Paranoid about pain in my right side and my back

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SummerAngel
SummerAngel Member Posts: 1,006
edited April 2015 in Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned

I was recently diagnosed and haven't even had my lymph nodes checked yet, but for about 5 - 6 months before my diagnosis I've been having pain on and off on my right side, just below my rib cage. It's grown worse lately, and last night the pain woke me up when I rolled onto my right side in my sleep. It's usually pretty sharp and stabbing or it can also be achy. I realize it could be a bunch of things but I'm just curious if this sounds anything like liver mets to anyone.

I've also had pain in my spine directly between my shoulder blades for at least 6 - 9 months. It has also grown worse lately and now is present most of the day. I have mixed connective tissue disease so until my diagnosis I thought it was caused by that. I've even mentioned it to my rheumatologist a couple of times.

Should I assume these things are ok? My tumor is grade 1 so the doctors have told me over an over that most likely it hasn't even spread to the lymph nodes yet, but it was also over 2 cm so it was in there a long time. I don't want to appear too paranoid and I really don't want to worry over nothing, but I'm not sure how to stop being concerned unless I get these things checked.

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  • dlb823
    dlb823 Member Posts: 9,430
    edited April 2015

    SummerAngel, any pain that lasts more than 3 weeks and especially one that awakens you at night needs to be checked out. At this point there's no reason to think it's related to your recent bc dx, especially since you have a pre-existing condition that could account for it. But it sounds like a serious pain, and since you have a bc dx, you need to be sure to tell your medical team about it and let them evaluate if some additional imaging is in order, if only to relieve your mind of those nagging worries.

    So, to answer your questions... no need to be paranoid (which you are not being), but you can't just assume it's "ok" either, because it sounds like something that needs to be checked out.

    (((Hugs))) and let us know what you find out. Deanna

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  • SummerAngel
    SummerAngel Member Posts: 1,006
    edited April 2015

    Thanks so much for the reply! It really makes a difference to hear another person's opinion. :)

    I had a rough day yesterday, I found out that my breast MRI from Friday found a suspicious lump deep in my other breast. :(

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  • dlb823
    dlb823 Member Posts: 9,430
    edited April 2015

    So sorry about those MRI results, SummerAngel. As you may know, contralateral breast cancer (both breasts) is not common, so hopefully that lump is something other than bc. But thank goodness you had an MRI before making any tx decisions, so that you will go down the right path from the start -- whatever that turns out to be. Did they recommend another biopsy?

    So sorry this is dragging out for you, but hang in there! It sounds like your medical team is on top of things more than my first one was! (((Hugs))) Deanna

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  • SummerAngel
    SummerAngel Member Posts: 1,006
    edited April 2015

    Thanks again for the reply, Deanna! Yes, they're recommending another biopsy. Unfortunately my first biopsy came back benign (the cancer was inside a fibroadenoma), so my confidence in an accurate result is now pretty low. I'm super confused about what to do now.

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  • dlb823
    dlb823 Member Posts: 9,430
    edited April 2015

    Well, one thing you might do -- if you haven't already -- is go to an NCI-designated cancer center. http://www.cancer.gov/researchandfunding/extramura...

    If you're not already at one, you can always take whatever they tell you back to your local medical team if you want to keep your tx local.

    I live in an upscale area with top notch docs and medical faciliites for many things. But my bio page tells the story of my local care vs. finally going to an NCI facility (UCLA), which is why I highly recommend at least going for a second opinion, especially since things are sounding a bit more complex, or if you are confused about what to do.


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