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

I had a lump in that area prior to my BC dx and they were able to do an ultrasound to determine it was fat. I was worried at the time as I also have experience with thyroid cancer from 1996. I was told that this is a fairly common site for people to develop small lumps as they get older (i’m 44 now). Also it was a good thing if it felt like a pea and rolled a little vs feeling like an immovable raisin. We didn’t biopsy as the area is highly vascular.

Go on your vacation and enjoy that time. When you’re back, get it looked at. (Or make the appointment now for after your return and rest easier knowing you’ve taken an initial step.

In reply to the post asking would you have done anything differently:

Yes! Twenty years ago when I was 39 , I would not have trusted or listened to my gynecologist who upon discerning a lump in my breast said, "oh you're too young to have breast cancer and you have a history of fibrocystic disease in your breasts, so it's nothing to worry about." Thus I delayed a year until I could clearly feel a hard lump in my breast and insisted on getting a mammogram. By then it had spread to my lymph nodes.

Sadly I am facing nearly the same situation currently. As a 20 year survivor a new mass by my collarbone has been discovered that upon ultrasound was described as "suspicious for a pathologic lymph node" and recommended for a biopsy, which my family doctor is being exceedingly slow in scheduling because she doesn't seem to understand that ER/PR + cancer can indeed reoccur many years later, especially if your first incidence was age 40 or younger.

Hi dlb823, Thanks for the response, sorry it took so long for me to respond. I lost track of my initial post. Anyway, I posted about a month ago asking if you all thought that the negative results from the bone biopsy on my sacrum was reliable. Well my Docs decided they weren't reliableand called me back for second bone biopsy. I'm waiting for results again. Thanks for the support.

redgirl, I don't mind the questions.

Here is the sequence of events. I found lump in breast, about 3 x 2 inches, and a needle biopsy found it was malignant. It was determined to be invasive lobular carcinoma. I had an MRI to map things out, I guess, and see if there was bc anywhere else; there wasn't and it showed no lymph node involvement—(erroneously thought that was a good sign....). I wanted neoadjuvant chemo to try to shrink the tumor so I could have a lumpectomy rather than mastectomy. The oncologist ordered a bone scan prior to starting chemo just as a baseline. It showed some suspicius activity, so the PET was ordered. That is when mets were diagnosed. Hip, rib, scapula and some scattering along the spine.

So, I was stage iv bc from the start. I had the neoadjuvant chemo which shrunk tumor quite a bit, but not all. Like a small marble left I could still feel.Then I had a lumpectomy. The first surgery did not get clean margins, so I had a re-excision that resulted in clean margins.

I was the one who decided not to have a sentinel node biopsy. The breast surgeon wanted to do it, but I'd done some cramming research and based on what I read, felt it was unnecessary as I was already dx with mets.

I forget at what point the tumor/bc was found to be er+, her2-. Needle biopsy maybe?

After chemo, I had 33 rounds of radiation then went on Arimidex. I know there are other women who have long long years of stability on it. May not be the norm, but does happen. I also have a brother who was dx at age 18 with terminal testical cancer spread throughout his body, given a year to live, and he survived and thrives to this day—now in his 50s. So there's that.. And a cousin dx with ovarian cancer, not sure her details, but it's not an easy one to survive, yet she has for many years. Their experiences give me hope.

I know there are other women who were dx with mets only thru PET scans and no biopsy, because I once asked on this forum about it. I have all my scan reports, and they show decreased activity over several years, so definitely, the chemo was working, the arimidex was working so that the scans showed less uptake in the mets areas. I am treated at a large Pittsburgh hospital with a good reputation, and I have 99% confidence in them......

I posted a while back that I was having pain in my ribs and doctor ordered chest CT scan. Scan came back clean which is great, but I am left with the question of why I am having pain in my ribs. I am wondering if all the chemo I had late last year could just be causing lingering issues.... Anyway, just wanted to let anyone that was following know.

redgirl, yes, maybe there is something in my family's dna that sometimes won't quit. The same brother survived two 100% blocked carotid arteries several years ago. He should/could have stroked out. His surgeon said the body has an amazing capacity to find ways to repair itself, and different arteries took on the work to keep getting blood to my brother's brain. My paternal grandmother that (I share with cousin mentioned) lived to be 102, alert and mobile until her last couple months.

