sciatica/mets

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There is nothing I can say....

Raro, EXACTLY the type pain I had.  CLASSIC sciatic nerve pinched.  Everyone said so.  Mine even got a little better with a chiropractor and with massage therapy.  Turned out to be mets to the femur.  My rad onc said he would never have ordered scans with the way the pain presented.  After the fact (they broke my leg moving me at the hospital) the doc said the pain was probably from exposed nerve from the mets damage or the mets pressing on a nerve.   We  were all shocked at the dx.

So sorry to hear your news, I cringe every time I read here "classic pinched nerve". 

I have that kind of pain in my leg/  Its my left leg and it only hurts when I turn in side to side, and hurts bad sometimes i yelp/    Would anything show up on a bone xray?  I had a whole body xray and nothing was there.  I dont know weather to ask for more scans.  Actually I know I should ask for more scans Ugh!

Raro,

    I am so sorry you went through that and know you must be mad, scared and Angry as H**L! I know I would be. But here is hoping you get a big B9 on it!!!!! I will send positive thoughts to you!! And keep venting if you need to, this is a great place to do it!

                                                      HUGS-Bridget

I can't say for sure, but the x-rays I had last Oct for bone pain in legs, hips and ribs was to dx arthritis.  When the results came in, I was told I had degeneration of the spine, collapsed vertebrae and arthritis, but I was referred to an Orthopaedic surgeon 'just in case.'  He ordered a bone scan and the truth was revealed. Bone mets! 

My old GP told me years ago, after an x-ray, that I had arthritis, so I just went along with that.  Every time I saw him re bone problems, I would tell him that I was worried because my M.i.Law died from mets to the spine from an unknown primary and I was anxious after having had BC. Last Aug-Sept, I would get out of bed and I could hear this clomping sound as if I had a wooden leg but, like tinnitus, I thought I was the only one who could hear it.  No matter how hard I tried I couldn't tell exactly where the 'noise' was coming from. One day it (and the pain) was so bad I asked my daughter if she could hear it and she told me that she often heard it!  Rang my GP and was told he'd retired, so after more time wasted trying to find another Dr who was taking new patients, I was finally dxed early Nov.  At the time, I was more shocked that I didn't have arthritis than that I DID have cancer.

Neither my new GP, nor the Ortho, would say that I had the big C, so I had to wait to see the Oncologist to actually be told that, "You have Breast cancer mets in your bones and it is incurable, but it can be managed."  Once I knew that I wasn't living by an hour glass, and could still look at calendars I was quite relieved, to say the least.

Sheila.

PS. When I went through all my old x-ray dx sheets, there was not one word about arthritis in them.

Lifestooshort, I don't know the answer to that question, except that maybethe tests are used conjunctively to comfirm each other.  When the two spots came in on the bone scan, she said they could also light up with inflammation or arthritis, thus the xray to confirm.  But I do remember that Elizabeth Edwards' mets was found when she hurt her ribs moving a chest - it showed on the xray.  I have to assume that she went through further testing to confirm bone mets, and to evaluate the extent.

Raro,

Crap!!! is about all I can think right now, for all of us dealing with the fallout from BC.  I hope you can get this under control quickly.  Your experience reminds us that we all have to do the research and push until we get the right answers.  Like we don't have enough stress! 

I am sorry! That is scary. I have the same kind of pain and already have mets to the pelvic area. I was told it was from the taxotere (even though it showed up 2 weeks before I took it) and pinched nerve. Hopefully if it is something, my pet scan will show it next week.

Sorry that you are dealing with this!

John Hopkins is one of the best for cancer treatment.  It's right up there with Mayo Clinic. I live in Maryland and just recently dx with mets and I know this will be long term treatment. I will be going to Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University Hospital. It is a NCI, National Cancer Institute center and a teaching hospital like John Hopkins. I also wasted 7 months going through PT after 3 doctors missed the lesion on L1.

bump

I'd ask for another round of scans and whether a PET/CT would be useful.  If everthing still comes up "normal", perhaps a referral to a pain management specialist would be helpful.  I have bone mets and degenerative discs.  The discs give me more problems than the mets.  My pain management specialist gives me epidural steroid injections to the nerve root area and it has really helped my pain.

Like I Can Do This, I have degenerative disc disease- mine with mild scoliosis. I totally panicked a year ago this month when I had rib pain on my right side and back pain-even though my IDC was small, localized,clear margins and no lymph node involvement. I scoured the Internet and lived in total fear and panic  until I could see my onc., who diagnosed musle spasms, and a couple of weeks later, my g.p., who told me of degenerative discs. Still, just having had breast cancer, it's wise to take bone pain seriously. My regular doctor thought it was wise to fold this concern into his diagnosis. I am one of the fortunate ones. PT,medication and regular exercise have helped. (Armidex is great for keeping estrogen levels down and cancer at bay,but I feel really creaky and stiff sometimes.)

To all those who have found their bone pain to be mets, know that you are in my prayers every day-especially Raro. Please know I'm thinking of you all each day.

echo, I had a problem like that this past April. It was a tendon in my wrist that was stretched. Hand specialist fixed in a simple surgery. I ,also, have never heard of mets in the hand. I think it is safe to say it can be from overusage or typing . That's why my doc said.

My hugs and prayers are with you all.

Jo, I am having wrist pain again..started the other day...same place...roflmao...I can't do anything but laugh. I have been falling apart ever since bc. where do u get the tens unit..from the Dr? Is it for pain???

Some health insurance companies pay for TENS unit if you meet certain criteria. I would check that out before I bought one! Sue