took the longest to go away as they had to heal. For the first couple of weeks my DD had to shower me and wash my hair as I couldn't move the arm very well without a lot of pain.
Kiwicatmom I sure hope you are able to do the normal things with out too much hassle.
Hoping you are all having a good day.
Love n hugs. Chrissy
0 -
Thanks so much for the information. My boss has relented and given me a couple more days to work at home, which is lovely. I'm looking forward to radiation, oddly enough, because my back is sore and I know it will help. I do have a fat foot if I don't keep my leg elevated a bit during the day. My surgery was on Feb 10 and I was released from hospital Feb 13. I start physio day after tomorrow; the staples come out tomorrow (yea!). I'm doing the exercises the physio told me to do when I was in hospital, but I notice my hip joint is stiff as is my arthritic knee. But I'm dealing with it with ibupropen and no other meds and it's fine. I'm on elbow crutches and can do just about whatever I need to do; it just isn't pretty to watch!
It's more of a brain barrier at this point - I know it's going to hurt so it takes a bit to psych myself up to stand up. I had an infusion of Zometa last week while in hospital and will have those monthly. We're waiting for pathology at this point to determine the type of treatment going forward. It's wonderful to have people to interact with who have been there, done that, and it means a lot that you all responded to my post. Keeping the fear at bay is my big mission at the moment, along with trying to look forward and get my positive fighting spirit back. And having people to reach out to helps a lot. So thank you!
0 -
Naniam -
Thanks for your comments on the rotator cuff. My SIL works as a recovery nurse for the ortho group that I'm going to and she told me that if the doc did surgery it would probably be in the hospital rather than their clinic surgery. I wasn't sure why she said that - I guess I was scared to ask. I was thinking this would be easy surgery like the other surgery I've heard of people doing. Sounds like that isn't the case. Well, maybe they can just get rid of some of the extra calcium that is there so it can work right.
Thanks again.
Christy0 -
Kiwicatmom,
I think you will feel much better on Zometa. I don't have as much back pain like I used to with Zometa. I also know of a young Mom with lots of back pain who was just starting Zometa; she is doing fine now.
Good Luck with treatment.
Terri
0 -
Quick ? - recently diagnosed with met to the femur. Had previous ct of the brain that was clear (temporary sinus problem). Sent out my records for a research protocol and they recommend a MRI even though I don't have any symptoms. Was this recommended to any of you with bone mets? This was NOT recommended by my treatment center and now I am worried about the discrepancy.
0 -
They are probably just being cautious. After I had mets show on ct, they sent me for an ultrasound and a PET/CT followed by a biopsy. Different imaging is better for different areas. Since they just ct'd your brain, perhaps they want to look elsewhere?
0 -
CJRT,
You'll find that different oncs and cancer centers may rely on a variety of imaging. I had a PET, which inadvertently found my met, followed by an MRI and then a biopsy. There seem to be a wide variety of routes to take.0 -
Thanks, ladies. I am still getting adjusted to this diagnosis and trying to move forward and just panicking about doing the wrong thing.
0 -
I was diagnosed in September 2012. I don't understand a lot that is going on with me. My mo put me on 12 weekly Taxol infusions, I get #8 tomorrow, after that I will be receiving Zometa. My treatments changed after my pet scan showed metastasis to my right hip. I don't know what is after the Zometa and I am afraid to ask. I feel really good and the only pain I have is in my lower back when I stand or walk to much. My mo says that it is arthritis in my back. I am wondering if arthritis can lead to bone mets. Thank you all for letting me ramble. I don't have to many people to talk to my friends have all deserted me. Thank God for my loving husband and children. Without them I would be lost.
0 -
Hi Macy,
I see you are ER+. Not sure of your menopausal status but have you discussed some of the hormonal tx's with your mo? Many of us with bone mets, who are ER+, take Zometa or similar bisphosphonate with things like Arimidex, Aromisin or Femara. As to arthritis, I'm not a medical professional, but I haven't heard of any association between bone mets and arthritis (other than pain!). If you are not sure what is going on with your situation, ask, ask, ask and ask again. Knowing what your situation is will empower you. Ignorance is not bliss. Sending good thoughts.
Caryn0 -
Exbmxgrl, I am post menopausal but was told before bone mets that I would be getting tamoxifen after chemo, and also a hysterectomy. Now my mo says no tamoxifen and no hysterectomy.Why I don't know. I will see her tomorrow and ask her.
0 -
Macy,
Ask about an aromatase inhibitor too. They are very powerful little pills and many of us ER+ women have had great runs on them.
Caryn0 -
FaerieQueen,
You are a genius. I am going to Walmart tomorrow.0 -
Thanks hlb, for your imput. I'm pretty sure that the area on my sternum is an old fracture that occurred while boxing, with 16oz gloves, with my husband. No concerns of DV, it was a way we kept in shape as well as prevented the normal arguing between couples from taking place.lol. But since they cannot obtain a biopsy, we consider it cancer. I start my rads march 1, can't wait till its done. Good luck to us all.
0 -
Im confused, somewhat,I am aware that stage 4 means not curable but treatable, to a point. However, I'm stage 4,idc,triple +, initial diagnosis, with lymph involvment and bone Mets and my onc team of doctors all feel that my cancer IS CURABLE. That I have about a 75% chance to beat this without return! Also know of 5 others who have been victors if their battles (stg 4) between 7&20 years later. So all I do know for certain is that ALL doctors/specialists are only licensed to PRACTICE, and that leaves plenty room for being wrong, and hopeful that one day soon, we may see a next stage,5, and that will be the no cure stage.
0 -
Krazywolf,
I am glad your doctors are so optimistic. Those are the kind of medical practioners you want on your team. I often wonder what curable really means. If you were stage I at dx and then had a recurrence 15 yrs. later, you were never really cured, were you? I guess some people consider themselves cured when they are no longer receiving any type of tx but does that happen t stage IV? I will be very happy to survive 5+ years but I expect to always be on some type of tx, so cure is not a word I would ever use. I have been NED for over a year but at what point in time would doctors say "cured"? I would feel really insecure not being on some kind of tx, even though my met is necrotic. Cancer is so complex.
Caryn0
