Mets to lower back?

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  • Faith316
    Faith316 Member Posts: 2,431
    edited March 2010

    I had a unilateral mx and second axillary node dissection Feb. 4.  In the past several weeks, I have had pain in my left calf and as time has progressed also lower back pain and kind of burning.  I had a Doppler color ultrasound of the leg a week ago to rule out a blood clot.  It showed nothing but they want to repeat it next week.  I have about decided that instead of a blood clot, this is a bulging disc/sciatic nerve issue.  The symptoms fit that and I had a ruptured disc in the same location with the same leg pain about 9 years ago.  If my ultrasound next week still shows no blood clot, I am going to pursue finding out if it is a disc problem like I suspect.

    That being said, I know that the general rule in the "cancer world" is any unexplained pain for two weeks should be checked out.  My symptoms match so much the symptoms of bulging disc/ sciatic nerve that I really am pretty sure that is what it is.

    But ....... just wondering...... did any of you who ended up being diagnosed with bone mets to the lower spine area ever have any of these symptoms that I described above where you thought it was a disc issue?  Or do mets to the lower spine give different symptoms?

    If anybody who has bone mets to the lower spine can share how theirs felt I would appreciate it.

    Thanks in advance for any replies.

  • sueUK
    sueUK Member Posts: 124
    edited April 2010

    Bumping as I have pretty much the same symptoms as yourself Faith!

    I recently had x-rays taken of pelvis and hip with the hope of ruling out bone mets...but await results (sigh...!) I am finding that even if I dont have pain, I feel like I am almost dragging my right leg...it just doesnt want to move as fast as the left one, and my burning is more in my shin than my calf...weird!

    Lets hope that someone comes along with some reassurance Faith, and we are both just fine!

    Sue x

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited April 2010

          I had a throbbing pain in my lower back that was pretty constant and it turned out to be new mets to my sacrum.  Radiation treatments got rid of the pain and it has not bothered me since. 

  • Faith316
    Faith316 Member Posts: 2,431
    edited April 2010

    My x-rays came back and showed no cancer.  It did show that one of my vertebrae is out of line and bone spurs in the lumbar area.  My doctor has me on 800 mg ibuprofen three times a day and wants me to have physical therapy.  I go back and see him in May and if no better, he will order an MRI to look at disc problems. 

  • LeggyJ
    LeggyJ Member Posts: 726
    edited June 2010

    I've had a pain in my neck and lower back for a few months, and I finally couldn't take it anymore and emailed my Onc. about it.  He said he would suggest x-rays and another bone scan to rule out mets. and see where we go from there.  The pain is pretty bad, and since I'm a gardener, chances are my back is just worn out.  We'll see, and I'll let you know.

  • LeggyJ
    LeggyJ Member Posts: 726
    edited July 2010

    Well it's degenerative arthritis in neck with bone spurs, and back with a narrowing of the spinal canal, which contributes to my leg fatigue.  No mets., but not good either.  Physical Therapy, is a starting point, the GP told me. Surgery to the spine is the last resort.

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