Have you had a back ache with your cancer?

Jan4you

I have had a deep ache mid back and sometimes on the side. Often I need to lay down or take a med to help with it. I asked the Urologist and he said no, its not from the tumor. Hmm.

 

So I ask my MS neuro and she says NO, its not your MS its your kidney tumor.

 

Anyone have a back ache as a symptom?

 

Jan

srbelle1

my husband's only symptoms

my husband's only symptoms were back and flank pain; months and months of it which his primary said were early arthritis and prescribed Advil.

after an MRI, a large mass on the right kidney with 2 mets to the spine.

sarah

Jan4you

srbelle1 said:

my husband's only symptoms

my husband's only symptoms were back and flank pain; months and months of it which his primary said were early arthritis and prescribed Advil.

after an MRI, a large mass on the right kidney with 2 mets to the spine.

sarah

Sorry Sarah for all you and

Sorry Sarah for all you and your hubby have been going through. Thanks for your response.

Did his surgeon believe his pain was from his kidney cancer?

And how did they find the spinal mets may I ask?

 

Warmly, Jan

donna_lee

Jan4you said:

Sorry Sarah for all you and

Sorry Sarah for all you and your hubby have been going through. Thanks for your response.

Did his surgeon believe his pain was from his kidney cancer?

And how did they find the spinal mets may I ask?

 

Warmly, Jan

Where's the pain?

When you read and interpret the "fine print" on a description of symptoms of kidney cancer, you are presented with a laundry list of items, including flank or back pain.

For me, No.  What I did have was symptoms from the mets to the liver, which caused problems with the pancreas and gall bladder.  My description led my new PC to order an ultrasound to rule out gall stones.  Meanwhile, the standard labs, including UA, found mild hematuria that wasn't visible to the naked eye.  Had I not gone in for a yearly check up so any Rx's could be renewed, who knows if I would be here to write this post.

Donna

srbelle1

Jan4you said:

Sorry Sarah for all you and

Sorry Sarah for all you and your hubby have been going through. Thanks for your response.

Did his surgeon believe his pain was from his kidney cancer?

And how did they find the spinal mets may I ask?

 

Warmly, Jan

jan:
we asked for an MRI and

jan:

we asked for an MRI and that showed a large mass on the kidney with two large spots on the spine; the lumbar met looked so fractured that there was surprise that there had been no compression and that he was playing tennis and riding a motorcycle. So, a neurosurgeorgeon did a laminectomy in July.

he did not have a nephrectomy until September; surprisingly, the tumor had not grown since July when it was first detected.

since then, as Donna mentioned, we have learned that back or flank pain are common symptoms for kidney cancer.

sarah

debbiejeanne

srbelle1 said:

jan:
we asked for an MRI and

jan:

we asked for an MRI and that showed a large mass on the kidney with two large spots on the spine; the lumbar met looked so fractured that there was surprise that there had been no compression and that he was playing tennis and riding a motorcycle. So, a neurosurgeorgeon did a laminectomy in July.

he did not have a nephrectomy until September; surprisingly, the tumor had not grown since July when it was first detected.

since then, as Donna mentioned, we have learned that back or flank pain are common symptoms for kidney cancer.

sarah

sarah, pls forgive my

sarah, pls forgive my ignorance but what is the "flank"?

dj

GSRon

debbiejeanne said:

sarah, pls forgive my

sarah, pls forgive my ignorance but what is the "flank"?

dj

Kidney Cancer sometimes get

Kidney Cancer sometimes get originally diagnosed as Kidney stones.. and the pain can be in one or more areas, starting from the back-side around to the front.  I had two doctors say I had Kidney stones.. but when they did not pass an MRI told the story...  The pain may come and go or be constant..  I would bet your pain will be gone after the surgery heals up...  It scares me that your Dr does not know that..??? (this is like Kidney Cancer 101)..

