groin pain could be bone Mets? What does it feel like
if there is anybody out there, who sees this who has or had bone met, and would like to let me know what your symptoms or what it felt like I would really appreciate it. I've been having pain in my groin for several months on and off it feels deeper than the muscle because I can't push on the muscle and feel pain if that makes sense. I'm concerned that I'm putting it off and saying it's a stretched ligament or some thing when it could be something worse? I mean I guess it could always be something worse. I don't want to overreact and go and get another scan when it's not necessary, but I have never had a pain like this last this long I have even been to the chiropractor three times because I thought my hip was out of place. Thank you.
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bum
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Bone mets can involve pain but not always nor are “symptoms” uniform. Depending on symptoms that others have experienced is not a very good way to determine the cause of your pain. The general rule has been to seek medical attention if pain persists for more than two weeks. You mention “another scan”. Have you had one since the pain developed? What did it reveal? If you haven’t seen a doctor and the pain has persisted for months please contact someone ASAP. Chronic pain in and of itself can really wear you down physically and mentally so please keep pursuing it. Take care.
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At least check in with your PCP.
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I’m on a week left wait. I’m trying to rest and stretching and if it doesn’t improve at all, then I believe we’re starting with an x-ray since it is the easiest to do. I understand the symptoms could be different for everybody and then some people may have no symptoms. but I’ve also been a part of the Breast Cancer club since 2017. I’ve come here for all kinds of questions and seeing all kinds of questions similar to this I am asking. I’m just wanting to know other peoples experiences with what their symptoms were like if they did end up being diagnosed with bone Mets as I’m trying to wrap my mind around the possibility of it being either direction. Obviously, I’m not asking anybody to tell me if I have bone Mets based on a few sentences
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I have not had a scan for this exact pain. But I have for other scares such as blurred vision with headaches. As it gets a little better then worse then better. Each time it gets a little better I’m hoping it’s healed. I’m just trying to cover my bases. Info like this helps me.
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turbo kitten,
Please don't worry about another scan. Your pain has been persistent for a long time. X-rays can be helpful but Mets are often better visualized on CT or PET scans. If, big if, something is seen on one of these scans then a biopsy may be recommended (some areas are physically difficult to biopsy so dx can be made on imaging alone if this is the case). I wish I had more to offer but as you will be seeing a doctor in a week, I hope you get some answers. Take care.
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This may or may not help, Turbo, but I found this on-line.
"Pain. Pain is the most common symptom of bone metastases. It tends be a constant, aching pain that may be worse during activity and can cause sleeping difficulties. Bone pain from cancer tends to be quite different from the pain caused by common conditions such as arthritis or muscular strains."
Also this, "Sometimes the pain can be sharp. Other times it's a dull ache. There may also be some swelling at the site of the pain. Many people find the pain can be worse at night."
I have also heard others describe it as "gnawing".
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FYI, Kay's description of symptoms also describes joint degeneration that is caused by severe arthritis. Mine was so bad leading up to my hip replacement that I was in constant pain all throughout my hip and groin, for months before I'd agree to surgery. It was so crumbled that I had hip dysplasia (what the PA described as "You've got what German Shepherds get!"), basically my hip was out of the joint socket.
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turbo, I will be completely honest with you. This past September after a very active month including line dance class and walking all day long at a pumpkin festival, my groin on the left side began to ache. It was at a point that I could not lift my left leg even a couple inches to pull on underwear or pants. I would have to sit and slide my clothes over the foot to pull them up. I could not lift the leg to rest my left foot on my right knee to put lotion on my foot. I was okay sitting but movement bothered it. It did not hurt when I pressed on the area. It didn’t necessarily hurt worse at night, but I could tell it was something that was not going to get better quickly. But was it mets progression or did I just overdo it and pull a groin muscle?
I was already scheduled for a bone and ct scan (which I get three times a year) at the end of October. In the weeks leading up to the scans, the leg improved only slightly. The bone scan showed there was some issue with my femur so my onc referred me to a radiologist and he recommended one round of precisely targeted radiation to the area. He didn’t suggest a biopsy of the bone. Within a couple weeks after getting the radiation, my groin felt back to normal and I was back to pulling pants up over my legs while standing up without even thinking about it.
So yes, mets is a possible reason for groin pain. However, I am already dealing with bone mets and have been for 12 years. Your issues may be caused by something completely unrelated to bc. As you say, you don’t want to overreact. But you do want to get to the cause of the groin pain. Please let us know how the xrays go and what your doctor has to say. I wish you the best.
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I came back to update that I had the X-ray done. And that I’m showing bursitis and arthritis in that hip. Being 34 that’s kind of a shock to me. I have a call in to talk to oncologist today to see if we should do any more imaging to be on the safe side. I will come back and update. Don’t want to leave the thread hanging in case anyone else comes across this in the future while trying to calm fears
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turbo - I had sudden onset hip pain several years ago and was also worried about bone mets. Imaging revealed trochanteric bursitis, fluid in the joint, and stress tears in the muscles around the hip joint. What I wanted to say is that I benefitted immensely from a long course of physical therapy that included heat therapy, deep tissue massage, strengthening exercise, TENS therapy, and US therapy - this was done in the sports medicine PT at my local university. I describe it as long course because I started with multiple times a week that involved the therapy that needed to be onsite, and evolved into continued heat and exercise that I could do at home. Improvement was slow, but I have zero issues with this hip now. Hoping your additional imaging reveals nothing concerning and that you can get some relief from any discomfort.
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specialk thank you so much. I really appreciate you sharing your story. I’m just sad this is always going to be a part of my life.
I talked to the oncologist and she said I should have called sooner but she wants to do a bone scan so we are going to start there.
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turbokitten, I’m glad to hear your onc wants you to have a bone scan. You should be proud of your persistence in finding out what's going on with your hip.
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