Need My Sistah's Advice

pupfoster1

Hi girls,

As many of you know, I've had many "scares" in the past year, and up to this point all has been benign.  But I've had this lingering back pain that just doesn't seem to completely go away.  It seems to be in the mid spine area, and can almost feel like a slight burning sensation at times.  It is not debilitating, just unnerving.  Add in to that I can't help but be concerned what with Jenn3's recent change in status, and of course I'm now worrying.  And I keep thinking, how long until my "luck" is going to run out on one of these "scares"?  I had recon 1/24 and had just the basic chest X-ray, blood work, which was all fine.  I think my last bone scan was last fall sometime.

So, I have my regular onco appointment scheduled for early April.  Do you think I should wait on this, or go get it checked out sooner?  Blah, I HATE this s#%t!

Love you all,

Sharon

pip57

" And I keep thinking, how long until my "luck" is going to run out on one of these "scares"? 

DITTO!!  It is like living on the edge of a cliff, isn't it?  I don't know if things work the same in MD...but...what I have done is seen my gp and she has scheduled tests so that the onc would have the results for my regular visit.  So far, so good for me.  Wishing the same for you.

diana50

i think the hardest part of after care is wondering and worrying about relapse.....every pain...every change.,..it sends us into anxiety.  my experience is that you will learn what will work for you.  what you will feel comfortable with as far as getting in to see the doc. i think that my most difficult time was the first few years after treatment.  i wanted scans...etc.....to 'catch it" if it returned. 

our docs understand this.  they are used to having patients come in to have things checked out.  if it was me; i would wait until april because i am not in a hurry to find out if i have mets.  it will change everything....and treatment will begin again.  BUT, you have to do what you need to do...and feel good about. time will heal some of this. 

 it is the unknown and the unpredictability of cancer.  do what you need to do. it is part of your personal process in learning to deal with cancer.

HUGS

diana

KerryMac

If it was me, I would wait as well. If it is not unbearable pain, then it can wait.

As Diana says, if it is cancer, everything would change. Why hurry that??

echosalvaje

My onc says to give a symptom 2 weeks. That way if it's nothing it will usually resolve over that period of time. If on the other hand things worsen or maintain at the same level then you've got a specific timeframe from which to observe any changes.

kimber3006

Yeah, I tend to think the same - if it's mets I don't want to know until I have to - that much more happy NED time.  I don't know if this is helpful or not, but my onc's PA told me bone mets generally means pain, like wake you up in the middle of the night pain.  

jenn3

Sharon - try this, a trick the PT gave me.  Roll up a hand towel and place it between your shoulder blades along the spine and lay on top of it on the floor for about 3 - 4 minutes.  Sometimes bad posture, pain, tension forces our spine into the wrong position, this gently pushes it the right place and pain relief.  Also, try using heat or a good long soak in the tub.  And remember the two week rule, if it's still there, it's better to be safe and have peace of mind.  (((Hugs)))

pupfoster1

I LOVE you guys!  You ALWAYS seem to know what to say to make me feel better.  Unless it seems to get worse I will probably wait until April, however, I was thinking about going to a new GP anyway, so I can ask her opinion too.  And thanks Jenn with the tip about the towel exercise.  I'm going to try that right now.  I most definitely have not been sleeping with good posture since my recon surgery, and I'm hoping that it's just that and the good old aging process.  I'll be 49 later this month!

Speaking of birthdays, anyone else been seeing those Happy Birthday commercials from the ACS?  I actually love them and in particular the Celine Dion one, maybe cause I have another birthday coming up :::))) 

Love you all,

Sharon

americanpinay

Hi Sharon,

Just want to wish you the best of luck and also a very happy birthday! Take care. 

Claire_in_Seattle

Sharon....are you on anti-hormonals?  That could also be a factor.

I think my back is the one place I don't hurt right now, after some heavy-duty x-country skiing last weekend.  Plus some sort of cold thingie, so coughing/dripping nose.

My neck bothers me , but did before any of this happened.  In fact, one of the reasons I lift free weights is that it feels better when I do.  I am assuming it's because the muscles support it better.

Also wondering if your recent surgery affected your posture, and that affected your back.  Feel better, and hoping no more than a strain.

(I am getting occasional spasms under my left breast, and would be worried except that I have them on the right side too.  So suspect from skiing in heavy powder a week ago. It will heal when skiing season ends.)

Feel better. - Claire

AnacortesGirl

Sharon,

Although it's been my shoulder that has caused me to go to the PT I've found that my back has benefited also.  With all the insult done to my left chest area it had tighted up my pectrol muscle and tightened all the tendons.  In other words, my posture was lousy.  So I've been doing stretches that build the shoulder muscles and tighten the muscles in my back between my shoulder blades.  Things like squeezing your shoulders backwards, doing shrugs and gently rolling your shoulders backwards along with the towel stretch that Jenn mentioned.  Also waiting for my shoulder pulley to arrive from Amazon.  She also gave me a way to do a posture check.  I guess it doesn't work for all the different body shapes out there but it does for me.  Back up to the wall, get your shoulder blades flat against the wall along with your butt.  Keep your chin down and, if you can, gently rest the back of your head against the wall.  If you can't get your head against the wall than don't worry about it - you don't want to strain those muscle.  At this point your hands should be along your sides with your mid-fingers lined up along your pant seam.  (Sounds like the military, doesn't it?) That's how your shoulders and back should be lined up.

After going through all these exercises I've noticed that just a little movement will allow me to "crack" my neck or back.  It's like things have been slipping back into place and the muscles that hold them there are getting stronger.

jennyboog

I'd probably wait too...this might not help but I have a burning and pain thing that has been going on in my left ribs for a while now.  Dr said it was GERD & that you can have refered pain and sometimes I notice right after the pain a good burp usually makes it go away.  I still get scared and worry but I try to keep reminding myself it's GERD.  It could be something with your recent recon also, right after my BMX I had the worse shoulder pain but it slowly got better.  It sucks living in fear and wondering about every ache but try not to let "cancer brain" take over sweetie, keep us up to date on things. 

jenn3

Sharon - hope you're feeling better today.

jennyboog

Thinking of you today.

pupfoster1

Hi again girls, and thanks for the kind words of encouragement!

Went to see my new GP today and wrote up an order for an Xray to start.  He said although it's not a 100% way of checking for mets, in his words, it's about 95%.  So I guess I'll do that for now, PRAY that nothing shows up (other than typical almost 49 year old stuff) and see my onc in April.  

Will keep you all posted on what I find out.  Keep the prayers and good vibes a comin!

Love,

Sharon

pip57

I think that you will get peace of mind doing the test.  And even if it isn't the news you want, you will be prepared with questions at your April onc appointment.