Joint symptoms right before cancer diagnosis

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LovesLoons
LovesLoons Member Posts: 68
edited October 2016 in Stage III Breast Cancer

I'm wondering if anyone had similar symptoms: I better mention that I had a CT scan and I have no bone abnormalities as far as spread.

My BC seemingly came on pretty fast. My oncologist believes the tumor has only been there for about 5 months at the most. I believe he is basing this on the fact that he thinks it would have spread further if it was there longer, and based on the symptoms I described.

Starting about May or June of this year, I had some pain in my breast at the same time every month, maybe a lump or 2 that seemed to come back, go away. Then all of a sudden it didn't go away ... during this time I also started having odd symptoms (for me). I got a weird rash. I don't think I have ever had a rash my whole adult life. That went away with normal triamcinalone cream. I also had joint pain, mostly my wrists, hands, sometimes my knees. I was really stiff getting up after sitting for a while. My middle knuckle on my middle finger on my left hand got larger. I can't fit my ring over it. I did not gain weight. It doesn't look awful, it's just a tiny bit bigger. My palms are sometimes red, and you can actually see a "line" on my ring and middle fingers where it starts/stops.

I have had late-stage Lyme disease left-over symptoms for 8 years, so random pains were nothing new to me. But these were really bothering me. I also never had joint pain with that, only muscle pain and cognitive symptoms.

When I talked to a family member who is studying for his PhD in immunology, he said that the tumor could be sending out an immune response to the tumor that is causing these symptoms, especially since they occurred around the same time.

I'm just trying to get some insight into this, see if it is a common reaction.

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  • SSInUK
    SSInUK Member Posts: 245
    edited October 2016

    you have a lot to deal wth I'm so sorry. I can't figure how these things could be linked - but I had a weird rash on the breast and chest that came and went with antibiotics a month before diagnosis too. And fatigue and bloating and pain for six months before. Maybe the body & immune system is overwhelmed and other stuff bubbling up, sending messages... The Lyme infection for example. I know triple -ve grows fast but the initial cells are there in us for a long time - it's about doubling time, if that's fast then thegrowth is very palpable in the latter period, 1cm-2 in short order etc. I hope all your symptoms settles once your treatment starts and your cancer burden diminishes.

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  • chelle44
    chelle44 Member Posts: 20
    edited October 2016

    in the six months prior to me finding a lump, I had serious hip pain and problems with fevers and fatigue and at one point all my gums swelled up. Major swelling and I have a healthy mouth. Doctors could not figure out what it was. I was tested for mumps, mono, strep and given antibiotics to try and help. Took a while to clear up and finally it did. The fatigue was intense. This was all in the months prior to feeling the lump.A week after surgery I felt fantastic for the first time in so many months. A noticeable difference. Doctors say unrelated but I know my body so well and I was different.

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  • meg2016
    meg2016 Member Posts: 287
    edited October 2016

    I have had recurring knee pain my whole adult life, comes and goes but usually linked to exercise or injury. But before my diagnosis, I actually had made an appt with an orthopedist because it had gotten so bad. I also have had eczema my whole life and it, too, had gotten really bad before my diagnosis. I had very similar symptoms to you- lumps that would come and go, and then finally just didn't go away one month so similarly my doctors didn't think it had been there long. I assumed all of this was from systemic inflammation.

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