When Will Every Little Thing Not Equal Cancer?

vampeyes

When will every little hangnail, pain, cough, brain fart, fatigue, nausea or something just not the normal automatically be the thought of being METS? I swear this new foot pain is bone cancer - lol - seriously just a SE of Tamoxifen, but you know what I mean right?

MexicoHeather

Yes. It's hard to remember that the 50 year old body fails me in other ways! I just had a clear mammogram check on the left breast and there were no problems. That should keep me in the non-paranoid column for at least 6 months.

NotVeryBrave

Yep! Shoulder still hurts - cancer? New tailbone pain - cancer? Frequent headaches - cancer? Fatigue - cancer?

Add in questions about what damage treatments have done plus plain old aging and menopause ... It's exhausting.

Legomaster225

My MO is great. His best comment to me was that “common things are common”. I swore I had eyelid cancer for a couple months during chemo. He did look at it but it was a simply a blocked tear duct. It eventually went away after I washed my eye with baby shampoo and used warm washcloths. I seriously was researching eyelid cancer. It is NOT a very common place for breast cancer to metastasize too but I was sure mine had. I have to rmind myself that “common things are common” quite often 😊.

pupmom

It took me about two years. Time really does heal. Best wishes vampeyes!

illimae

Lego, eyelid cancer?! LOL

I questioned possible mets to my thumb, turns out it was sore due to how I was holding the steering wheel.

All normal rational is gone, I was even a little down the other day because of a negative fortune cookie 😒

Zsupullar

Yes, I have the same feeling.

 I have a sore vertebrae for at least 1,5 month I’m worried is something else rather than just a ordinary pain. Going to see dr tomorrow. 

Amica

Personally I would not discount aches and pains as normal aging or something else. I would have all symptoms that have anything to do with bone, brain, liver, lungs, and lymph nodes as symptoms that should be checked out.

In Canada, after you are a cancer survivor, you do not see an oncologist anymore. I have had symptoms for the last year or so, like pain in a rib, pain in a hip, increased headaches, vision changes and it never occurred to my family doctor to have these checked out. I was also lulled into complacency by being a 20 year survivor. Turns out my breast cancer has reoccurred with metastasis to at least one lymph node, and I don't know where else yet.

So, if in doubt, check it out! That's my two cents.

Amica

Legomaster225

I agree Amica, get new pains checked out, especially if they persist. Eyelids, steering wheel thumb, hangnails and the like are things we may need to talk ourselves off the ledge for though. If your stomach hurts after you just strayed from you healthy cancer diet to indulge in a coney dog it is probably not cancer. It is just hard not to let your mindgo there every time.

Illimae, time to find a new restaurant. No negative fortune cookies allowed😊

Pipandor

Not sure the fear will ever disappear although it seems to lessen a little over time. Initially, I was disappointed that medical follow up is just a yearly mammogram in Canada. Now, I have mixed feelings about early detection and medical monitoring because once cancer metastasizes, you know your time's up. I remember the couple of months after diagnosis when I was thinking I might die of cancer and the longer I can live without that kind of despair the better. Early diagnosis of metastasis and treatment might extend life a little but as things stand now, they don't save lives or enhance their quality.

MuddlingThrough

Pipandor, I respectfully and gently disagree that Stage IV means 'your time's up' or that there's no quality of life or more than a brief extension of life. There's a member on some Stage IV topics who is sixteen years from her Stage IV diagnosis and many others who are four or five years out (and more) and doing quite well. It's true that some stage four sisters have died and some have hard physical challenges but lots of us are having good treatments and watching the research and trials for the next weapons in the fight. I'm only a few months in but I've come a long way and am not giving in.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/8/topics/...

I wish you all the best and completely agree that patients should get anything checked out that doesn't seem just right.

Snickersmom

I'm not sure the feelings of fear ever go away; it has only been just over a year from my BMX and while I don't think about it all th4e time, I doubt that the fear wi=ll ever go away.

illimae

If you can manage SE’s and control the fear/anxiety, you can generally live well, regardless of stage. A glass half full outlook serves me well in lifeand with cancer.

vampeyes

Question: been having pain in my lumbar spine for about a week or so now. Constant pain, go to bed with it, wake up with it. I had a bone scan back in May and don't remember there being anything mentioned that would be on my lumbar spine. Arthritis apparently on my thoracic spine, I am only 42. How long do I ignore this and take Robax and Advil for the pain till I question the doctor about it? My cancer "wasn't aggressive" according to my first MO and therefore would not spread this quickly after treatment." I have been trying Yoga to help with the pain, essential oils, eating healthy... any tips would be appreciated. It's currently a nusicance pain, not debilitating.

pupmom

Rule of thumb is after two weeks you might want to talk with your doctor. But I'm thinking it could be an SE of tamoxifen.

vampeyes

Thanks pupmom!

Cpeachymom

I’m just over a year out, and I haven’t felt “all clear” since December! I’ve gone in for lumps twice, which I was assured were normal post rads/ post op changes. Maybe they are, that’s what I tell myself to keep the anxiety in check. But I did push my SO for a screening mri instead of a mammo just on my good side. I actually just wanted an US on my cancer side, but she said better to get mri.

