off to the onc

momand2kids, I'm right there with you on this.

I just had my 2-1/2 year mammogram (right side only) and recheck with my surgeon a month ago.  Everything went fine -- no problems.  In fact, I even convinced her and/or she decided to see if my insurance would cover a breast MRI on my right side, because the tissue in that breast is still so very dense.  So I had that breast MRI, and it, too, was fine.

Fast-forward to today.  I'm sitting here, thinking about my next recheck appointment, which is with my med onco ... this coming Monday (the day after tomorrow).  That my onco appt is so close to my surgeon recheck was just the dumb luck of scheduling.  (Gotta do better on that next year!)  But, like you, I've got something to discuss with my onco that I wish I could continue to ignore. 

I have a vertebra in my upper back that feels "bruised" (slightly sore) when I press on it. And, naturally, I'm thinking, "Oh-oh, ... bone mets!".  The odds are slim, but I've had to concede that it's possible.

This particular pain is nothing new -- in fact, it has felt that way ever since my mast/SNB nearly 3 years ago.  It hurts (I think) at the very same spot where they gave me injections of a local anesthetic and inserted a tiny catheter next to my spine (not my spinal cord) to administer a spinal nerve block.  It hurt like the dickens at the time; and for days after they pulled that cath, it felt like someone had whacked me with something, right at that spot.

I guess since the pain (discomfort?) has not gone away completely, even after all this time, I should mention it to my onco.  I am so hoping she'll blow it off, because I SO do not want to start down that path of X-rays, CT/PET, bone scans, blood work, tumor markers, etc., etc., etc.  She's really a minimalist when it comes to follow-up testing ("less is better"); but I have no doubt that, at some point, I'll mention something that will trigger an investigation.

I hate it.  I want to ignore this vertebral thing, and not bring it up at all ... but I know that's not a good idea, and I know I would advise other women here to grit their teeth and tell their docs.

<sigh>  So, we're in this together.  I'll be thinking of you on Tuesday!  Hugs .... 

otter

Love that term--ONCXIETY!!!  LOL!  My onc is a minimalist as well.  Sometimes I think it's good, other times I'm not so sure.  I have terrible libido/vaginal lubrication, too.  I'm on femara as well.  Let me know if you get any good tips on Tuesday.  Wishing you an "uneventful" appointment!