Ron

a_oaklee

back pain

Jan,  My husband had backpain and flank pain for about 3 months.  They treated it as sore muscles and he was told to rest, use heat or ice, and pain medication.  When he urinated blood and went to the ER they did a CT scan which showed the kidney tumor.  Back pain and blood in the urine are very common symptoms of kidney tumors.  My husband, like Srbelle's husband, had mets to his spine.  After the nephrectomy my husbands flank pain went away, but the back pain continues.  He also had a laminectomy and radiation to his spine mets. 

Flank means the sides of your torso, below your ribs, above your hip bone.  At least that's what I'm referring to.

Jan4you

a_oaklee said:

back pain

Jan,  My husband had backpain and flank pain for about 3 months.  They treated it as sore muscles and he was told to rest, use heat or ice, and pain medication.  When he urinated blood and went to the ER they did a CT scan which showed the kidney tumor.  Back pain and blood in the urine are very common symptoms of kidney tumors.  My husband, like Srbelle's husband, had mets to his spine.  After the nephrectomy my husbands flank pain went away, but the back pain continues.  He also had a laminectomy and radiation to his spine mets. 

Flank means the sides of your torso, below your ribs, above your hip bone.  At least that's what I'm referring to.

Oh dear, I am sorry your

Oh dear, I am sorry your husband went through all this suffering. How did they discover the spine mets if you don't mind my asking? I don't have "flank" pain, but midback and sometimes it goes to the sides. I also have MS with muscle spasticity which I take meds for. The Urologist says its not the tumor and the MS neuro says it is. Short of getting more tests, via MRI of spine, I won't know.

Did your husband lose weight or any other symptoms with his met to spine?

So what is your husband's treatment now after the surgery?

 

Jan

srbelle1

Jan4you said:

Oh dear, I am sorry your

Oh dear, I am sorry your husband went through all this suffering. How did they discover the spine mets if you don't mind my asking? I don't have "flank" pain, but midback and sometimes it goes to the sides. I also have MS with muscle spasticity which I take meds for. The Urologist says its not the tumor and the MS neuro says it is. Short of getting more tests, via MRI of spine, I won't know.

Did your husband lose weight or any other symptoms with his met to spine?

So what is your husband's treatment now after the surgery?

 

Jan

I don't know if this question

I don't know if this question was to me; my husband did not lose any weight until he had the small bowel obstruction which was not the cancer but the pain meds following the back surgery.

his only symptoms were flank and back pain which as Ron said are kidney cancer 101 which my husband's primary missed so he probably flunked that course.

sarah

a_oaklee

Jan4you said:

Oh dear, I am sorry your

Oh dear, I am sorry your husband went through all this suffering. How did they discover the spine mets if you don't mind my asking? I don't have "flank" pain, but midback and sometimes it goes to the sides. I also have MS with muscle spasticity which I take meds for. The Urologist says its not the tumor and the MS neuro says it is. Short of getting more tests, via MRI of spine, I won't know.

Did your husband lose weight or any other symptoms with his met to spine?

So what is your husband's treatment now after the surgery?

 

Jan

I will answer your questions too

We decided to go to a major medical center for surgery (nephrectomy).  My husband had another CT scan done prior to his appointment with the surgeon.  Our family practice doctor thought it would be a good idea to see if there is cancer anywhere else.  He told us about CT/PET scans.  We thought it was a good idea at the time.   The results showed the mets to his spine.  The surgeon cancelled the nephrectomy and sent us immediately to a neurosurgeon to stabilize the spine.  After that surgery, we were referred to oncology. 

My husband did not lose any weight until he started on Inlyta in April.  Food didn't taste good and he lost his appetite.  He started taking Megace to increase his appetite and he hasn't lost any more weight.  There were no other symptoms except back pain and blood in the urine.

He currently is taking Inlyta 7 mg twice a day.  He also takes pain medications.  His back still hurts at the surgical site  (major surgery on his back).  He gets CT/PET scans every 3 months.  Sees a local oncologist once a month for lab work and a Xgeva shot.  Has follow-up CTs of his spine by the radiation oncology team every 3 months. 

Please do not think just because your back hurts that you must have mets.  It just isn't so.  Many people have back pain due to their kidney tumor. 

