Multiple Sclerosis and Breast Cancer

Dear beep7bop, I hope that you have a good report tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you. MS can be quiet, then again it can be relentless at times.

Hi everyone. I know it's rather quiet here but thought I'd give it a try. I have MS for 18 yrs. Fairly stable recently until this flare due to bc diagnosis and mastectomy. It's 8 weeks since surgery and I have had major problems with bowels. I had to head to er and was diagnosed with fecal impact. I'm still struggling with disrupted signal and today I found blood in my stool. I do suffer from hemerroids and have for years, but this is in the stool, not just on the tissue.

Anyone have problems after surgery and this corrected itself, as it's possible I'm straining so much, plus having to use enemas nonstop or milk of magnesia. I read Dr. Chey's post on constipation and I like the kiwi idea. I'm due for colonoscopy in Sept. but was hoping to hold off until I have the prophylactic mastectomy May 7. I did mention this problem to GP and to Breast surgeon. GP recommended colon guard check and surgeon recommended senecot. I am hoping to avoid another doctor to this mix, but the blood sure scared me (not black but certainly red). I have added beets and curcumin to my diet and that made me wonder if that's the source.

Hi forza, I'm so sorry for your cancer diagnosis after dealing with MS for years. I was diagnosed with RRMS in 2001 and BC Feb. 2019. I take LDN for MS, an off label drug that helps tremendously with typical MS stuff. It's not 100% effective, but does help greatly. One thing I've learned thru this process is never to blame it all on MS. It's so difficult to sort it all out. I just went thru this with major bowel issues after last mastectomy. I pushed for a colonoscopy and all that was found was one polyp (precancerous). The rest of the issues were an ongoing flare from MS. It's starting to clear up. Today I saw a thoracic doc, thinking this lump in my neck was lymph node problems. It's not, it's believed to be a carotid artery aneurisym. I'm waiting on a CT scan for plan of action. The nurse asked me so many questions about symptoms and all I could say was could be MS or could be related to an aneurisym.

I hope you can get some support from the Stage IV forum as this thread is not very active lately. Wishing you the best under such difficult medical issues.

Forza, can you take provigil? I did years back, but since I'm home on disability I stopped the meds. I just crawl into bed when the fatigue overwhelms me.

Thank you, Irishlove. Because I ran into you on the autoimmune thread, I found this one. I was dx with MS in 1990. Stage II BC in 2014. Stage IV BC in 2016. I don't have the time or inclination to read the whole thread but read a page at the beginning and this new stuff. Wow. I was blown away by Irish's post about encapsulation. I had a "scare" in 2013, a year before my real BC dx. There was a suspicious area in my left breast on mammo and it was biopsied. Not cancer. My BS, who did the biopsy, said something about an MS connection. I didn't really pay much attention because NOT CANCER was all I heard. Then a year later, a lump at the EXACT SAME LOCATION was biopsied and was cancer. I think the biopsy in 2013 let the cancer out. Just crazy talk, right? But it seems so logical to me. I might be able to get the 2013 report but I haven't been able to get up the motivation. And what good would it do, anyway? I am really curious, though.

I am in the same position as you guys. When you have some symptom, is it MS, cancer, or meds? Who knows? I just try to stay feeling ok and sane. Not that easy with the medical establishment messing with us all the time. I've been lucky, though. I have not been financially ruined by my medical issues when so many are.

do not blame yourself! The emotional and mental health impact of these diseases is huge and under appreciated. I think that adds to my fatigue.

So try to be kinder to yourself~you are doing the best you can!

I am so glad I found this forum. I have MS for 10 years and was recently diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. I’ve got a handle on managing MS but now to manage breast cancer too is bit overwhelming. I’m starting chemo on Monday any ad

Hi all,

It is so nice to find some other people dealing with MS and BC. I was diagnosed with MS in 2000 and with de novo stage IV BC in 2018. I haven't been on any MS meds since my BC diagnosis. Prior to that, I was on Copaxone, then Avonex, then Rebif and finally Aubagio. I went off MS meds when I got the BC diagnosis. I have since finished chemo, surgery, and radiation and a recent brain MRI shows new lesions. So, I am trying to figure out what, if any, MS meds I should take.

They also aren't sure if the new lesions are MS or brain mets from the BC. Have you encountered that issue? How do they tell the difference? Are you on any MS meds? If so, which one?

My neurologist and oncologist don't seem to know what to do with me. They each want to stay in their lane. I guess it is hard to know what to do with people like us.

Melissa