Bone Mets & Bloodwork

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stavmom
stavmom Member Posts: 35
edited June 2014 in Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
Bone Mets & Bloodwork
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  • stavmom
    stavmom Member Posts: 35
    edited September 2010

    Has anyone had bone mets diagnosed while their bloodwork still fell within normal ranges for calcium, alkaline phosphate, etc.?  Thanks for sharing.

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  • 3katz
    3katz Member Posts: 1,264
    edited September 2010

    Sorry you haven't had an answer yet, stavmom. I just saw this thread. My blood work fell within the normal ranges except the tumor markers when I was diagnosed with bone mets. I hope this doesn't scare you but blood work is not used to determine mets - at least not bone mets. If you are having pain, tell your doctor & get an x-ray.

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  • Leah_S
    Leah_S Member Posts: 8,458
    edited September 2010

    When I was dx with bone mets almost all of my bloodwork (including tumor markers) fell within the normal range. The only exception was that I am very slightly anemic.

    Leah

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  • undecided8
    undecided8 Member Posts: 194
    edited October 2010

    Yes, ALL of my bloodwork was perfectly normal. I had NO symptoms prior to falling up my back porch steps and breaking my left hip. It took 5 months to diagnose that it was bone mets. I thought I tripped over my flip-flops that I was wearing. Orthopedic ASSURED me it was NOT cancer related. Even when I complained of bad right arm/shoulder pain, he again did an x-ray and assured me it was rotator cuff tendinitis. After switching orthopedics he ran the appropriate tests to find I had a 5 cm tumor in my femur and a broken humerus in my right arm. So much for rotator cuff tendinitis. My bone met in my femur/hip gave me NO symtoms before it broke so if you're having ANY symptoms or suspect anything wrong be INSISTENT. Wishing you the VERY best!!!

    Suzanne

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  • nancyh
    nancyh Member Posts: 2,644
    edited October 2010

    Yes, my bloodwork was, and still is, completely normal.  I think tumor markers only go up in about 80% of cases, so 1 in 5 of us have normal labs.

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  • camul
    camul Member Posts: 28
    edited October 2010

    Normal bloodwork, just thought really bad arthritis?  Bladder infection?  Be insistant, if it doesnt feel right, go with your gut feeling, rather be wrong, than wait too long.  Let us know the outcome~  Thinking of you

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  • Medigal
    Medigal Member Posts: 1,412
    edited October 2010

    Ok so how does your Onc know if one has ANY mets?  Is it always just found accidentally?  This worries me that one could have it and  be told by your Onc everything is fine because all my Onc does is look at my lab tests and do a manual check on me.  I don't think they can feel mets by hand can they?

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  • stavmom
    stavmom Member Posts: 35
    edited October 2010

    Okay, well, because of your answers (thank you!) I asked for an xray. Unfortunately, it came back showing a small lytic lesion. I have a second area in my vertebra that wasn't xrayed that is also extremely painful. So I am going on Monday to get a full bone scan.  I'm trying to be strong cuz I really don't know for sure yet, but my doctor's order for the scan says I have mets. He showed it to me on the xray. I'm scared. I'm only 42 and have young kids.

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  • LRM216
    LRM216 Member Posts: 2,115
    edited October 2010

    Stavmom:

    I am not posting this to offer false hope, but to let you know that for two weeks or more we have gone through - on another thread - sheer hell with another sister that was experiencing severe arm, neck and back pain.  We were all frightened for her and had to peel her off the wall a few times until she finally had a ct scan that the radiologist read as a lesion in her neck vertebrae highly suspicious for metatastic cancer.  She then had to sweat out a MRI over the weekend no less and felt for sure it had spread to her bones and she had cancer again.  Fortunately for her, her onc stayed on top of the MRI over the weekend and called her (she wasn't expecting any news until Monday at the earliest) - but found out she had a herniated disk.  Not that a herniated disk is a fun thing, but, as you can imagine, we were all ELATED!!!!  I tell you this only to point out that until all testing is done and read PROPERLY - it does not mean you have cancer in your bones.  I'm not even going to tell you to relax, don't be scared yet, etc., because I know I would be besides myself going through what you are right now, but just want you to know - it just could be something totally unrelated to cancer.  I am hoping for the very best news for you and am sending all positive vibes. 

    We will be here for you through whatever it may be.

    Linda

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