Long term chest pain-What do you think?

cakeisgreat

Hello, all!

I think I'm starting to get paranoid, but I have had a dull, sore chest pain on the left side near my sternum for two years (1.5 years before dx'd), same side as the cancer which was dx'd in June.  Before I was dx'd, I did look into this chest pain because I thought it was heart related.  Did every test in the book for the heart thing, got xrays of my lungs, did a stomach scope thing thinking maybe it was acid reflux and after everything came back fine, my primary doctor said some people just have pains or sensitivity.

Well, I kind of just live with it now, but since doctors say breast cancer could be growing for years, I'm now wondering if this is mets to my sternum or lungs or something that was not detected when I was dx'd.  Or could it just be a nerve that is irritated from the cancer?  

When I was dx'd, I did the chest xray, MRI, blood work, but they didnt do a PET scan, so now I'm afraid I have mets!  

Does anyone have any thoughts you can chime in?  My onc appt is Dec 4, but should I move it up and get a PET?

SpunkyGirl

Cake,

Gosh, it sounds like you have an unusual chest pain that is unrelated to your cancer, but I can understand your concern since it's on the same side.  I think a bone scan and CAT scan are the usual scans they do when you are diagnosed with breast cancer (I got both).  Did you get either one?  If not, maybe you should ask for a CAT and bone scan before you'd want a PET.  I've heard the PET scan can be unreliable, especially on it's own, and I've never had one.  Anything is possible, but your cancer is a very low-grade, slow-growing type.  It's hopefully long gone now!  

Good luck with your appointment and getting answers.  Let us know how it goes.

Bobbie

cakeisgreat

Bobbie....thanks for your thoughts.  nope, I didnt get a CAT or bone scan.kinda wish I did now.  I'm hoping it's unrelated.  The only reason I've been thinking about it being related is that "they" say cancer grows for years, so ugh!

lexislove

cake,

Did you do rads? If so, that would be my guess. Sorry that your going through this.

cakeisgreat

Hi, Lexislove!  Yep, I did rads but finished in October, and I've had this dull sore pain for about two years.  Maybe it's not a mets because wouldnt I be very sick at this point for going two years without a treatment?  Also, if it's bc related, then the bc and the chest pain would have started at the same time, so could it be mets right from the start?  Doesnt it take time to "travel?" 

I think I'm being paranoid, but I remember seeing another post (and probably many more) about every ache and pain being mets.  It's hard not to go there!

Well, off to do the Wii fit!  (If I had mets, would I be able to do exercise?  Maybe it just is "my body," but I wish I could figure this out!  I can live with the dull soreness, but if it's something that's being missed, I'll be freaking out!)

keno41

I don't think everyone has a bone  or PET scan when diagnosed . I did not and know of others who did not. I don't believe that it is routine. Maybe it depends on certain factors?  Does anyone know why some people have them and others don't. I'm curious now!

PS73

Hi, I had a PET and a Bone Scan and both were negative.  I had something similar to what you have prior to dx - prob about a year and a half before and on until dx.  I thought it was chondochondritis (sp?), and that was confirmed when I went to the Dr (they didn't do any tests however).  Not sure if you are having shots of pain in your chest in the middle of your breasts. Sometimes it shoots into the breast traveling down a nerve path.  I haven't had it since but I haven't really looked for it either.  Good luck, peace of mind says get the scans.  Not sure why you did not in the first place, its a standard thing, esp since you had a larger tumor.  I have no nodes as well but the only thing I can think of that would be different btwn our dx is that I am a grade 3 but that shouldn't matter since you have a mixture of differentiated cells.  Check with your insurance to see if they will pay for one. I know someone who just went for a PET scan five months post dx bc they didn't have one up front. 

Breathe.  Good luck.  Scary shit isn't it?

Liz08

Cake is great,

I've had symptoms very similiar to you since last summer (2008).  It's on my right side which is my cancer side and at times is in my sternum, breast, ribs that are affected. I have been diagnosed with costochondritis which is not cancer related but can be caused by  so many different things such a radiation, surgery, over exersion of the area, over exercising and sooo many other things can trigger constochondritis and it can become a chronic condition with symptoms varrying. I have had bouts of not being able to take a deep breath, cough, laugh when the constochondritis acts up.   It can get very scary and make your mind wonder.  My suggestion is to do a search on "costochondritis" in the BC forum and to do a google search.  If you do not feel at ease, I would suggest a CT scan which is a very usefull tool and may ease your mind, that's what my oncologist did upon initial diagnosis after my insistance.  A bone scan may not be a bad idea either but if you have inflamation in that area, even if it's not cancer related you may get a false positive since a bone scan is "non-specific" and picks up areas of inflamation, trauma, arthritis, old broken bones etc. 

My symptoms improve greatly and then months down the road come back and then improve.  If it would be mets, I don't think that the symptoms would improve but would continue to get worse and worse.   I know there are other members on this forum that have similar symptoms.   We can all relate, presently I'm having alot of left hip pain that radiates to my upper thigh but recently I took up yoga which has me doing alot of stretches of the joints and I wonder if that's what is causing my pain but the mind still wonders. Isn't cancer just wonderful, I recall a member calling cancer, a gift that keeps on giving.