For those of you now with bone mets -- what symptoms caused you to check it out?

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karinna
karinna Member Posts: 42
in Breast Cancer #1
Hello. I finished my chemo and radiation in August of 2008. I am now experiencing sharp pain in my feet and my ankle can't support my weight first thing in the morning. I am overweight for my size but only weigh 128 so I don't think that is the cause. My CA had spread to 7 lymph nodes so I'm prone to being concerned about recurrance. I've checked online and bone pain should be a concern. I meet with my oncologist in 2 weeks for routine follow-up. Just wondering what your thoughts are. You all have such a wealth of information and help. Thank you for any advice.

karinna

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  • missrenee
    missrenee Member Posts: 2,136 Member
    #2
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    Karinna--I answered you
    in your previous post (about dumbing down).

    Hugs, Renee
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #3
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    Hope my experience helps!
    I had bone mets after a 22 year remission. It was hard to get the proper diagnosis due to the lengthy remission. My pain started with sharp right rib pain in 2005. Interestly enough, my breast cancer had occurred decades earlier in the left breast.

    An Xray in 2005 showed 3-4 broken ribs. I also had a PET scan, CT scan, bone scan and markers done. I had done major lifting at the time, as the ribs broke while I was moving furniture and boxes after Hurricane Katrina (our house flooded). We were concerned that the ribs might be cancer, but circumstances were crazy.

    It wasn't until 2009 that the continued pain sent me for another bone scan. This time the radiologist called my scan bone mets. I then had markers drawn. For the first time, they were elevated. Finally, I had two ribs biopsied: both were + for breast cancer--the same ER+ tumor that I had had in 1987.

    At the same time, I began to have other health problems: a right-sided pneumonia and a mild heart attack. My right lung will never be normal as there was probably some mets there, but it is now just scarring.

    The pain felt like pressure trying to push out. I kept describing it as "an alien tring to push out of my body." It was intermittent, meaning I would have weeks with no pain. Each episode seemed a little longer and the pain became more insistent. The pathologic fractures (meaning fracture not caused from trauma, but from disease)that I experienced are a hallmark sign of bone mets.

    Although bone mets can go anywhere, it usually likes to go to the ribs, spine, and long bones of the arms and legs. http://www.advancedbc.org/node/9

    I was treated with radiation, hormone therapy and a bisphosphonate. I am currently considered to be in remission as my PET scans show no activity--just scarring of lungs and ribs. My markers remain very elevated, however.
  • karinna
    karinna Member Posts: 42
    #4
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    CypressCynthia said:

    Hope my experience helps!
    I had bone mets after a 22 year remission. It was hard to get the proper diagnosis due to the lengthy remission. My pain started with sharp right rib pain in 2005. Interestly enough, my breast cancer had occurred decades earlier in the left breast.

    An Xray in 2005 showed 3-4 broken ribs. I also had a PET scan, CT scan, bone scan and markers done. I had done major lifting at the time, as the ribs broke while I was moving furniture and boxes after Hurricane Katrina (our house flooded). We were concerned that the ribs might be cancer, but circumstances were crazy.

    It wasn't until 2009 that the continued pain sent me for another bone scan. This time the radiologist called my scan bone mets. I then had markers drawn. For the first time, they were elevated. Finally, I had two ribs biopsied: both were + for breast cancer--the same ER+ tumor that I had had in 1987.

    At the same time, I began to have other health problems: a right-sided pneumonia and a mild heart attack. My right lung will never be normal as there was probably some mets there, but it is now just scarring.

    The pain felt like pressure trying to push out. I kept describing it as "an alien tring to push out of my body." It was intermittent, meaning I would have weeks with no pain. Each episode seemed a little longer and the pain became more insistent. The pathologic fractures (meaning fracture not caused from trauma, but from disease)that I experienced are a hallmark sign of bone mets.