Along with conventional medicine, I like using complimentary techniques. Drinking lots of water, cutting out stress everywhere, several vitamin supplements, etc. While I added more fruits and vegetables to my diet, it would be hard to give up sweets, so I never have. I read many benefits of fasting but couldn't do that, either. Some of my most memorable moments are foods I've eaten! We all must use our own instincts, tho, and learn what works best for us.

I've had skin cancers all my life & had MOHS surgery for 5 basal cell cancers so far. I see a derm doc every 6 months who freezes 12 pre-cancerous lesions & takes biopsys as necessary. They have never been related to breast cancer. Hope that's true for you.

Hello everyone

Early posts I have asked questions about lymph nodes on my right and my left arm. I went to do ultrasound and they were negative. I thought that was it now it is something else. Several days ago, end of June, I started to feel some discomfort on left side on the back of head. I touch the back of my skull from the neck up and there's a bump little above the neck. It's hard and feel like a sore, seems like it radiated to left side. My right side feels OK. Could this be early symptoms of brain Mets. What kind of screening do I need. Please note I don't have headaches overall and no problem with balance or coordination. I do have a problem with sleeping late which ended up only 5 or 6 hours which I'm trying to change. Don't know if this is a cause.

Thank you for your help.

Hi Chrissy,

Thanks for your advice. Should I make apt with a PCP or an OC? Also, I'm wondering if anyone has had brain Mets and does symptoms affect the one side rather than both sides of the head. Thank you everyone.

One weird question.....,but I think so much about it... How do I know if I am having mets? Can not do scans all the time.. Does it hurts initially? I feel my body in general is pretty painful...

rdeesides, I'm following your posts. I too have rib tenderness. Ultrasound, X-rays, and liver enzymes were all good. Initially my pain was directly under my implant and tender to touch. They decided it was muscle tightness and possible cording betweeen the rib cage from Radiation and surgery. I went to pt and that helped but it is still there. We did lots of exercises and myofacial release. I am now having aching/fullness In what feels like under my ribs and sometimes on the right side of my back under my rib cage. It almost feels like the stitch you get in your side when you exercise except it's almost constant if I think about it. Obviously I am thinking liver so even though I don't want to,I'll bring be making a call to my PCP/MO to figure it out. Your pain is not on your cancer/treatment side so that is a little different but everything gets so out of whack with these treatments who knows. I'm interested to hear your updates.

I had a bone scan yesterday for pain in my right hip an thigh. Today I seen my oncologist he said I have a spot on my hip. He said it's a reoccurrence of the breast cancer. He also said I may need a hip replacement or pins. I'm waiting for a MRI appointment to see what's next. My question is don't they have to do a biopsy to say absolutely its cancer? I asked if he was certain and he said yes. Other than severe leg pain I feel great! No weight loss no fatigue more than normal.

I have a question for anyone with Stage IV bone mets.

I am not diagnosed with that yet, but it looks like it may be headed in that direction.

My question is: Did any of you have elevated Calcium blood levels associated with bone mets?

Because I have elevated calcium level, (I haven't had a bone scan yet, so will know more soon.)

Hi Amica, not that I know of but we weren't doing blood work. I had a sore back for about six months. Then one day I sneezed and went down. L4 had fractured. Of course everyone thought it was a disc problem but eventually I had an x-ray and whoops! Into the operating room with me.

I hope your problem turns out to be benign.

It hurt sometimes. Not all the time. And felt like muscular pain rather than bone pain. I really thought it was something else -- cancer recurrence didn't even occur to me. But what was happening is that the cancer was eating away at one of my vertrebrae. The muscles knew the bone was getting weak and were trying to support it. Good muscles!

If you've had this for a while and it isn't going away, ask for an x-ray. That's easy enough, not expensive, and if you have major bone problems the xray will find it. If the x-ray is negative it doesn't mean you don't have a problem but if you have a major problem the x-ray will see it. That's a convoluted sentence but you know what I mean.

The general rule of thumb is if the pain hasn't gone away in three weeks it's time to see a doctor. Which you have. But if it still hasn't gone away in months, it's time for some imaging.