Worrisome

Cinnamongirl
Cinnamongirl Member Posts: 199 Member

Since my surgery in Dec I have had several aches and pains which I assume are normal however I have pain in my right thigh and ribs/ back on the right side as well. I'm trying not to be paranoid since I feel I am at that "everything is a thing phase" even though pre surgery bone scans and CT scans were all clear. It just seems I cannot stop myself. 

I made an appt with my GP for today to address these issues as well as a few others as well such as the fact that all my joints seems to hurt.

My anxiety has been completely out of control coupled with the fact that my neighbor girl that lives across the street (same age as me) entered hospice yesterday for reproductive cancer.

I feel like I am always complaining or worried so much so that I am hesitant to even post here but you guys always seemed to understand. 

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Comments

  • rdoyd2
    rdoyd2 Member Posts: 80 Member
    edited January 2018 #2
    I also had joint pain all

    I also had joint pain all over. I had bone scans all was good .all my joints hurt. Sometimes when you have cancer your body attacks its own joints while trying to kill the tumor. That's what my doc told me. After about a year after my neph my jojnt pain was gone. Yours will go away also .  It's normal what your feeling as far as every ache and pain. It will get better. Your scans were clear don't worry. You are ok. It will get better .  Try to do something to keep your mind occupied. That way you will dwell on having had cancer less.

  • Cinnamongirl
    Cinnamongirl Member Posts: 199 Member
    Many thanks

    Thank you for your positive words. I am just weirded out by all of this pain. 

  • Retcenturion
    Retcenturion Member Posts: 240 Member
    Your still healing

    Your body has been assaulted big time. Your still relatively just recovering from surgery. There has been some recent posts on post op pain that might answer some of your questions on post op pain. It took along time for the side and ribs of the Neph side to be " back to normal". It was several months. I had a back injury just prior to my surgery. I had PT for the back and the Therapist highly recommended Yoga. I had nothing to lose and started with Yoga Lite at the gym. It has seemed to help with the physical pains but I catch myself thinking is it more than pain. I think I will never get past that. I think it came with membership in this club! Hope you hae a better, less stressed  weekend.

  • Cinnamongirl
    Cinnamongirl Member Posts: 199 Member
    edited January 2018 #5
    Thank you. I sometimes think

    Thank you. I sometimes think that I am rushing thing but then fear creeps in. I used to do yoga..maybe it's time to start again.

    Thanks again have a great weekend.

  • Angiebby75
    Angiebby75 Member Posts: 208 Member
    edited January 2018 #6
    I have aches and pains that

    I have aches and pains that worry me also. I have started keeping a health, and food log. So I can see how often I have them in certain areas, and then at my next appt advise my doctor. I think alot is our body healing from the surgery, and some can just be normal aging.

  • jazzgirl
    jazzgirl Member Posts: 240 Member
    Same here

    Hi Cinnamongirl,  

    I also had lots of pains for a long time - both sharp and dull - that would freak me out:  ribs, back, thigh, side, abdomen, etc.  My mind always jumps to the worst, but all seems fine now.  Try to stay calm.   I like Angiebby's suggestion of the log - wish I had thought of that and may still try it now.  

  • AnnissaP
    AnnissaP Member Posts: 632 Member
    Hi. You are still healing

    Hi. You are still healing from major surgery and it takes a long time to heal from that. I am glad you always decide to post. 

  • Jan4you
    Jan4you Member Posts: 1,330 Member
    edited January 2018 #9
    Sorry for what you are going

    Sorry for what you are going through, but glad you reached out to us.

    Are you due to have your 3 month follow up soon? And have you told your surgeon?

    Yes, some are aches and pains. Also our skeletal/muscular system is out of wrack due to surgery and healing.

    I learned at my f/u appointments that my surgeon does this blood test that lets him know if there are increased cancer cells. He often combines that with a CT scan. 

    So, it is okay to be cautious, yet not let it ruin your days for LIVING!

    Let us know what you learn, ok?

    Sending you healing hugs, Jan

  • Cinnamongirl
    Cinnamongirl Member Posts: 199 Member
    Ok so had my Dr appt on

    Ok so had my Dr appt on Friday with my GP and basically it went like this....

    We did some blood work. I expressed my concern over the aches and pains and her conclusion was that since my bone scan 7 weeks ago was clear it would be too early to do another. I am scheduled for my first set of follow up scans on March 2nd. The blood work she ordered was to check the function of my kidney and my liver. She also ordered a test for Auto immune disease since it runs on both sides of my family. My mother has Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. As far as my rib pain...I had a rib out not sure how that happened but it explains the pain. 

    The first half of the blood work came back. My liver is fine. My kidney is the same as it was a week after surgery which isnt great but could be worse. My creatinine was 1.39 and my GFR was 42. Everything else was within normal range. The ANA test has not come back yet.

    She did say I was extremely tense in my legs muscles and back muscles (probably due to the way I am sleeping without knowing it). I will be receiving a referral for massage therapy...trust me I could use a massage!

    Meanwhile I have a spot on my nose that wont heal and a questionable mole on my back... referred to dermotology for a pre cancer screening on that...lol

    All I can do is laugh... I mean can this really be my life at 42? Anyways thanks to all of you for always being there with words of encouragement!

