Neck and shoulder pain - feeling so dejected
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mj I'm not sure of the difference between the two tests. I had an MRI and then for a closer look they recommended a bone scan.
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Here it is
Test Overview
A bone scan is a test that can find damage to the bones, find cancer that has spread to the bones, and watch problems such as infection and trauma to the bones. A bone scan can often find a problem days to months earlier than a regular X-ray test.
During a bone scan, a radioactive substance called a tracer is injected into a vein in your arm. The tracer travels through your bloodstream and into your bones. Then a special camera takes pictures of the tracer in your bones.
Areas that absorb little or no amount of tracer appear as dark or "cold" spots. This could show a lack of blood supply to the bone or certain types of cancer.
Areas of fast bone growth or repair absorb more tracer and show up as bright or "hot" spots in the pictures. Hot spots may point to problems such as arthritis, a tumor, a fracture, or an infection.
Why It Is Done
A bone scan is done to:
- Find bone cancer or determine whether cancer from another area, such as the breast, lung, kidney, thyroid gland
, or prostate gland , has spread (metastasized) to the bone. - Help diagnose the cause or location of unexplained bone pain, such as ongoing low back pain. A bone scan may be done first to help determine the location of an abnormal bone in complex bone structures such as the foot or spine. Follow-up evaluation then may be done with a computed tomography (CT) scanor magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
- Help diagnose broken bones, such as a hip fracture or a stress fracture, not clearly seen on X-ray.
- Find damage to the bones caused by infection or other conditions, such as Paget's disease.
0 - Find bone cancer or determine whether cancer from another area, such as the breast, lung, kidney, thyroid gland
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Might want to think about seeing a Chiropractor - the right one can work wonders on pain issues and thus help to improve ROM.
I have to see my Chirp ever so often (sometimes more often when I do' 'stupid 'tuff ' like slipping down a bank into a stream or other such silly doings
). Even with arthritis in spine and osteoporosis, chiro care is still a very viable option (for me at least).My Chiro does not do what I always thought of as what a Chiro did - popping joints around which scared me with my issues (a & o). She uses a 'thumper' sort of divise that works great! My issues basi ally are in upper back, neck, one shoulder and recently hips ave decided to joint the rest in 'being bad'. Seeing her makes a world of difference (to the positive) though if I've been 'bad' ( did a bunch of 'stupid 'tuff) I may need to see her a couple of times a week for a week or 2 and then taper off.
I was never one who thought there was anything 'real' ( other than the power of positive thought) until several years before BC. The Trainer I was working with with one of my geldings getting him ready for the show season said I need to get him checked out by Dr Max (human Chiro that also did horses) as she thought he has some issues neck/back issues. Didn't believe her but got him out anyawy just to be sure. Turned out that he did have some issues - poll and withers - and there was an almost immediate improvement in his work attitude (especially over fenses). Then I decided to have Dr Max look at Kicks' dam as she could be a bit 'grouchy' at times under saddle. Her hips were REALLY out - as a broodmare Kicks had been her 5th foal (was carrying him when we bought her from an estate sale) and had always (before Kicks) had always just foaled out on the prairie in a several hundred acre pasture - so no care. Bottom line of telling this story - as animals - they had no preconceived ideas of what a Chiro was or what to hope for but there was very obvious very positive results from Chiro care for them.
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Kicks, thanks for the suggestion. My PCP had made the same recommendation. I have an appointment Monday w a chiro who does active release technique since my MIL said that did wonders for her. Of course, my insurance covers the visit and everything EXCEPT active release. Why? Who knows? But if it works, I'll take it. I know what you mean about the other body parts joining in after doing something silly. I hurt my right hip doing laps around the track at the school where I work- my students were there for practice too and I thought I'd show off. Well I usually run on trails and the turns on the track (and of course this aging body) sent my hip into spasm. I was wondering if the chiropractor would fix that too. Thanks for joining the conversation.0
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Hi, I stumbled across this post and it sounds like I have the same issue! It is my original mastectomy side, which I'm sure all the surgery, radiation and femara has taken it's toll. I'm sure part of it is arthritis as well. But just like you, I feel like it is super tight and sore from my scapula up into my neck. I had some PT which helped a little, but it never completely went away. I was told that my right side (the side that is fine) is tighter than the side that hurts so bad! Some days it is fine,but most days it's just plain sore,but some days it is excruciating! I'm not sure what sets it off. I'm working on my posture as someone above mentioned. I'm thinking of trying a chiropractor because I'm tired of it just always being there. My original mastectomy was 8 years ago and I never fully regained the ability to raise that arm up straight over my head. I'm guessing that might have something to do with it as well.
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I know this thread is old, I just googled neck and shoulder pain after reconstruction and this came up. I have had non stop shoulder and neck pain since my recon in 2015. I had frozen shoulder in 2016, got that resolved and now neck pain so bad I am in massage therapy every two weeks and have some really bad days. I just wonder when and if it will ever end. I was lucky and found my DCIS early so no radiation, no chemo. I should be healthy and happy but this pain along my shoulder blade up my neck is debilitating most days! I am tired of my primary care doc sending me to a pain doc. He just wants me on medicine and no long term solutions. I am going to keep following this thread.
