Bone/Lung--How it feels? Help

seeknpeace
seeknpeace Member Posts: 259
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hey guys, I have not posted for a while, trying to cope with my new job. But, I still read.

To the new folks, I was dx with dcis, 2.5 cm, extensive necrotic comedo type.

I am working on my class reunion and the husband of a classmate called. He was inconsolable. She died on Aug 25 from complications of chemo due to breast cancer.

She was dx in 2000, lumpectomy, stage one, sentinel node clean. She had radiation and opted to not have the chemo, doc said it would be ok either way.

In 02 or 03, her hips started bothering her, went to doc, said it was arthritis, she took aleve. But, she was tired a lot and not herself.

Found a lump 04 and went in, and it was cancer again. But, they did not look at the bones. After some pressure,they did and she had it all in her bones and in her brain.

She started chemo this past summer and while she was sick, lost her hair and was tired, she was coping. They were using radiation to the brain.

They went to the doc on Aug 25, came home, she was on the couch resting and they were chatting and she just started seizing. He got her to the hospital immed but, it was too late. The rad to her brain is what killed her, but, cancer is the root cause of course.

He is just destroyed. They thought that they had beat this. She was one of those ppl who do not like to make waves, and she would not demand the diagnostic tests when her hips hurt.

Now, here is my delimna. My hips are killing me. They used to hurt only when I walked. Now, they are beginning to hurt when I sit and it seems to have moved somewhat around to the back. They did a regular xray about 5-6 mos ago, said it was arthritis. But, it would not show cancer, right?

Also, for the past month or more, I feel like I am about to get bronchitis, that coppery taste with a tightness in my chest, when I am going to bed and when I awaken. Lately, some in the day. I have never had this happen that it did not manifest into bronchitis. I do have asthma and I use my inhaler and take a zanax.

I am scared. But, I need to hear from someone who had spread to the bones and to the lungs, what was your reaction to it. Please. I want to see if I should get a test, and if so what would sbow lungs and bones at the same time, if anything? I had a bone scan last year, so there is a baseline that I already have. That was one thing that hurt her. When they did the scans, there was no baseline and they missed it. God, how awful.

Thank you so much sisters, and God bless you all. This is the ONLY place that I turn to for help. IMO, this site is the best on the web for support, information and love. I know that it was DCIS, but, I am not 100% convinced that the core needle is so safe and I still contend that when you tear a lession open to take a sample, you expose surrounding micro blood vessels, which may be the easiest method to spread in that case, and the nodes will be clean.

Jan

Comments

  • seeknpeace
    seeknpeace Member Posts: 259
    #2
    forgot to say, bilateral mastectomy with tram flap reconstruct in feb 04, no treatment, est/prgt=negative, no tamoxifen or the like.
  • annyo
    annyo Member Posts: 7
    #3
    Hi--Just wanted to say that this is obviously something that is causing you great anxiety and you should check out with your doctor. I hope you have one that yo feel you can trust. In the meantime, I wanted to tell you that I had a similar diagnosis in 2002--DCIS with bilateral mastectomy, and I can totally relate to your worries; there have been times when chronic aches have all but convinced me that cancer had spread, but until you know, just keep in mind that lots of things can make you hurt. You need to find someone you have faith in, and you shouldn't have to feel like you are the one that has to know what tests to have! I wish you a lot of luck--please know there are others who understand your worries.
  • Idalia
    Idalia Member Posts: 76
    #4
    seeknpeace said:

    forgot to say, bilateral mastectomy with tram flap reconstruct in feb 04, no treatment, est/prgt=negative, no tamoxifen or the like.

    Dear seek, My first bone scan showed extensive bone mets, so you don't need to have a baseline for it to be effective. An mri will also show bone mets, as will a CT scan. I have had ct scans to my chest and pelvis that showed my bone mets (thankfully, shrinking with treatment). My lung mets are small nodules and don't hurt or effect my breathing at all. Bone mets in my ribs do hurt at time - mostly when I draw a deep breath. My bone mets began in my back and I was told I just had a narrowed disc that was causing sciatica. Mri showed the vertebrae had actually cracked because of the tumor in it! If you are worried, go to your doctor, tell him/her where it hurts and get testing done. As humilitating as it is to be told there is nothing wrong with you, it is worth your peace of mind. Since I was diagnosed with my recurrance, my best friend, a bc survivor of almost 6 years, has had two bone scans dones because now she fears a recurrence! Do what you have to do to feel better.
  • melperkins
    melperkins Member Posts: 5
    #5
    First let me say I am 57 years old, and had grade 3 breast cancer, with 3 positive lymph nodes, 2 years ago. I had high dose chemo which I completed one year ago. I have been going through almost the same situation as you (symptoms) for the past four months, except my Doctors DID do tests. I started having awful back, legs and arms pain so I went in to see my oncologists. They said they could do a full body MRI and body scans and I quickly agreed.My scans were all negative they say. They treat my pain, caused by a chemo drug, which led to Neuropathy. Neuropathy is nerve damage and/or destruction. Mine is caused by Taxotere, one of my chemo drugs, used to treat my breast cancer. For me, Taxotere is the chemo drug that never stops giving me notice I took it. Never again, thank goodness! Then, I started having difficulty breathing and developed a cough with wheezing(never had these symptoms before). Scared me to death too! Went to the doctor. Went through two different antibiotics and a chest x-ray. No better. Then they sent me in for a CT of my chest. Negative. That made my stress level go down quite a bit. Still have a funny feeling when I breathe, espec. when I lie down and feel short of breath sometimes.Nobody knows why at this point. Must wait to see what happens there. If your doctors aren't testing you when you get these real and scary symptoms you MUST speak up and tell them you want the tests. If they won't give them to you, change doctors, or at least go for another opinion. There are a lot of good doctors out there and they all aren't the same in bedside manner and in their style of practice in handling cancer patients, post treatment. Find the best one for YOU. Hope we both continue to live, dogged and scared, at times though we may be, by these post cancers scares or not.We can not let fear stop us from speaking up to our doctors nor from further testing when we develop drastic changes in our symptoms. Keep us posted how things go. I will too. God bless you.

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