Jan4you

a_oaklee said:

I will answer your questions too

We decided to go to a major medical center for surgery (nephrectomy).  My husband had another CT scan done prior to his appointment with the surgeon.  Our family practice doctor thought it would be a good idea to see if there is cancer anywhere else.  He told us about CT/PET scans.  We thought it was a good idea at the time.   The results showed the mets to his spine.  The surgeon cancelled the nephrectomy and sent us immediately to a neurosurgeon to stabilize the spine.  After that surgery, we were referred to oncology. 

My husband did not lose any weight until he started on Inlyta in April.  Food didn't taste good and he lost his appetite.  He started taking Megace to increase his appetite and he hasn't lost any more weight.  There were no other symptoms except back pain and blood in the urine.

He currently is taking Inlyta 7 mg twice a day.  He also takes pain medications.  His back still hurts at the surgical site  (major surgery on his back).  He gets CT/PET scans every 3 months.  Sees a local oncologist once a month for lab work and a Xgeva shot.  Has follow-up CTs of his spine by the radiation oncology team every 3 months. 

Please do not think just because your back hurts that you must have mets.  It just isn't so.  Many people have back pain due to their kidney tumor. 

Thanks for your response. I

Thanks for your response. I am not worried about mets on spine, but I just have this feeling something has changed. They have been checking me over the years for MS spinal lesions, but I have not had my back scanned in a couple of years. I just wondered what the process was that your husband (and others) found spinal mets. In other words, which was discovered first the kidney tumor or mets. Do they think the mets came from the kidney or the other way around?

Its just my back pain is not getting better. Have had this for many months now, get a break then it returns. Just not sure what it is for sure.

I hope your husband is healing and on the road to remission. Sorry he is sick from his medications.

Thanks again,

Jan

srbelle1

Jan4you said:

Thanks for your response. I

Thanks for your response. I am not worried about mets on spine, but I just have this feeling something has changed. They have been checking me over the years for MS spinal lesions, but I have not had my back scanned in a couple of years. I just wondered what the process was that your husband (and others) found spinal mets. In other words, which was discovered first the kidney tumor or mets. Do they think the mets came from the kidney or the other way around?

Its just my back pain is not getting better. Have had this for many months now, get a break then it returns. Just not sure what it is for sure.

I hope your husband is healing and on the road to remission. Sorry he is sick from his medications.

Thanks again,

Jan

my husband had back and flank

my husband had back and flank pain which his primary thought was early arthritis and prescribed Advil which did relieve the pain;he got tired of it and asked for an MRI which showed a mass in his kidney with two areas in the spine which looked suspicious for metastasis so for him, the diagnosis was made, followed by cat scans, pet scans and MRIs to get a sense of other involvement.

then, the team discussed which surgery should come first and a treatment plan was agreed on.

i do not want to scare you but your symptoms warrant further testing and any good oncologist would do a full set of scans before a nephrectomy was done. That is true for all cancers.

22 years ago, I had breast cancer and before any surgery was done, tests were run to gauge the spread, if any. I was fortunate in nothing else showing up.

my husband did not have blood in the urine and not all kidney cancers have that symptom.

hope this helps you.

Sarah

Phoenix Rising

Lord yes.

I have had almost constant backpain since this Odyssey began.  I had a searing back pain, that trailed around front to the lower rib cage, with two "strings" of pain from the lower rib cage to the lower abdomen, and the lower abdominal pain trailed around to the back.  It was enough to make me scream in the emergency room all night until they gave my screamin' @$$ some pain killer.  The oncologist later told me that was acute kidney pain, and it is was what led to my diagnosis.  There was a cyst on my kidney that was expanding and causing pain.

So I had the right rad nephrectomy, IVC thrombectomy, and lymph resection a little over a month later (in June 2009).  I had surgical pain only. Occasionally I had kidney pain in the back, front and side even though the kidney was gone, and the onc said that was the nerve endings trying to find each other.  It eventually subsided.  Well when the cold weather hit, my lower back became so sore, I couldn't pick my feet up off the floor to walk. 

