If you are not Stage IV but have questions, you may post here

Really happy for you, cypher! Do something chocolate to celebrate. Hoping the cording soon clears up.

Gentle hugs,
Binney

cypher, so glad to hear that your scan was clear!  Very good news!

My news is not so great, unfortunately.  The PET showed uptake in the lung nodule and growth since last week, including some lymph nodes.  There was also uptake in the spleen and spinal column, pelvis and femurs.  I'm having a biopsy of the lung nodule in a few days.  Seeing the surgeon on Wednesday.  The oncologist is still saying it could be something else, but admitted that it's looking like cancer.  Either a new primary lung cancer or metastatic breast cancer.

(Edited to amend the info.  I re-read the report)

Grumpy Cat, damn beastly bc...I am so sorry, Please keep us posted, we are all here for you...

stef, ugh ugh ugh!  You must be going nuts.  I am still holding out for you that there could be another explanation.  I also go back to something Chrissy said about how unlikely it is to spread if you are node negative -- did you have LVI?  anyway I will send good thoughts your way, wherever you are.  please keep us posted and yes we are here for you.

Steph, when do you think you'll know more? 

Grumpycat, i loved that you wished for peace and GRACE, especially, to help you through this new debacle. grace is not how i did it, and i would so like to develop that aspect, for other's sake.

Grumpy Cat

I am hoping that you have sarcoidosis as that can cause nodules everywhere.

Best wishes

Alice

Hi all,

This is my first post here, but the YSC forums (and Facebook) have such a small sample size, I wanted to take this question to a larger group.

I was dx at age 24 with a 2.4cm ER/PR+ Her2- lump in May 2010, and was treated with a bilateral mast with implant recon, AC-T chemo, and tamoxifen (which I still take). I am now 28. At my three year MRI to check on my implants (the first scan I've had since finishing treatment) "incidental note" was made of "multiple bilateral pulmonary nodules" and a CT was ordered to follow up. The CT also shows "numerous" bilateral nodules from 1-10 mm in size, the larger of which are "relatively more cranial in location" (i.e. they're more in my upper lung than lower lung, I guess), and have "multilobular" margins. I have an appointment with lung specialists on Friday, but I was hoping to hear from ladies who may have had similar findings. While one of my onc's nurses tried to convince me that mets doesn't show up as numerous smaller nodules, that isn't what I've seen in my Googling. 

I also just started coughing, but I think I may be coughing and experiencing chest tightness due to the fact that I'm getting pretty anxious. That said, of COURSE I would develop a cough once I find out I have lung nodules. I also went to a spinning class yesterday and experienced cough and shortness of breath afterwards, which is pretty uncommon for me, but I also haven't worked out pretty much at all in the three weeks I've been dealing with this, because I'm afraid. So I guess it could just be decreased fitness combined with an intense exertion. 

I recently traveled to Southeast Asia, and I live in the midwest of the US and am fairly "outdoorsy," so there is a chance this could be a weird fungal or inflammatory issue.

I'd love to hear from anyone who experienced something similar - whether it was mets or not. I'd like to become as informed as I can.

My mets consist of innumerable small nodules, but they're all in the left lung, the same side as the breast cancer.  I agree with cypher that having them in both lungs would seem unusual for mets. Let's hope yours are allergies or infection that can be cleared up quickly!

Grumpycat, I am so sorry.  i am praying that verything will turn out not cancer.   

Hi Ladies,

I have a rather odd finding, and had put it on the back burner, but now it is bugging me again since I feel the pain.  I see my surgeon next week and am going to ask her opinion, but want to throw it out there to see if anyone has run into this type of incidental issue.  I met with oncologist this week, and start radiation in about 3 weeks.  Hadn't talked to either one as I was just thinking about this again last night.

I was having some severe back back on my lower right side near my sacro joint (still have it).  Had an MRI as Dr. thought maybe sacroiliitis.  MRI was not with contrast.  Findings came back with no sign of sacroiliitis, but read "There is a focus of increased T2 signal within the sacral body at the level about S2 measuring about 8mm in size, this is hyperintense on T2 and T2 fat-sat images.  The lesion is poorly identifiable on the T1-weighted images.  Differential could include an atypical hemangioma without fat or potentially the presence of metastasis.  I do not see additional lesions.  

What I have found is hemangioma's are rare in that region.

What complicates this is, I said "what do we do to confirm or deny that report?"  Dr said have you had your well woman exam as mostly likely any metastasis would come from breast or pelvic?? If everything comes back negative, we will revisit this. 

 So, I did all that (I had not had a mammo in 3 years, various reasons, but none good).  Well, lo and behold I am dx'd with DCIS Grade 3.  Well, that is contained so it has nothing to do with that.  I had an MRI before surgery on both breasts and nothing additional showed up.   I still have that pain and that finding still bothers me.  Now that I'm with a multidisciplinary center (MD Anderson) I want to talk to someone about reviewing the MRI CD.

Can someone have metastasis and not know the source?

Thank You for any input.

cyper, my MO says if i have bone met that would show on my PET scan, cus I had PET done 2 months before i have my fingers joints stiffness n sorenes, then a few weeks later on side of my elbow n shoulder.   I heard sometime time blood test show negative for RA but it could be positive.  

Thanks for your replies ladies.  A hemangioma is an often incidental finding many times in liver and in spine, but usually multiple in spine and these are always benign lesions. They don't often cause pain and are just left there.  What I have found is they are very rare in the sacral region, more often those are mets.  HOWEVER, I'm not looking at this as that is what it is, the MRI was in January and this pain is nagging me again, but no one has been able to identify what it is.  And I never expected to be diagnosed with any type of cancer when I did all the testing to rule everything out.

What is even more bothersome and I will talk to my Dr. about all this and my concern to have someone decipher what it is that was seen is that a lesion at that area can affect bladder, bowel etc.  I had a partial hysterectomy almost 7 years ago.  After surgery I had a neurogenic bladder for 3 months, I had to self-cath.  No one could figure out what was going on or what happened.  They started assuming I had a muscle issue (ie MS) and the trauma of surgery had caused it to manifest itself.  I lived in TX at the time and they referred me to Baylor or a place in Houston to see a specialist.  I was so over Dr's, tests and the unknown I didn't do that and it eventually got better.  So, I wonder if whatever is there was the cause then too.

The pain has been intermittent for a year now, but in the same area sometimes bothersome and sometimes very painful.

cypher,

I never thought of any connection until I went to Dr. Google .  But, there is no injury, which is what was  so odd about what happened. I just wonder if this "lesion" has always been there and it caused my issues 7 years ago as that area S2 controls those functions.  8mm is very small though too.  The whole mets thing is what frightened me as that area it is rare to have a hemangioma and no Dr. has proven it is one or the other.  I put it on the back burner, once I got the dx of the DCIS.  It was the recurrent pain that reminded me I'm at a perfect facility to have some one give me direction or re-read the CD.

Thank you for your responses, I truly appreciate it.