Almost 10 years on and in panic mode again!

LornaUK, there's a whole community of hands here to hold yours, although we're sorry you're back after so long because of this worry!

Please keep us posted on how your test goes next week.

• The Mods

I know how it is - there's a part of you that says oh just leave me alone! and there's a part way back that is a bit grateful that the drs are doing their utmost to look after you.

I had a lymph node appear under the armpit on my mammogram last spring. It was 1.2 cm rather than the 1 cm upper limit. so that led to an US. which led to my summer of the never-ending scans including the bone scan including both side of my cranium and arms right out to fingertips. nothing. CT scan, fine needle biopsy, and the grand finale - surgery to take out 6 lymph nodes & dissect them. nothing. but even that wasn't enough - had to go, like you, back for yet another ct scan? mri? I can't even remember - on the "granules" in my lungs another 3 months later, to see if they had grown, even though my surgeon said they were most likley scars from past infections. which indeed they were.

Once you've had bc, the drs are ultra scupulous. are you by chance in Canada? it's awful, and scary, but once in the net they've got you, and I finally was at least able to say I was grateful they were doing their best even though I was so sick & tired of every square inch of me being intruded upon and examined. as for that odd pain on the MX side when you bend, I get that too, right in the ribs, if i bend a certain way. In your case your lung infections brought it on - in my case it was really severe dermatitis which got my lymph nodes up in arms & screaming. I 'm sorry to say but I'm realizing that, once having had bc we just have to accept the inevitability of any little blip that they can see and the search for the needle in the haystack is on. I'm almost 5 years out...and wondering what on earth my lymph nodes will be up to for my upcoming mammogram and also see I've ALREADY got an appt with my surgeon in may and medical oncologist in June. I would hope just to tell m that I've done my 5 yrs arimidex and....but I wonder if they're lining me up since they're really NOT completely convinced that all the uproar last summer was from my rash. I have to give them A + for diligence! they have to keep following every trail....much to our annoyace and fear. all the best! i think you'll be just fine, and, like me, eventually be grateful that they examined every sqaure inch and no little hooligans lurking. holding your hand..

I'm wondering if we should be thankful that we have universal health care? in the US patients would have to educate themselves, it seems to me, to make these decisions and then fight with their insurance companies whereas we just get stuck onto the assembly line.

You can always refuse.

I mean, I had the bone scan too, over what? a lymph node that was 1.2 cm instead of 1 cm! They personally and professionally cannot rest until they are satisfied they are doing their job well - and you want to say back off! If you have one tiny suspicious area but the liver etc & other things are of no concern I would tend to believe them.

In this case, as in mine, the bone scan - ugh - is the very unwelcome icing on the cake but they would not consider that they are doing their job correctly unless they do it all, and that means looking through the entire haystack. They had me actually booked to see the MO long before my results were even back!

Canada tends to follow British protocol - I just knew you were someplace with unversal health care when you wrote about walking in the door and your bone scan appt is ready. You do not mention coughing or shortness of breath and other people here have told me about numerous follow-up scans till they finally give up - I take anti-anxiety meds in such situations and keep reminding myself the they must have invented the word cautious. all the best. holding your hand.

yes I had the same scan this summer with the radioactive injection then come back 2 hrs later....and every single test - MRI, CT scan can't even remember them all, had a friggin IV where they would inject a special chemical to really show up any spots - the MRI, I think it was, said I'd have odd sensation like i peed my pants - and yes it did feel that way, all lovely & snug as a bug in its carapace in the MRI - they didn't do all that IV stuff first time around...and didn't do my cranium and fingertips either - boy you have to credit them with being thorough...glad to hear you're at one of the best..tht's why they're doing such a splendid job..I'll bet anything it's the scars from old infections, I think they are very common and likely nearly everyone has them, even me, who has had pneumonia only once.

I will also keep everything crossed for you.