Crappola, Here We Go Again

pupfoster1

So I saw my onc today to get started on Tamoxifen and while she was reviewing notes from my visit last week (abdominal/rib/back pain followed by a normal CT of the abdomen) she was concerned by the pain I'm having in my back.  It does seem to be in one area and now she wants to do an MRI of the spine before starting the Tamoxifen.  I asked her if I was being hyper sensitive to my aches and pains and as she put it "if you were a stage 1 I would say yes you are being hyper sensitive, but at a Stage III you are not, there is a real concern there".  So of course now I'm scared it's in my bones.  CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!  I REALLY wasn't expecting bad news today (not that it's bad yet, but...) and it really pulled the rug out from me.  MRI is on Saturday and I won't know until Monday.

On a pay it forward note however, on the elevator ride down a nurse from a different office on the same floor as the onc hopped on w/me and saw I looked upset.  She told me she was a 27 year cancer survivor, hugged me and held my hands and gave me some comforting words.  My higher power must have put her on that elevator cause I really needed some comfort right then.  Go figure....

Sharon

Texas357

So sorry that you're subjected to this stress! Hoping you have good news on Monday.

SpunkyGirl

Sharon,

I'll be thinking about you this week and hoping you get great news on your MRI.  I'm so glad you got that comforting talk from the nurse on the elevator.  There are some super people out there!

Hugs

Bobbie

kimber3006

Sharon - What a lousy visit and what a great nurse!  I'm so sorry you're going through this again.  Hope you can find a good distraction for the weekend and get the all clear on Monday.

Joviangeldeb

thinking of you. Keep us posted.

jenn3

So sorry that you have to go through this waiting game.  Know that we are all here holding your hand waiting for results.  (((HUGS))))

RIV54

Hi Sharon, Sorry you're going through all this stress. I just wanted to let you know that a year ago I was going through a similar experience with back pain. I finally had an MRI and what I has was athritis and a bulging disc at L4, L5 and a compressed disc below that in the sacral area. I did 3 weeks of PT and joined a gym. I hope this will give you a reason to be optimistic. While bc cancer dx tends to make you fear the worst, it sometimes isn't, although the pain is very real. Good luck. 

Momcat1962

Jenn3 wrote just what you need to know! Prayers for a great report!

squidwitch42

I hope you can fill your time with healthy distraction after your MRI. Please keep us posted, and hoping for big old nothin on the MRI.  best wishes

pupfoster1

I LOVE you all and I promise at some point I plan on posting a totally nothing but good happy stuff.  But in the meanwhile it means so much to me to have you all here.  Although my support system is great no one can really relate unless they've traveled the same road.  You all "get it".

Thanks for being here,

Sharon

Bugs

Sharon,

Keeping you in my prayers.  Sorry that you are going through this worry and fear and we are here to hold you hand.   So glad you got that hug in the elevator.  Angels among us.

Pure

Remember you had the CT scan and that was clean-my doc feels the ct is the best test out there and would show bone mets unless they were on the femer bone.

Also, my scans were on a saturday and she called me that night with the results. She was able to log in from home and get my results.

littletower

Hey Sharon-

Sending only good thoughts, prayers, wishes and dreams in your direction:)

Frankie_

Sharon,

Sorry that you're under going the nerve wrecking experience of additional scans. It does sound like your Onc is very thorough and follows up with her reviews. She seems to be really doing her job. I seem to really have to press my Onc for follow ups. I finally will be having an MRI done to a follow-up from a CT scan (April 9th) that found 2 "questionable" spots on my spine. He did order a bone scan (April 26th) that was clean. He was content to leaving it at that. When I questioned him as to why the 2 tests showed different results his answer was that one could have been a false positive and the other a false negative. I couldn't sleep at night with that answer. He FINALLY agreed to an MRI of the spine this past Tuesday. Now I wait for the call as to when that will be. The hospital is undergoing some renovations so he did say that it could be 6-8 weeks.



Sending prayers and positive thoughts out to you. You will soon have answers.

We are ALL holding your hand.

Hugs and love

Frankie

Summer38

Sharon, I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! You are in my thoughts and my fingers are crossed!

Keep us posted.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}

bejuce

Keeping you in my prayers as well.  Hope you'll get the all clear soon.

pupfoster1

Thanks girls,

Pure, the CT was of the abdominal area---organs, whatever.  I don't think it really looked at the bones.  I did have a clean bone scan not about a month and a half ago but she said the MRI is more specific---I guess it's more detailed.  I called her back today to see if they can do the rib area as well as that is where all my pain seems to have originated.  Haven't heard back yet if they were able to tack that on so I'll follow up tomorrow.  Of course today the ribs have been hurting a lot and I can't account for it as I'm out of active tx and haven't done anything to injure them.

