Really wish I wasn't posting here but...

cellardoor

Hello fine ladies (and gents),

A little history. I've been NED for 6.5 years. I recently started having new spinal pain that included numbness and tingling for my left shoulder blade to the middle of my back. Also some pain which feels like it's in and up into my rib cage. My oncologist ordered a bone scan/ct just to be certain.

The bone scan ended up showing uptake in the left iliac of my pelvic and a spot on my sternum so the Radiologist and oncologist agreed I should have a PET/CT.

The PET/CT didn't find anything in my bones (yay! I think? Can the PET be wrong?) but there was this in the report:

CHEST:
-There is subtle minimally increased uptake within a soft tissue
bulge in the upper posterior left parasternal region, most likely an
internal mammary lymph node measuring 10 x 8 mm, CT series 2 image
106. This has a maximum SUV of 2.4 on image 105 series 1.
-Mildly increased uptake corresponding to increased soft tissue in
anterior mediastinum most compatible thymic tissue related to thymic
rebound or hyperplasia. Maximum size of the presumed thymus measures
3.2 x 2.6 cm series 2 image 109. Maximum SUV 4.2 image 108 series 1.
-Note: CT images of the lungs during a PET/CT exam are obtained
during quiet respiration. Therefore, small nodules or other small
focal pulmonary abnormalities may not be adequately imaged and/or may
be obscured by atelectasis and/or motion artifact.

IMPRESSION:

1. Subtle findings suggesting possible left internal mammary lymph
node metastasis.
2. Findings in the anterior mediastinum most compatible with thymic
hyperplasia or rebound as noted above.
3. Otherwise negative exam. No osseous metastases demonstrated. The
suspected sclerotic metastasis in the left ilium is now shown to be
related to subchondral sclerosis from sacroiliac joint DJD. The
suspected lower sternum finding is a normal variant.

She said she'd send me for a CT for the lymphnode finding in 3 months. This sounds like a long time to me for something deemed as possible mets. Is this normal? I still have immense pain in my hips, spine, and sternum. Can it be wrong and be more than DJD or arthritis?

Thanks ahead of time for your thoughts.

pajim

Cellardoor, I suppose the PET can be wrong, but it's unlikely. How the PET works is they inject radioactive sugar. Then you wait while it goes throughout your body. Fast growing cells take up the sugar more than slow growing ones. Then they scan for the radioactivity levels in the cells.

Fast growing cells include your gastrointestinal tract, sites fighting infections (all those white blood cells doing their thing), inflamed areas, and cancer cells.

If your bones have mets, they aren't picking up the sugar. I have no idea whether there are kinds of breast cancer which don't show up on a PET. (PETs see my bone mets so I know they see them)

When it comes to lymph nodes, yours could simply be reacting to something else. That's the reason to wait. In three months it'll either be gone, or have grown. This is a hard thing for you to read, but if it is cancer, three months won't matter. Seriously. You'll start with the same treatment and live the same amount of time. And if it isn't cancer, you need to wait for nature to run it's course before scanning.

Your bone scan results don't jibe with your pain. Neither do the PET results. So your pain is coming from something else. Did the CT give any indication of a [different] problem with your spine? Herniated disk or something like that? Did the report not say? Or did they only read the PET part? You might ask if the radiologists could examine the CT with an eye towards finding a problem with your spine which is causing the pain.

cellardoor

Thank you! That's very reassuring to hear. Unfortunately, the PET report only mentioned DJD in my pelvis. I'll definitely ask my doctor if they can tell me more about my spine.

Spookiesmom

I gave my dog a bath, the next day I was in so much pain I could barely walk. OTC didn't begin to touch it. My mind went dark places. 3 weeks later had MRI. Never connected the dogs bath.

MRI showed DDD, stenosis, arthritis, herniated disk. Finally went away. Yesterday like a dummy I gave him a bath again. Same pain but not as bad.

Guess I need to figure out how to bathe him differently.

Have you done anything out of Your ordinary?

cellardoor

@spookies: I couldn't think of any new or different activity I had done that would cause ongoing pain, tingling, and numbness for the past three months. I hope they're able to look at my scan again and send me in the right direction so I can deal with the issues.

I hope your back feels better soon!

Spookiesmom

I also have a 4 level cervical fusion. Prior to that surgery, I had the pain, numbness, tingles. Could be a funky disc pressing on some nerves.

Now if I could just figure out how to keep a white poodle clean........

cellardoor

@spookies Oh my goodness! Lol, I have a white/beige peke and live in the PNW. I understand the struggle, haha.