Now a Chest MRI - please help

From the description from the bone scan report, it sounds as though this MRI has been scheduled as a precaution in order to rule out mets to the rib, not because of an expectation that they will find mets.

Certainly your reconstruction surgery could have caused trauma to the rib. I have subpectoral implants and my ribs get sore and achey all the time.

Based on the bone scan results, to keep yourself sane while you wait, my advice is to assume that all is fine and that the MRI will confirm that. That is certainly where the bone scan report is leading you. If it should turn out to be different, you will deal with it if it happens - no amount of worry now is going to change that. And with luck, all the worry will end up being for nothing, just a very scary false positive.

Good luck!

Hi Berries...I’ll keep you in my thoughts as well that all will turn out just fine. I went through a somewhat similar situation recently - felt like the doctors where searching everything & everywhere looking for cancer.

I had a CT scan after an ultrasound of my arm/neck (that I had due to mild hand swelling) showed an enlarged lymph node in my neck. The CT ruled out neck issues but found a sclerotic lesion on my T2 of my spine. Had a MRI of my spine which found no metastasis. I felt relieved but then they started comparing The 2 scans to each other and my old PET scan in 2014 and said they can’t rule out Mets since it was not on my 2014 PET.

So then I had a bone scan with a detailed look at my spine. Again all looked fine but they found a small sclerotic focus on the top of my femur/hip socket. Then I had to have a hip MRI which said that it was a benign bone tumor but I should rescan in 6 months to be safe.

My MO told me that when radiologists look at a scans of a cancer patient they put down every little thing they see that would maybe be assumed as nothing for someone without a cancer history. She also said that ‘every scan begets another scan’ which is why they don’t due them as yearly follow-ups for patients with no pain. I also couldn’t eat or sleep during all of this, but I kept reminding myself that no one thinks I have cancer at this point and if it turned out that I did have one or two spots I would find a doctor who thinks he can cure someone with limited Mets and I would do all I could to hit it hard (I’m 42 and otherwise healthy). Your doctor is making sure you are getting great medical treatment and I really feel from that wording from the radiologist that you are fine - they are just being super thorough. Take care

Hi Berries...I don’t have a real final answer on my spinal sclerotic lesion that was seen on the CT. The MRI radiologist declared the same spot (T3 or T2) totally normal and then added an addendum after reviewing the CT that it was just modest heterogeneity without enhancement. My bone scan with spine SPECT showed no abnormal activity so I felt fine to let it go after that. Like you this spot was not on my initial PET before treatment (2014) which is why they kept scanning to look for cancer.

My hip spot (top of my femur) is assumed to be a benign enchondroma but I have to rescan in 6 months to confirm that.

The anxiety from scans like these is awful and like you I was very depressed during this (I relied on Xanax and medical marijuana edibles). And it’s so hard to pick up a report and get no answers - just more questions. I’ll say a prayer for you for sure...if it were me I’d get a MRI before going straight to a bone biopsy. My MO told me that she’s only had one case where a MRI was negative but a bone biopsy was positive

berries, JCP here. You had your MRI yesterday, too? When will you get results? I dont think you should worry too much about it bc the wording was very favorable to good outcome. But..I know how it is. Let me know when you can. Prayers and light yo you! JCP AKA SUSAN

jcp,

don't know if this would help or not -- even though it's a weekend, your hospital's radiology department will likely be open. you could call and check and see if the report has been filed yet. where I live, the reports are usually up the same day -- the radiologists don't mess around. if it's up, you could ask if you can go to the hospital and get a copy. they are required to give you one.

if that will stress you out more, then don't do it. just a suggestion.