anxious---again

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wallan
wallan Member Posts: 1,275
edited June 2014 in High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer

Hi ladies:

   I was dx stage 3A, april 04 and am NED. I have had my shares of scares... some self-induced, some potentially real. Last one was a CT scan of my belly in May because of right-sided pain. The CT scan came back normal... YIPPEE... and my anxiety disappeared. I stopped the aromasin I am on and the pain left. I am back on it now, and the pain comes and goes, but I know it is a side effect now so I am at ease about that.

 In fact, since May I have not thought about recurrance at all. It has been wonderful. Until now.

I have a tooth ache... I had a filling and then my tooth ache started. My whole jaw aches and throbs. I went back to the dentist and he took xrays and said my cavity was shallow and he can't see any reason why my tooth would be bothering me so much. But, he put me on antibiotics, even though he couldn't see infectioon and said I probably need a root canal.... drag!

My concern: I think the cancer is in my face or jaw and it is not my tooth at all....isn't this crazy?? The weird thing is I feel very guilty for feeling this way. I mean, women I know from these boards are truly dealing with stage 4 and are so brave and strong. I feel like a whiny, sniffling baby and that I should just deal with it already.

I have come here over the years now complaining and spilling my anxieties and it has never been anything. Thank God for that!

But now this tooth thing has cropped up. The antibiotics are not helping the tooth at all... I wonder if I even have an infection.... I am taking loads of advil and tylenol...losing sleep because the pain is worse at night... and my anxiety is going thru the roof... AGAIN....

Sorry to vent..... I just can't understand why I can't put this in perspective

Wendy A 

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  • roseg
    roseg Member Posts: 3,133
    edited June 2008

    Wendy - one thing I know a lot about is teeth!

    It can take a long time for a tooth to recover from dental work. I have had fillings and/or crowns where it was 6 months before I didn't notice it any more.   My remedy is advil and more advil.  I also have a night guard that I bought at CVS to prevent grinding because I find that when I've had dental work and my mouth is "off" that I'll grind my teeth at night. I also have tried taking sudafed, which sometimes will reduce pressure in my sinus which can add to the toothache. I find this works better for upper jaw pain.

     One thing I'll often do is take the advil before I even go in. It helps to keep the nerves from ever getting inflamed.

     If your dentist doesn't see anything I would keep with the advil and give yourself a long time. The dentist would be more than happy to do a root canal and take your money, but there isn't any reason to do that if the tooth isn't decayed.  

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  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 3,227
    edited July 2008

    Nothing to add except that NO ONE is exempt from worrying about mets...NO ONE.  Even gals who are stage IV worry and get anxious about further spread.....the human condition.

    I will say I join you in worry....I wish I could be brave about it too, but it is what it is.

     I know teeth can be finicky and I've never heard of mets to the jaw, but am no expert.

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  • Gitane
    Gitane Member Posts: 1,885
    edited July 2008

    The nerves in the jaw are very sensitive and can play tricks.  I am with you on anxiety over pain of any kind. I understand how you can be so afraid.

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  • teethman8318
    teethman8318 Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2009

    Hi Wallan,

    It is ok to vent. If you are grinding your teeth and have massive pain, I would recommend in checking out a One-Size fits all mouth guard. I would recommend googling "TotalGard" as they provide mouth guards that fit your situation. They are affordable/cost-effective. Why go through all the trouble of taking loads of advil/tylenol. I am sorry to hear this issue and Ihope you feel better!

    Dave

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  • hollyann
    hollyann Member Posts: 2,992
    edited July 2009

    hugs wallan...My daughter had the same thing happen to her..Turned out the nerve was exposed more than the dentist realized and she ended up with a root canal and crown........It is ok to feel the way you do.....Lord knows we all have been there...I am stage 1b and I worry about recurrence mainly because of where my tumor was.....How do I know it didn't drain into my chest wall nodes and not the sentinal nodes?....I was node negative as far as the sentinal and axillary nodes go......I can only trust God that He has healed me through my doctors and that I will be ok.......Sending gentle hugs to you and hoping you find pain relief soon........

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