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Hello there,
I started this post originally and I know exactly what you mean. I also had DCIS with no chemo/radiation. I had the same debilitating pain and some days were so bad with shoulder/neck/migraine pain that I would lay in bed for a day. After two years I’ve finally got it mostly under control. Here are some things I did. Massage may feel good for a bit but it really dind’t get in and solve my issue. I did PT and dry needling which got me 80% there. Then did chiropractic which helped a ton. I still go about every two weeks for a minor adjustment. I have my hubby massage the area every few days to keep it loose. I do have flare ups but they are manageable and more rare. Keep trying things. This can be solved but you have to retrain your body. Best
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Hi.. So sorry to hear what you are going through...
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jules72, I am so happy to find this group. I am about 3 weeks post bilateral mastectomy/ recon with expanders and have been having neck pain and migraines most days since the surgery. I just assumed it was stress causing me to tighten up and my usual migraines flaring up. BUT nothing I've tried like my usual migraine meds, herbal supplements etc has worked. Heating pads, stretching etc provides no relief. I am so happy to have caught the cancer early and have no radiation and chemo this pain and migraines are so disheartening. Did you go to your primary doctor or plastic surgeon for help? I don't know who is supposed to help since this diagnosis and I haven't had great response when I've reached out to my primary. Does anyone know of a site that details good exercises for posture and neck and shoulders post mx? Thank
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Vegerunner-
I had a exchange surgery at the end of September. I developed terrible neck pain and had resulting headaches. I came out of surgery with a huge knot in my trap!! Things got complicated because I also developed a hematoma. But to make a long story short, I complained to my PS about pain in neck/shoulder area and she sent me for PT this week. OMG.... what a relief.
PT guy said that surgeons put you in the darnest positions during surgery-HA! Some of which he surmised contributed to my plight. So you get this awful pain and you begin to close off the whole front of the body, when actually you need to stretch and open it up. He just did a few stretches on me and then placed electrodes on key areas of neck and scapula. Omgosh I feel like a different person after only one session. Try to make sure you are going to a PT that has experience with women with mastectomies and reconstruction. This guy (PT) did, and he knew exactly what to do to relieve my problem.
The expanders make your chest tight so that along with the BMX, can cause your to round and cause all sorts of problems with pain and such. But I bet if you get working on it, you will get some quick relief!!
Insist you be referred to a qualified PT, it should be fully covered under your insurance through PS.
Good luck!!
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I'm so glad people are finding this post and that it's helpful. I am now 3 years out and I still have some shoulder issues but very manageable if you stay on top of it. I echo what CBKsaid. Find a good PT. I went for 6 months and it wasn't the right one. Once I find the right PT with experience in this it got me 80% of the way there. One exercise that helped a ton was I's, Y's amd T's Reach out if you can't find that online. I also did some dry needling and a bit of cold chiropractic. So much better now. Massages as well to stay on top of it. Keep at it. It will get better and this is common. Nothing to be concerned about at all cancer wise so don't let your mind go there. Hugs!
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It is good to know that you have successfully solved this problem. I often suffer from shoulder pain due to arthritis. I am currently using a heating pad to compress my shoulders. To a certain extent, it can relieve pain and make my shoulders feel more comfortable. But this is still not enough, I will try the method you mentioned, hope it works for me. I wish you stay healthy!
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ststella I haven’t posted here for awhile but just saw your post so thought I’d pop in and provide an update. I still deal with this issue now and then - probably once or twice a month truthfully. I am now doing only acupuncture and that keeps me pretty on track. I found an acupuncturist who works at a hospital and she has found some scar tissue in various parts of my body that ironically pull on the muscles and cause them to tighten and it doesn’t take much for it to affect my neck/shoulder area. She can immediately release the tension with the needles. I wouldn’t go to just any accupuncture person though - this isn’t just for relaxation - you have to find the cause and release it - in my case scar tissue. I hope some of these suggestions lead to relief for you and continued progress forward
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I also have neck and shoulder pain (down into my chest and pec sometimes) since surgery. Originally, I thought it was just the radiation and surgery, and it would go away, but it has not. It did get better with PT...but now, no PT, it's getting worse. It's frustrating when the aches and pains send your mind into recurrence freak-out, but I'm wondering if this is just a common side effect of treatment? I do have what feels like cording in my armpit, but has never been diagnosed as such and has never gone away or even gotten better.
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Just wondering if you’re still experiencing this and if you found anything to help? I still have it 5 years later - every 2 weeks for about a day or so - pain in shoulder blade up through neck, then other days I’m fine. I just wish I could get over it. Am considering moving my implant to above the muscle but I hate to go to trial and error
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I'm so glad I found this site. I am in a similar situation a year after BMX. I do have pain on the right side of the head and neck (elbow, knee). You can even notice how the right side of the neck muscle has become slightly larger than the left. I am doing acupuncture. Does any neck stretch you have learned that work for you? Any wisdom? Thank you, Ladies.
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