Bone Mets Thread
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Dodger, I'm with Gumdoctor. And by the way, hello to you, Gumdoctor. I've had two bone biopsies, and my experiences were both just like hers. On my part, lots of angst and concern and that it would be a dreadful procedure, but it was pretty much a non-event in fact. The bad thing was, of course, the confirmation of the diagnosis.
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I had a pelvic bone biopsy last August. The biopsy cannula entered my pelvic bone posteriorly just to the right of my sacrum. I was given a small amount of versed and fentanyl during the procedure. My post procedure experience was similar to Gumdoctor's experience. I had a 1.5 hour ride home then we stopped out for lunch.
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Gumdoctor- thank you for sharing your experience.
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I have also had a bone biopsy. No overnight stay. I had "twilight sleep" anesthesia. Felt nothing. It was over quickly. I didn't have any lingering pain, just a little uncomfortable the first day.
As gumdoctor said, not a big deal as far as the procedure itself goes.
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Olma61–. Thanks for sharing your experience, too.
I am happy to read that an overnight stay doesn’t seem standard. Was concerned with the lack of comfort of hospital beds with sore spine mets
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My experiance was the same, I was in and out of the operating room in 10 minutes, minimal pain and at work the next day.
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BigPeaches— thank you! A lot less stressed over upcoming bone biopsy
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Hey everyone,
Just checking back in after returning from the hospital where I had spine surgery on s1/s2 to remove the met pressing on the nerve roots. Things went so bad ... after successful 1st surgery I developed an haematom within the spinal channel and lost most of the sensitivity on my butt and between my legs. They had to do a 2nd surgery to remove the bugger. I could not even pee for 3 days and had be be catheterized. Now I barely manage with a lot of stomach press, but it is far away from good. Additionally, it is a weird sensation, like some dead animal being strapped between my legs ... not really painful but annoying ... does not help with my sleeping issues either.
Wrt to the met removal surgery itself, my general recovery is fine ... but I still need a wheeled walker to get up from the bed and to be a but more sure about my walking abilities (exhaustion). But I have to admit that I was also not really aware of what recovery this surgery would require ... they said 3-5 days hospital (make it 9 for me due to the complications) ... 14 days until wound heals (keep fingers crossed) ... but I was not told about 6-8 weeks recovery period in total and how bad it would be after the 1st week. Oh well, but do we have choices?
@Andi67 and ts542001: thanks for your input. It gives me hope that at least the recovery might go well now.
Best regards,
Netta
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Netta, what a crap way to end the year. So sorry to hear about the surgery complications and extended recovery. But, as you said, what is the alternative? Fingers crossed the worst is behind you and you're well down the road to recovery. Remember to celebrate each victory, however small. Less pain getting up to pee? Better nights sleep? Yahoo!
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NettaGER, sorry you had such a rough time. Hopefully recovery will be faster than expected. On the hind sight, atleast the problem was identified early enough to be rectified in time. With bone mets, there is always the scare of losing the usage of arms or limbs. I worry about this complication all the time, since I have extensive bone mets in the spine.
Wishing you a quick recovery. Take rest and take care of yourself.
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Latest activity: Jan 6, 2020
confusedgirl wrote:
Hi. My mom has been recently diagnosed of stage 4 breast cancer. In her recent xray, it also shows that is is also started to spread to her bones. She has difficulty moving at the moment
She is scheduled to go all lab test and is advised to undergo surgery asap.
is there anyone in the group who survived stage 4? I need to know all your inspiring stories as we are really devastated at the moment.
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confusedgirl, we are all stage IV in this group. I was diagnosed with bone mets 6 years ago. With the right treatments, bone mets can be stable for years. It is totally understandable to be devastated at present, but if you read other stories on the forum, there are a lot of positive stories.
If your mom cannot move, then Surgery would be the best and should be done ASAP so there is no paralysis of the peripheries. If the tumor impinges the nerves going into legs or arms, this is considered an emergency. Hopefully she will be able to recover soon from the surgery.
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confusedgirl, I'm sorry your mom is having to go through this, but she can do well with bone mets and treatment for a very long time. I haven't needed surgery yet, but I have been living a pretty normal life with bone mets for 4.7 yrs. since being diagnosed Stage IV de novo. Best wishes and virtual hugs to you and your mom.
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confusedgirl, the beginning stages of diagnoses and treatment can be so hard. Can you survive stage IV? Everyone here is, so yes! I'm coming up on 2 years
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And I've just hit 3 years and am doing very well, with extensive bone meets throughout my skeleton.
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I am coming up to 6 years and doing well.
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I have had 2.5 years with stage 4 bone mets. I’ve been on various treatments due to some progressions. I just finished a round of chemo & radiation & 2 years on Herceptin. Feeling pretty good. There are a lot of different treatments.0
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Hi all, just a quick update. I was hospitalized this past week and found that the cancer has now spread to my brain. Saw RO yesterday and start radiation treatments today. Minimum of 10, but will know more as we get through the first couple of treatments. They are Also going to do radiation in my shoulder to help alleviate the pain as there is some disease showing there as well All other treatments on hold for now.
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Good luck, Kitkat! Pulling for you and your treatments.