    Although bone mets can go anywhere, it usually likes to go to the ribs, spine, and long bones of the arms and legs. http://www.advancedbc.org/node/9

    I was treated with radiation, hormone therapy and a bisphosphonate. I am currently considered to be in remission as my PET scans show no activity--just scarring of lungs and ribs. My markers remain very elevated, however.

    bone mets
    Thank you for sharing your experience with me. It does help. And I will check out the site you referred to. Congrats for remission!
  • camul
    camul Member Posts: 2,537
    #5
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    Hi Karinna
    I had sharp pain in my left ribs, even though the cancer was on my right side. Had a ct scan they said probably a pulled muscle. Then two weeks later couldnt walk up a flight of stairs pain in hips and legs. Called oncologist. Did pet scan it showed ribs were full of tumors as were hips, spines, tailbone etc. Then biopsy of hips and skin confirmed mets. Have never had feet scanned was told that is one of the last places that mets are found.
    I would see the doctorand get checked out for my peace of mind.

    Wish you he best.
    Carol
  • SIROD
    SIROD Member Posts: 2,194 Member
    #6
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    Rarely Metastasize to Ankles and Feet
    Breast cancer can go anywhere but, really rarely ever metastasize to the feet and ankles.

    If you are using any hormonal therapy such as arimidex, femara, aromasin, tamoxifen, I would suspect them to be the culprit. I had a lot of bone & joint pain on Femara and since I had other problems in my ankle, knees and bones, Femara made everything worse.

    I understand your concern since you had 7 lymph nodes that were involved. If this helps, I correspond with a lady who had 22 of them and has been cancer free for over a quarter of a century. The amount doesn't seem to matter in the long run. Some with no nodes involved do go on to stage IV, figuring breast cancer on who will and who won't is a mystery that no one yet has figured out.

    Good luck with your follow up routine appointment.

    Doris
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #7
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    SIROD said:

    Rarely Metastasize to Ankles and Feet
    Breast cancer can go anywhere but, really rarely ever metastasize to the feet and ankles.

    If you are using any hormonal therapy such as arimidex, femara, aromasin, tamoxifen, I would suspect them to be the culprit. I had a lot of bone & joint pain on Femara and since I had other problems in my ankle, knees and bones, Femara made everything worse.

    I understand your concern since you had 7 lymph nodes that were involved. If this helps, I correspond with a lady who had 22 of them and has been cancer free for over a quarter of a century. The amount doesn't seem to matter in the long run. Some with no nodes involved do go on to stage IV, figuring breast cancer on who will and who won't is a mystery that no one yet has figured out.

    Good luck with your follow up routine appointment.

    Doris

    Good points, Doris. Also, a
    Good points, Doris. Also, a common cause of foot and leg pain in women can be from taking a statin drug, such as liptior, zocor. I recently had to discontinue zocor for this reason. My oncologist immediately knew, from my description of severe foot and knee pain, that this was probably from my statin and he sighed and said, "I get blamed for everything, but I really think this is the zocor." Turns out he was right...lol.

    I am going to see my cardiologist next week and will talk with him about other options. My onc said, just because one does it, it does not mean that all statins will. Right now, I am on a statin holiday, but I bet he switches me to another. I'll keep you posted!
  • debsweb18
    debsweb18 Member Posts: 191 Member
    #8
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    SIROD said:

    Rarely Metastasize to Ankles and Feet
    Breast cancer can go anywhere but, really rarely ever metastasize to the feet and ankles.

    If you are using any hormonal therapy such as arimidex, femara, aromasin, tamoxifen, I would suspect them to be the culprit. I had a lot of bone & joint pain on Femara and since I had other problems in my ankle, knees and bones, Femara made everything worse.

    I understand your concern since you had 7 lymph nodes that were involved. If this helps, I correspond with a lady who had 22 of them and has been cancer free for over a quarter of a century. The amount doesn't seem to matter in the long run. Some with no nodes involved do go on to stage IV, figuring breast cancer on who will and who won't is a mystery that no one yet has figured out.

    Good luck with your follow up routine appointment.

    Doris

    How do you know the difference?
    I had arthritis before BC DX, but since I've been on Arimidex, it's much worse and in more joints on & off. I was told that would probably be worse for me because of the arthritis. So how do you differentiate between the meds and met? The 2 times I've seen my M O, my pain is not bad so I tell him it's livable. But shortly thereafter, it creeps up again. In fact, I thought it was just when it was cold, during the winter. But now it's over 115 and Im getting stiffness and some pain again. Not enough to take anything or at least I don't think about taking anything :)

    Thanks for your help!

    Deb

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