Frankie, is there a reason you can't have your MRI somewhere else sooner?  It would seem to me if you have insurance there would be more than one place to go, although you might have to pick up films/disks from the hospital of the original to compare it to.  Sure would beat waiting weeks for an appointment.

Love you all,

Sharon

jenn3

pup - just letting you know I'm thinking of you.......(((Hugs)))

pupfoster1

Thanks Jenn.

KerryMac

Sharon - will be thinking of you.

Dorothy12

My mother has had joint and bone pains since she takes drugs: tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitor. She always thinks of cancer when she has a pain in one of her limbs. I know it's natural, so we cannot stop her doing that. However, her last bone scan was in May (and she also had other check-up examinations) Luckily, it showed nothing, everything was negative. She was diagnosed in 2008 with progesterone and estrogen positive, HER2 negative, 2,3 cm tumor size,  grade 3 stage IIA or stage IIB breast cancer, one lymph node was positive out of three and she feels great now.

Frankie_

Just got word today that my MRI for spine will be July 8th so that's not too bad of a wait. My family will be on a vacation visiting Canada's East Coast for 2 weeks so I'll be having the MRI the week that we return.

Will be thinking of you Sharon.

pupfoster1

Thanks Kerry and Dorothy. 

Dorothy I wish I could blame the pains I've been having on Tamoxifen or something else but I am currently not on anything.  That was the purpose of my visit the other day, to get started on the Tamoxifen, but when she reveiwed my symptoms she wanted to do the MRI first.  BLAH!  

Glad to hear you have a date set Frankie.  I'll keep you all posted.
Love,

Sharon

Pure

Prayers are with you today!!! Thoughts of clean scans coming your way!!!!

Pamelajo

Chemotherapy is known to cause bone pain.  If you have had a mastectomy, your ribs will hurt.  Not sure why, but yea... mine hurt all the dang time.

I have a shadowy spot that shows up on my lower spine each and every bone scan.  They get all hyper about it, but it always comes back as degenerative disease, unchanged since the previous scan.

 soooooooo, try not to sweat this until there is something to sweat.  I know, easier said than done.  I love scans though....they give me the chance to catch the little buggers faster if they pop up.

Good luck......prayers are with you

lorrhaw

Sharon - I hope you are able to relax this weekend and not worry too much about your pending results.  I am sorry to bring up an indelicate subject but could your aches and pains be age related?  I am 49 and have started developing all kinds of aches and pain just getting out of bed, moving from  sitting to standing, visa, versa, etc. etc.  I have one bone met and had a complete set of scans done a week or so ago and nothing other than the one known area showed up so I have to face the fact that the rest of what I am feeling is age related.  My husband is a few years older than me and moans and groans even more than I do so we are coming to grips with the fact that we are just getting old.

I am sorry that your doctor got you worried without seeing the test results but I am thankful that the "angel nurse" was right where you needed her to be on the elevator.

I hope that you get good news soon but in the meantime please don't worry until you know there is something to worry about because it very well could be nothing.  Keep us posted.

Lorraine

AnacortesGirl

I wish it could be different but we're only human so when we get a pain our thoughts automatically go to cancer.  But after all the scans that I've gone through have taught me that I'm going to assume that scan is clear until I hear otherwise.  I'm not going to let unknown results control my life.  And that's where I am at with my upcoming colonoscopy.  The PET saw something but I just won't accept anything but clear unless I get proven otherwise.

On a different note and one that is similiar to your elevator nurse.  I did the Relay for Life last night.  I couldn't find my friend so I was walking the survivor lap by myself.  As we were walking various people kept hollering "Sarah!" and the lady next me would raise her hands.  I finally said something to her about walking next to a celebrity.  She just laughed and we started talking.  She's a 32 year survivor.  She went through the same treatment we did 32 years ago.  She said they didn't stage cancer back then or at least they never told her.  She only had 1 lymph node positive but still went through the same chemo and had a mastectomy.  Her she was walking next me at 84 years old.  I felt honored to be able to give her a hug when we finished the lap.

pupfoster1

Thanks Anacortes et al,

Now it's the waiting and the mind game playing in my head.  I've been listening to the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle on CD TRYING to learn how to shut that insessent talk, but nighttime and early morning it's been hard.  I'm also trying to decide if I want to go to work tomorrow---I'm afraid if it's bad news I don't want to get it there.  Once again I'm projecting, but I just can't seem to explain away the pains I've been having.  

Once I know what's up I'll let you all know.

Love you all,

Sharon

Bugs

We are waiting right here with you, Sharon. {{{hugs}}}

KerryMac

Sharon, just letting you know I am waiting here with you. Let us know as soon as you hear something.

Frankie_

Thinking of you Sharon! Praying that you get clean scan results today!

(((Hugs)))