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Kitkat, so sorry about the hospitalization. It sounds like your RO is on it and hoping the rads zap those brain mets to oblivion. I just finished 5 rounds of rads for a fractured sternum and the reduction in pain is amazing, starting after 3rd round. RO says it will continue to improve over the next few weeks. Hoping you get similar results with your shoulder. Hugs and prayers, JL
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So sorry about the progression Kitkat. Thoughts and prayers for you.
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Andi67 I appreciate that hopeful report. I have been reading through the stage IV threads looking for hopeful posts. I'm still recovering from surgery and have been trying to stay positive as I grapple with the life changes from a new MBC diagnoses. I was just diagnosed in December with a metastatic progression. I previously had stage 2 IDC in my right breast in 2018. Anyway, since October I had been thinking the pain in my hip was maybe a torn groin muscle or labral tear. After an MRI I was found to have a lesion in my femoral neck, sacrum, T8 and a small spot on the pelvis. I had an IM nailing of the right femoral neck and femur in December and just finished targeted radiation of the hip and T8. The biopsy of the sacrum confirms it is the same cancer and same receptors as before. I have to say this is all kind of scary. I am clinging to the hope that others have gotten through this and still lead very productive and active lives. I'm three weeks out of my surgery and just now walking short distances without a cane.
My question is for those of you with mets to T8. Did you find the pain central to the spine or did it sometimes feel more like rib pain or underneath the shoulder blade? Outside of my hip the most painful area seems to be at the level of T8 but not in the spine itself, more to the left side of it almost like the rib/bottom of the shoulder blade area but nothing is there on the PET or Bone Scan. My RO seems to think this is referred pain from T8 and it's quite painful when I try to sleep or turn over in bed.
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emac877– I, too, dx MBC in Dec 2019. Was found due to back pain from mets at T8. I have pain in the back where T8 is and pain that is just under left rib area. It was explained to me that the rib pain is from the nerve bundle at T8. It hurts so bad that I couldn’t sleep at night. Couldn’t sleep on my back or left side. After many nights cat napping in a recliner, I saw PCP. I was given muscle relaxer and pain meds and can now sleep in bed. I found that an ice pack just undermy rib cage on left side helped during the day. Tomorrow I start rads to thoracic spine. Hoping pain dies down.
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Kitkat8074– sorry to learn of your recent progression and hospital stay. Hope the rads kick some cancer butt and give you relief from pain
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Jaylea— thanks for your encouraging post about pain relief to your sternum after 3 zaps. I start 10 rounds of rads to thoracic vertebrae tomorrow and am hoping for a lessening of pain after a few zaps, too. Your post lifted my spirits and gave me hope. Thank you!!
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Newbie question; if cancer in a bone is killed off, does the bone grow back?
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hello all!
checking in, its been a while for me to post and share to this thread.
Emac- so sorry you are here but welcome to the group. So much great info and very smart people here! I believe you’ll find the support and answers you may need.
Dodgers- hi! I think the answer to your question about the bone healing after cancer is a good one. From my understanding of bone physiology, the bony “matrix” which is the bone tissue that makes up the so to speak outside part of the bone is made up of different components than the inside of the bone (typically made up of marrow). Bone has a more limited blood and nerve supply that our other tissues (hence longer healing times when broken). The bone can heal after cancer breaks it down but most likely will heal with scarring and these scars are the “sclerotic lesions” that are mentioned in scan reports. So similarly to how if we injure our skin and a scar forms, there are scars in the bones. Hope this helps with envisioning what is happening. (I taught medical physiology for a couple years to first year acupuncture students, so I have a small grasp of what’s happening!).
As for me, I am doing well. I have been waiting on approval for a Petscan for almost a month now. I have some confusing scan results. Bone and MRI scans both show progression in bones and possible marrow activity at L2 😭 and then the CT scan shows no changes. So confusing!! So MO ordered a Petscan and I am kinda sitting on nails hoping that nothing is progressing in my bones while we wait for this to all be approved and happen.
Otherwise I just booked a 2 week trip ticket to Jamaica 🇯🇲 to visit my dear friends that live in Montego Bay, during my bday in March. I’m sooooo siked!!!!
Gotta keep moving along and living!!!
Love,
Philly
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LoveFromPhilly— thanks for your response. I recall when one of DH’s relatives had BC many years so, she could have radiation to an area and then a follow scan would show the area “Filled in” where Swiss cheese- looking holes had been.
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DG- you will be on the bone strengthening shots as well? I only got 5 rads to the giant mess in my sacrum, as they were going to wait for the bone strengtheners and Vit D/Calcium to kick in, along with the radiation effects to take hold over time. They said up to 8 weeks... well, here we are at week 6 and no joke, it almost feels back to normal. Lytic lesions = bone destruction and sclerotic = healing/healed which can make reading future scans difficult. Hope you feel better soon - I could tell after the first two sessions that SOMETHING had been burned away - I wasn't mobile but I didn't feel the rock in the joint anymore. Hopefully they scoot that met right away from your nerves and you get relief quick!
Philly - so good to see you and I'm glad you are moving on with livin' life while waiting for answers.
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SondraF- I will start monthly XGEVA shots this month. Today is first rads to spine. Next week is a bone biopsy. The week after that is DEXA scan.
Thank you for your post. So much to learn!!
I don’t know if it’s because I am anxious to start rads or because bone net is pushing on nerves more today but my pain level has increased today. Pain meds aren’t touching it.
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