  • Retcenturion
    Retcenturion Member Posts: 240 Member
    Sounds good!

    Hopefully you can work on the news the Dr gave you. If it doesn't feel right listen to your body and follow up with a Dr. Don't be surprised if the dermatologist finds a problem. At being over 30 there's a chance from all the sun exposure you have had will be a positive. I know. I have had many skin cancer removed. Caught early easy treatments with a follow-up. I have been checked almost every 6 months for 30 years.positive thoughts your way.

     

  • Cinnamongirl
    Cinnamongirl Member Posts: 199 Member
    I am hoping the rest of the

    I am hoping the rest of the bloodwork comes back good. Can't wait until all of this anxiety starts to subside. It just appears that everytime I go to the Dr it's something. I suppose it's par for the course at this point.

    Recenturion.. I was reading your profile and it seems we are almost twins in our diagnosis. I hope all is well with you.

  • JimHarrison36502
    JimHarrison36502 Member Posts: 30
    edited January 2018 #13
    If it makes you feel any

    If it makes you feel any better..I had my surgery on January 16th and I've had pains in my joints particularly my elbows and right knee. I think it's normal... I've just put it out of my mind because it isn't bad pain... Just like nagging dull pain that seems to come and go. The advice I got.. From my friend that's also my radiologist... Love your life .. You are ok... The things you are feeling are normal.

  • Cinnamongirl
    Cinnamongirl Member Posts: 199 Member
    Thank you JimHarrison! I am

    Thank you JimHarrison! I am trying so hard to just live and not be frightened. I'm sure it is normal.

  • JimHarrison36502
    JimHarrison36502 Member Posts: 30
    edited January 2018 #15
    We are very close in age and

    We are very close in age and I have a friend that had successful RCC partial nephrectomy that's female...I can ask her for you. And see if she remembers her first few months post op. She's been a huge help to me... When I talk to her tomorrow I'll ask her and post back here what she says. Y'all are the same age. I know what you're going thru.. I do the same exact thing. I've googled every pain I've had and gotten myself all worked up to the point I was stressed beyond normal

  • Cinnamongirl
    Cinnamongirl Member Posts: 199 Member
    Awesome

    That would be great. I would appreciate it. It's always nice to have feedback.

    Thanks again 

  • todd121
    todd121 Member Posts: 1,448 Member
    Healing - Aches and Pains

    I had stuff like this for months, even years after my nephrectomy. I think you should do your followups and get things checked out and at the same time try not to worry too much about it. It takes a long time to heal. The first year was the worst for me. I had weird feelings in my hands like swelling and tingling that nobody was ever able to explain. It has come and gone over the past few years, but was worse that year. I had some bouts of vertigo bad enough I couldn't drive. They never found a reason for that.

    Slowly things got better.

    I do still have some issues with joint pain that I didn't have before, and some issues with my hands feeling weird like tingling, swollen/stiff.

    The absolute worst was the first few months after the surgery. I would get so tired in the afternoon.

    So I'd say you're normal. I wouldn't ignore these things, but I wouldn't worry about them either. Write them down and watch them. Check with the doctor. If something is persistently wrong, you need to get it checked out. If it comes and goes, it's probably not cancer. The tumors grow pretty darn slow, so you aren't likely to feel something a few weeks or even months after a clean scan (of course in the areas that were scanned, and I'm talking about a CT scan or a bone scan, not an ultrasound or X-ray).

    Best wishes,

    Todd

  • Cinnamongirl
    Cinnamongirl Member Posts: 199 Member
    edited January 2018 #18
    Comforting

    Thanks Todd, I did have a bone scan and a couple of CT scans a few days before my surgery which was Dec 5th. Both came back clean. I think after the cancer diagnosis you just are always waiting for the next set of bad news.  I am so thankful for you and everyone else on here. I just can't tell you how much I appreciate everyone's insight.

    Thanks again Todd.

  • Cinnamongirl
    Cinnamongirl Member Posts: 199 Member
    Test results

    So my ANA blood work came back and it was negative for auto immune diseases. HALLELUJAH! 

     

    So onto tomorrow to get my wisdom teeth removed and then to the dermatologist on Monday to get my body glance over for some suspicious "pre cancerous" change.

    I am fallin apart y'all! 

     

    Cin

  • Awesome

    That would be great. I would appreciate it. It's always nice to have feedback.

    Thanks again 

    I haven't forgotten ya... My

    I haven't forgotten ya... My friend is an ultra sound tech.. she actually found her kidney cancer herself... But she's been on shift the past couple of days.. hope to hear from her this weekend! 

  • I talked to my friend today

    I talked to my friend today and she said she basically had the same issues... She said she went as far as making appointments with other doctors . Then after one of the appointments that everything came back ok.. she decided that she was going to pray and just give it time. Which she did and said that within 3 months pretty much everything was back to normal and she was walking 3 miles a day and getting in better shape than she was pre-op. She's a year from surgery this month and is doing really well. She's been a huge huge help to me during all of this. We have been friends since high school and she wouldn't steer me wrong. Hope this gives you a little reassurance and confidence. Have a great weekend. BTW...I went on my first solo drive today. Actually went out and ran some errands for my wife instead of her doing everything for me... Lol!! All went well!!