Never mind this stupid weird pain in my shin that is most definitely not shin splints! I am pretty sure that’s not a common site for mets, but my mind goes there whenever it hurts. I refuse to become that paranoid though!

I’m truly hoping after this mri, assuming it’s clear, I can move on.

Jons_girl

I am so glad I'm not the only one who goes through this!! Every ache or pain that is recurring I wonder whether it could be returning. My onco doc says my cancer probably won't return due to low proliferation rate. 9%. And if it does would be slow growing again. But still with him saying that my mind still does what I said above. Grrrr! Thanks for sharing! It helps to know I'm normal. Lol. Even tho it seems very abnormal to always think this!

Cpeachymom:when do you have yr mri? Let us know how it goes k

Cpeachymom

Jon’s girl- Mri Monday, so it is soon. Waiting for the results shouldn’t be too bad only because I’ve got a busy week ahead.

I really just want to stop worrying about cancer and it’s damn side effects!! (Don’t we all!?)

vampeyes

So very true Cpeachymom, give anything to stop the worrying! Heading to a chiropractor today in hopes of getting rid of this back pain. Frickin Tamoxifen!!!!!

Pipandor

MuddlingThrough, I regret those words because you make me realize that they may dampen hope, and hope is precious. Oncologists, support groups and forums such as this one consider the special needs of people with MBC because despite the exceptions, many face end of life experiences and decisions. That is why people in remission fear recurrence and metastasis, and that is also why we should understand and protect hope and optimism.

MuddlingThrough

Pipandor, I completely agree about the fear. I spend my time swinging back and forth from hope to fear and sometimes both at once. It's good to know that many with MBC are traveling the world, exercising, working at their jobs, living for years and seeing grandchildren arrive and other important family events. For the ones who die from it, I am so sad. It will probably be me one day, but I believe I have some good years ahead. I'm going to try, anyway, and maybe my data will help the next ones who come along. All of us with MBC and other BC know the earthquake of change that comes with diagnosis and the challenges of various treatments.

Pipandor

---

MuddlingThrough, I wish you many more good years. If the beast comes back to bite me, I will remember your words. Thank you.

MuddlingThrough

Pipandor, I hope the beast never comes near you again!

Each year will bring more treatments and advances in immunology. Did you read about Judy Perkins? She is cured of MBC but the other patients in the study were not cured. Nevertheless, there is a real cure for one woman so they will build on that. They are coming at this from every direction, for BC and MBC. It will come one day.

Denise-G

vampeyes - I call them Cancer of the Week and sort of make a joke about it. My sister, also a BC Survivor, and I laugh about it. We have to or we would go crazy. I am 6.5 years out - she is 3.5 years out - we have symptoms every week of something in our aging bodies! Learning to laugh about it has helped us both get through it.

And you understand this - you can have Cancer of the Week in a part of your body that no one has ever had cancer. It is crazy!!

Realistically, it took me about 4 years to not get totally whacky and on the ledge constantly. Mostly, I've learned to stop and think about what I have done, what new pill I have taken, what heavy lifting I have done, etc., before I go on the ledge.

It does get better, but it does take time.

Cpeachymom

Denise- “Cancer of the week” - that’s good! I may have to use that!

I did finally get the “all clear” on my MRI today, so all the lumps and bumps are just that. Yay! I did breathe a big sigh of relief once I read the report.

NotVeryBrave

I love "cancer of the week" - I'll have to share that one!

I, too, just got the normal xray of my coccyx. My PCP said he hadn't yet had anyone with metastasis to the tailbone, but - you know ... could be me.

MuddlingThrough

Denise, Yes! Cancer of the week. I'm still kind of new at the cancer I do have and the mets etc. so a hang nail or a heat rash is way too concerning. I just have to remind myself it's a hundred degrees and I always have this in the summer or, duh, I have indigestion because I just had two pieces of cake so don't be so dumb next time.

vampeyes

Denise I also love the "Cancer of the week"! Too funny because it is soooo very true. I have a couple of those going right now - is it bone mets - all the bone pain I feel lately and is it uterine cancer the pain in the pelvic area? I look forward to my doctor's appointment the end of the month so he can put my mind to ease!

Notverybrave - how are you doing in the pelvic area? All good? My pain is back - joy. I am wondering how things are going not being on Tamoxifen for you.

Muddlingthrough - did you see my post to you on the anger form about the emails being hacked and could be why you are receiving extra spam? Or is my brain mistaking who that was. lol love Tamoxifen!

NotVeryBrave

vampeyes - No further pain. I had a surprise period at the end of June. Hadn't had one for 18 months. And none since. So back to guessing menopausal status.

Didn't do D&C since I had what seemed to be a period and am supposed to have another sono to confirm endometrium thickness but can't figure out when to do that. I guess I'm waiting to see if I have another period.

Still planning to restart Tamoxifen at a very low dose and go up if possible. But life is crazy enough without more drama and I'm fearful of being back on it. And of staying off it!

MuddlingThrough

vampeyes, that was me. I saw the post, thanks.