Pain in back: Freaking out!!

lmcclure4477

Pain in back: Freaking out!!

lmcclure4477

I had a bilateral masectomy 5 months ago and got 5 lymph nodes removed. After I started taxol I started getting this pain in my back but to me it feels muscular. It is sore to the touch. It doesn't ache and only hurts when I move a certain way. If I bend over to touch my toes and stretch my arms all the way down it hurts. Doesn't ache, but feels like muscle pain. Since the pain is on my cancer side I am freaking out that the cancer spread to my bones. When I press on the spot that hurts there are bones, muscles, and joints there so I can't tell what is hurting! I also still have tissue expanders in so not sure if that is causing it. But like I said, it didn't hurt there until a month ago. It comes and goes. Usually hurts for 2-3 days and then goes away. Help! I am so scared!!!

Moiralf

Hi There,

Hard not to panic isn't it. 

You tell yourself it's fine and then you spend the next hour poking and prodding to see if you can tell where the pain is.

No one can tell you what is causing the pain exactly but have you spoken to your doc? 

My experience with bone mets it that they hurt all the time and don't go away. You say it feels like muscular pain and it is possible you are pulling a muscle at certain times and this is resulting in the pain coming and going. Have you tried an anti flam on it to see if that eases it when it is hurting. Sometimes a hot pack to see if that helps. If that provides relief then it is unlikely to be mets. Bone mets can feel like a very deep aching pain, not so much sharp and biting. But, everyone is different and so it is hard to tell.

If in doubt, check it out. Plus you will be able to relax maybe a little.

Try the usual things to help a pulled muscle and if it all continues see your doc.

It is absolutely ok to freak out and worry about every pain but there are all the other usual culprits that caused pain before bc to consider too. 

Hope it goes away or you get some relief.

Moira

lmcclure4477

It doesn't hurt all the time. Actually it doesn't hurt at all unless I bend a certain way or i sit and poke at it. It is very close to my tissue expander and it is on the side where lymph nodes were removed. It is not achey like bone pain. It is a sharp stabbing pain like a muscle or nerves. It also only bothers me for 2-3 days and then goes away for a week. I will try Advil and I also plan to discuss it with my MO, BS, and PS. I see all three in 2 weeks. Thanks for your help and the encouraging words. It is hard not to freak out!!

Moiralf

Sounds connected to your expanders and lymn node surgery. Nerves etc can take a while to heal and sometimes you can get shooting pains from nerves firing randomly. Just the joys of the journey. Talk to your docs about it but it sounds connected to muscles rather than bone.

It is really hard not to question everything your body does from now on but hopefully things settle down and you start recognising "normal" body reactions.

I was also reading your question on TMs and was going to ask which test you onc uses. There is CA  27-29 and CA 15-3. They do the same thing but numbers range differently depending on which one is used.

Your number sounds low to me and it also depends on what your numbers have been before. If this is your first time then you have no pattern to follow. TMs can be totally useless for some people and show patterns for others. But a single or even couple of tests are not sufficient to provide enough data. It is when they show a consistent rising or doubling pattern that oncs start to look for scans to see if things are changing. Rising or falling a few points is not enough to be too concerned about. It needs to be big jumps, other things including chemo can have an affect on them so many oncs don't even use them as they can be too scary and unreliable for patients. They are generally used more for when you already have mets cos they can show respond to treatment. Again they are often unreliable even then. Stupid things, but it is all part of the tricky nature of cancer.

It's natural to have many questions and sometimes it is after the first round of treatments are finishing that you start to think about what if. You need to learn to "read" your body again and look forward without fear. That is tricky for many people and sort of hard to come to terms with when you are coming out the other side. Give your self time to settle down and heal body and mind. And be kind to yourself, no one has all the answers.

Moira