Bone Pain Prior to Cancer Treatment
I was diagnosed with IDC on June 29th, 2017. I've had a chest xray and blood work, mammograms, breast and lymph node ultrasounds, and a breast MRI. From everything they've seen, they've been pretty happy with the scans because it only appears as though there's the large mass in my left breast (which is actually composed of two masses that looked like one big one initially) and one large lymph node which tested positive for cancer in the biopsy. The bloodwork I had indicated that everything else should be fine. Heart, lungs, and bones in MRI looked fine as well.
I haven't been treated for my cancer yet. Last Friday, I saw the surgeon who told me she planned on doing surgery prior to chemo because the positioning of the mass made her think that she'd be able to get everything with good margins. I have an appointment for this upcoming Friday to talk with the plastic surgeon so he can get a game plan and then they would coordinate their schedules to get a date for my surgery.
In the meantime, for the last 2 to 3 weeks, I've had a pain in both my lower left rib and in my lower back just above my pelvis. I am 32 years old. I don't do much exercise but walking and caring for my three young sons. I am a very healthy weight. I can't think of anything I may have done to cause these pains let alone have them stick around for so long without feeling better.
For the record, I did call my nurse navigator and left her a message this morning because I have a lot of anxiety regarding these pains recently. I nearly mentioned it to the surgeon this past Friday, but she sounded so positive that everything else was fine. I did ask her if there were any full-body scans that would be done, but she said that based on the bloodwork and everything else they have seen from scans, it wouldn't be necessary. But the pains have continued and I've gotten into my head. I'm waiting to hear back from her on what she thinks we should do, but I guess I just wanted to bring it up in the forum here to see what wisdom you ladies had for me. A lot of these forum posts are involving ladies who have already started treatment and some of the treatments can cause bone pains. Anyone have any info for me?
Thanks!
Comments
-
I would talk to your medical oncologist and mention the pain. He/she may order a bone scan. Especially with such a large tumor.
You may have to push hard. If necessary, request a second opinion. It is hard to advocate for yourself, but unfortunately the squeaky wheel gets what's necessary
-
I don't have a medical oncologist yet. I haven't started treatment. I did call my surgeon and she ordered a bone scan. I will be going in on Monday for that. She didn't think anything would come of it, but I'm glad she took my fears seriously.
-
I am glad your surgeon took the pain seriously. Hoping it is clear.
You may want to ask to see a medical oncologist to consult before surgery to b sure they do not want to shrink the tumor. They sometimes disagree with surgeons, so they should communicate if not completely in agreement.
-
I do believe my surgeon said she spoke with the team, but it probably wouldn't hurt to get a meeting myself.
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team