Bone Scan

abobb
abobb Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Help, anyone, I have breast cancer, the size of my lump was 2.5 cm and there was no node involvement. I did ac and rad and began taking arimidex in July 03. In August I noticed that at night as soon as I laid down in bed, I would start coughing. Now the coughing is in the day-time too. It is a dry cough. In addition, I have the worst joint pain, it was so bad before the holidays that I could not walk, dress myself, etc. Went to the doc, they did some xrays, and that came back with arthritis in my back. Now tomorrow I go for a bone scan. What exactly will that show? I am nervous and stressed. I am also on zoloft.

Thanks
ABobb

Comments

  • singer2912
    singer2912 Member Posts: 8
    #2
    Hi...I'm also experiencing joint pain and heading back to the doc next week. There are several of us on this board that are experiencing this and no one is sure if it's part of the chemo side effect or arimidex. I'll let you know what my doctor says. Meanwhile, stay hopeful!
  • DeeNY711
    DeeNY711 Member Posts: 476 Member
    #3
    My last chemotherapy was in mid-August, and I'm now on Arimidex. I, too have nasty joint pain, especially in bed at night. If one of your x-rays was a chest x-ray, it was really great news to have it be negative. As more and more people report joint pain with Arimidex, I suspect that oncologists will have to revise their opinion that Arimidex does not cause joint pain. I find that when it is going to rain or snow, the difficulty walking pretty much falls into the category of incapacitating.

    This happens to people other than those of us who have had cancer treatments, though. I remember a young deli worker limping around complaining that it hurts where he fell off his motorcycle, and the elderly gentleman working with him replied that if he thought it hurt now, wait until 20 years from now!

    The bone scan will see whether your aching is arthritis, or medication side effects or something more. If it is something more, there are definately treatment options available to you. The anticipation of these tests and their results is always the worst part. Once we know what is going on, we learn to deal with it. Regardless of what your test results show, there are many people here on the board who can help you navigate all of this.
    Love,
    Denise
  • lindatn
    lindatn Member Posts: 229
    #4
    Also am having a bone scan in ten days or less. I am 13 months out of radiaiton. My pain is in my back between my shoulder blades when I ride in the car or sleep on my back especially. I have had a bad lower back for years. I thought a x-ray would do but no she said a bone scan. I have had one and for some reason the scan made me so nervous. I don't like things injected into my body. AC was not easy for that reason also. Any opinions on how much better a bone scan is over a x-ray to the sore area? Last time I had a bone scan then they x-rayed the lower back. Seems to me a x-ray would be enough. Are we being over tested? Linda
  • jeancmici
    jeancmici Member Posts: 665 Member
    #5
    lindatn said:

    Also am having a bone scan in ten days or less. I am 13 months out of radiaiton. My pain is in my back between my shoulder blades when I ride in the car or sleep on my back especially. I have had a bad lower back for years. I thought a x-ray would do but no she said a bone scan. I have had one and for some reason the scan made me so nervous. I don't like things injected into my body. AC was not easy for that reason also. Any opinions on how much better a bone scan is over a x-ray to the sore area? Last time I had a bone scan then they x-rayed the lower back. Seems to me a x-ray would be enough. Are we being over tested? Linda

    I wish I had been overtested rather than undertested. Having my third bone scan tuesday - but all were after much involvement in my spine- and some ribs too.

    don't worry about the injection - spread of cancer is worse than the injection. I hate the three hour wait between injection and scan - and of course, the hour scan motionless is not fun either. Is any of this fun???????????
  • sugarbk
    sugarbk Member Posts: 2
    #6
    I had a bone scan before my surgery to see if the cancer had spread to the bones. My understanding is that cancer spreads to the bones first before organs. I had to have a bone scan before each of my surgeries and my doctor said that I will have a bone scan probably once a year to make sure it hasn't spread.
    Good luck and I am sure you don't have to worry.
    Bonnie

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