Hip Pain - should I be concerned?

If it is affecting your gait, get it checked out!

 It could be many things, including arthritis (my guess) but want to get it checked out.

Yep, it's the fear of every unusual pain being mets that freaks me out. I was never one to go to the doctor's unless it was something serious now I have started dreaming that the cancer is back.

Dear Rozzy,

Any persistent, unexplained pain should be checked out.  Hope it is nothing.

Hugs,

NancyH 

Hopefully it is nothing, I totally can relate to unexplained pains. It could be anything. Arthritus, pinched nerve, whatever. Is heat helping at all? I had significant pain in my back and ended up having a whole bunch of x-rays. It was degenerative something, eventhough I am in my forties.

I have been through the wringer on this, I also got sent for a contrast MRI, no funsville.  I have been complaining of hip pain for months, which got decidedly worse when I started Tamoxifen and has been increasing since.  Rozzy, so weird.  Exactly same thing with me--some strange swelling they think might be an infection.  I'm on Tamoxifen, that's my bet.  Of course, I went through all the horror and fear of it being bone mets, and we aren't over that yet.  They are retesting my WBC and doing another MRI in a month.

I really wonder sometimes what these drugs do to us.  Rozzy, your chances of mets based on your profile is just so low...

Rozzy, let's stay in touch.  Sounds like we are in the same boat in terms of our findings.

I don't think this is lymphedema.  The most likely scenario in my case, based on my readings and what my doc is saying, is a condition called osteomyelitis. It is an infection of the bone, and it is quite serious, but if caught early, treatable with a lot of antibiotics.  The other thing is, I wonder if bone edema can be something that comes and goes from gym and general body use.  In a general Dr. Google (ill advised in my mental state) suggests other things can cause edema, like injury or arthritis (which I've got, I think frankly, by age 40, a lot of folks show at least some signs).

My doctor has ordered another MRI.  She says my MRI shows no concern for tumors, but if the next MRI shows the same occlusion, then it's bone biopsy time.

I've been basically sick to my stomach about all this, but it really is important to remember that worrying doesn't change anything other than to ruin whatever time we do have on this green earth.  Please try to remember that and go reclaim your life until you can get answers.

Again, your chances of mets are so low.  I was IDC Stage 1, and even in my case, the chance of mets is in the single digits with Tamoxifen therapy.

Rozzy, I've been having bad hip pain recently. I already have bone mets (single lesion in sacrum) so of course I figured it was another tumor. Onc said from symptoms he didn't think so but he never takes chances so sent me for a bone scan. Good news! I'm getting old! No new mets. It's probably either arthritis or bursitis. Now I just have to make an appt with an orhopedist.

I hope your news is similar.

Leah

I can so relate to this topic--about a year after I started taking my drugs (femara and lupron) I started to have a periodic pain in my hip..... I kept going to yoga, running,etc.  The pain was slight and only came on sporadically--- but when I woke up in the morning I could always feel "something".  I talked to the onc and to my pcp---both said it was unlikely bc-- and if it continued for longer thatn 2-3 weeks regularly, then we should take a look.  Well, it never did--I might feel it on Monday and not again for a week.  This past fall I was in a fairly aggressive yoga class- and I really felt it... and I could not shake it--- so I talked to my pcp and she had me start physical therapy--

Well, what a revelation--turns out the problem was actually in my lower back and the PT was able to essentiall "move" the pain from my hip to my lower back which we now think is an old injury that has recurred--and it makes sense to me now since the pain would radiate down my leg-- sciatica which I had occasionally but never actually "solved" .  So the stretching in yoga was not really helping me and all the forward bending was actually irritating a disc..... 

 things are so much better-- I still sometimes feel it, but all I have to do is improve my posture and be sure to do the PT exercises--- I am still in PT and we have been slowly reintroducing exercises- pool running, elliptical trainers and alot of walking..... 

I have noticed that it irritates more when I am sitting than standing, it gets better when my core muscles are stronger (that is the case for all of us) and the hip pain is practically non-existent.

I know this is going to sound strange, but I really felt all along that it was not bc- the pain was not unfamiliar to me, but it was affecting my activity.   I do however think the meds have played a role-- I feel like I have no "oil" if you know what I mean--my joints and ligaments are more tender....

I was really not interested in a scan, etc because I just cannot bear the waiting... I feel like during the dx period all I did was wait and get stressed and I just don't want to do that.  Certainly, if I thought things were really bad ,that would be different-- but this all seemed to start to resolve on the first PT appointment so I knew that it was more skeletal and posture related than anything else.  

So, sometimes hip pain is actually lower back pain that has radiated to the hip because the disc is inflamed or has been knocked out of place  a little bit.  But, of course, getting it checked out is always a good idea..... I am just too chicken for any more tests other than my annual breast MRI.... 

People say that they get off the drugs and it is like a miracle.  I am hoping to get off the lupron this spring and see what happens..... I am going to try to hang on the the femara until the  5 year mark, but we will see.