Rib fractures one year after radiation

S3K5

Hello,

 I haven't come across this topic on this forum recently - I have a question to all of you who have had radiation six months ago or earlier. Did anyone have rib fractures on radiation side? I had two rib fractures six month ago and they have not healed yet. Latest CT last week showed 2 more fractures. This causes a lot of pain and discomfort, every time I move my arm. Mets have been ruled out by PET/CT and bone scan - all the uptake was only on ribs -at the site of radiation.

Any advice about how to deal with this will be appreciated. I am curious to know if this is a common side effect.

Desi.

ruthbru

Hi, Did you do anything out of the ordinary that could have caused the fractures? Two and a half years after my last radiation treatment; that whole side of my body is still achey, tender and I feel little jolts, like electric shocks, going up that side (which my doctor says is nerves growing back). Last spring our town was threatened with flooding and I helped make sandbags. I think I did fracture some ribs then because my whole side really, really throbbed, and I couldn't even breathe without pain. I never did get it checked out (because I knew what caused it) and eventually it just went back to the usual sore feeling. Kind of a bummer. Do you doctors have any advice? Other than not overdoing things, my doctors do not .

natal

Hallo Desi,

My radiation was ended in may 2009, since august I have a chronical pain (but not constant) in my ribs under the  radiated breast, sometimes it is even in the back side or in the lowest point of the ribs, or going through all ribs on this side. Sometimes it happens spontaneously while breathing in. 

 The scan of my bones did not discover anything wrong, so I became rather calm after that.

The doctors say that it can take 2 years before it recovers. I noticed that yoga exercises help,  

anyway I  have no pain there during yoga sessions.

Natascha

Texas357

My radiation oncologist warned me that I'd be at life-long risk for rib fractures after radiation treatment. She said they could be "spontaneous" meaning that nothing in particular could cause them. I'm so sorry you've had to deal with this side effect.

Raili

Desi, I'm sorry to hear about your rib fracture and pain.

My surgeon and radiation oncologist both told me that rib fractures are rare, and are more likely to occur in women who are older and in poor general health.  Of course, there are exceptions to every rule - I'm 31 and have mucinous cancer, which is rare and mostly found in post-menopausal women over 60.

chaparrita1

Sorry you are suffering with this as well.  Only thing to do is be careful and to let the body heal itself, along with anything else the rads may have done.   I finished my rad treatment 2 years ago.  I was just diagnosed with a rib fracture.  I chose not to do the full body bone scan...doc said it was obvious my pain and swelling was only near left rib.  Having No other symptoms also contributed to my decision. My onc. said it is more common than you think.  He said I must have suffered some blunt trauma.  I did fall off my bed and land on my left back a month ago or so.  But like other posts mentioned, my onc. said it can just happen without trauma too.

I didn't know it could be a lifelong problem, tho.  I have really good bones...but I have always been very accident prone. So I guess I have to be even more careful now.  I hope you don't suffer too much.  Like I said things do heal.  But your attitude is always have the battle. Keep smiling.