That pain has never left, even when the warm weather returned, and I am sure it was a result of the kidney surgery. The pain has been with me for 4 years now.  I hate it, and it hates me.  The pain seems to go away with exercise, but returns when I cool down.  I have a hard time bending to get things in low drawers or cabinets, and have to hold on to something for stability when I first awaken in the morning.

Smitty65

So much back pain

I had so much pain from the tumor it was unbearable at times.  I have gotten so much relief post surgery. Still aches from time to time but nowhere near the same. 

Jan4you

Phoenix Rising said:

Lord yes.

I have had almost constant backpain since this Odyssey began.  I had a searing back pain, that trailed around front to the lower rib cage, with two "strings" of pain from the lower rib cage to the lower abdomen, and the lower abdominal pain trailed around to the back.  It was enough to make me scream in the emergency room all night until they gave my screamin' @$$ some pain killer.  The oncologist later told me that was acute kidney pain, and it is was what led to my diagnosis.  There was a cyst on my kidney that was expanding and causing pain.

So I had the right rad nephrectomy, IVC thrombectomy, and lymph resection a little over a month later (in June 2009).  I had surgical pain only. Occasionally I had kidney pain in the back, front and side even though the kidney was gone, and the onc said that was the nerve endings trying to find each other.  It eventually subsided.  Well when the cold weather hit, my lower back became so sore, I couldn't pick my feet up off the floor to walk. 

That pain has never left, even when the warm weather returned, and I am sure it was a result of the kidney surgery. The pain has been with me for 4 years now.  I hate it, and it hates me.  The pain seems to go away with exercise, but returns when I cool down.  I have a hard time bending to get things in low drawers or cabinets, and have to hold on to something for stability when I first awaken in the morning.

OH my, you sure have been

OH my, you sure have been through the wringer! I find your continued pain unacceptable. So sorry.

I would seek out both lazer light therapy and other alternative methods to see if your pain could be lessesed at least. After all, many nerves were involved, disrupted and unable now to communicate with the brain as before. You could find a chiropractor who utilizes ART (Autonomic response testing) methods to allow the electrical energy from the brain to the injuries places.

Also I have had lazer light therapy, inexpensive, done by both my chiropractore ANd my specialized nutritionest. Light gets the nerve endings to start talking from left side of body to right side. All I know is that it helped alot!

After another surgery, I had this special massage where the masseuse pressed hard on the scar line, breaking up the scar tissue for the body to absorb. It was VERY painful, like pressing glass on your body.. until.. I started doing my "labor-type" breathing whenever she pressed down. It was painless doing that. She said it felt not like pressing on little pebbles but actual rocks!! Yowzer no wonder it hurt at first!! Can you imagine how all those "pebbles" or adhesions are affecting your nervous system?

Trust me, no MD will know or tell you of such treatments. The lazer light treatment cost $10 for 5 minutes. It was worth it.

Here's hoping you too find ways to get some relief!

Warmly, Jan

Jan4you

Smitty65 said:

So much back pain

I had so much pain from the tumor it was unbearable at times.  I have gotten so much relief post surgery. Still aches from time to time but nowhere near the same. 

Ouch! Sorry to hear what you

Ouch! Sorry to hear what you have been through! May I ask WHERE in your back?

I am about to call my orthopedic doc to see if something else may be going on as I have discs issues in all three areas of my spine. And with MS, I have to be concerned about lesions on the spine too.

Thanks for your response.

Warmly, Jan

Smitty65

Jan4you said:

Ouch! Sorry to hear what you

Ouch! Sorry to hear what you have been through! May I ask WHERE in your back?

I am about to call my orthopedic doc to see if something else may be going on as I have discs issues in all three areas of my spine. And with MS, I have to be concerned about lesions on the spine too.

Thanks for your response.

Warmly, Jan

Right flank

My pain was lower all on the right side.  Definitely caused by the tumor.  Good luck I was lucky there were no mess anywhere else.