Pet Scan today- update ...hip fracture- mets confirmed

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jen2012
jen2012 CSN Member Posts: 1,607 Member
edited November 2013 in Colorectal Cancer #1

My husband is still having a lot of pain in his legs - he hasn't been able to walk without a walker in weeks.    All bone biopsies have been negative and the  soft tissue biopsy was negative for cancer but showed that he had myositis ossificans that is causing the pain.  He's been on prednisone and celebrex for weeks now and still can't walk.   The onc is suspicious that there is cancer lurking....so pet scan this afternoon and brain MRI tonight  to see what they can find.  

Prayers and positive thoughts are always appreciated.

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Comments

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit CSN Member Posts: 5,805 Member
    #2
    On their way

    Prayers and healing thoughts are on their way. 

    And you know we'll be on pins and needles waiting for your update. 

    Blessing to your dear husband.

  • UncleBuddy
    UncleBuddy Member Posts: 1,019 Member
    #3
    Prayers anre positive thoughts being sent your way.

    I'm hoping that everything comes back fine. Let us know how it goes.

    Lin

  • TheLadySkye
    TheLadySkye Member Posts: 203 Member
    #4
    I hope and pray everything

    I hope and pray everything will look well on the scans.  

    *tight hugs*

  • janderson1964
    janderson1964 CSN Member Posts: 2,215 Member
    #5
    I will definately pray for

    I will definately pray for your husband.

  • annalexandria
    annalexandria CSN Member Posts: 2,571 Member
    #6
    Good thoughts and love

    coming your way, Jen.  And to your DH as well.

  • johnnybegood
    johnnybegood CSN Member Posts: 1,117 Member
    #7
    annalexandria said:

    Good thoughts and love

    coming your way, Jen.  And to your DH as well.

    right there

    with you in my prayers hoping all tests come out good....Godbless...johnnybegood

  • Chelsea71
    Chelsea71 CSN Member Posts: 1,169 Member
    #8
    Will be anxiously awaiting

    Will be anxiously awaiting the results.  It's time for some answers.

  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 CSN Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #9
    Prayers

    Prayers are on the way.  Hope that they can find a cure for his discomfort and hoping they can find out some info on the scans. 

    Kim

     

  • jen2012
    jen2012 CSN Member Posts: 1,607 Member
    #10
    Thanks everyone - we

    Thanks everyone - we cancelled the MRI.  Two outings in one day were too much.  Hopefully we'll get some answers soon.

  • jen2012
    jen2012 CSN Member Posts: 1,607 Member
    #11
    Well we ended up in ER last

    Well we ended up in ER last night when the pain got so bad that he couldn't move.  Had to call an ambulance and it took them an hour to get him in the ambulance.   He has a fractured hip...where the femur meets the hip.  According to the ortho doc, he has a met there.  The same one that has been biopsied 3 times and been negative.   So I guess bone mets are confirmed.   They still want to do a surgical biopsy to make sure this is a CRC met and not a different kind of cancer  - which they say is unlikely to be a different cancer, but it would change the course of treatment so they want to be sure.  

     

  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe CSN Member Posts: 1,425 Member
    #12
    jen2012 said:

    Well we ended up in ER last

    Well we ended up in ER last night when the pain got so bad that he couldn't move.  Had to call an ambulance and it took them an hour to get him in the ambulance.   He has a fractured hip...where the femur meets the hip.  According to the ortho doc, he has a met there.  The same one that has been biopsied 3 times and been negative.   So I guess bone mets are confirmed.   They still want to do a surgical biopsy to make sure this is a CRC met and not a different kind of cancer  - which they say is unlikely to be a different cancer, but it would change the course of treatment so they want to be sure.  

     

    Wow Jen,  so what are they

    Wow Jen,  so what are they planning on doing for him??    My mother fell recently in front of the nursing station at the nursing home, and she had a fracture in her hip.   The put in a plate with screws and fixed her back up, a far less invasive surgery than hip replacement .    How big is this met, have they given you any details.     

  • johnnybegood
    johnnybegood CSN Member Posts: 1,117 Member
    #13
    smokeyjoe said:

    Wow Jen,  so what are they

    Wow Jen,  so what are they planning on doing for him??    My mother fell recently in front of the nursing station at the nursing home, and she had a fracture in her hip.   The put in a plate with screws and fixed her back up, a far less invasive surgery than hip replacement .    How big is this met, have they given you any details.     

    oh jen

    im so sorry for this latest news i hope they  can get him fixed up soon and at least out of pain...Godbless...johnnybegood

  • jen2012
    jen2012 CSN Member Posts: 1,607 Member
    #14
    jen2012 said:

    Well we ended up in ER last

    Well we ended up in ER last night when the pain got so bad that he couldn't move.  Had to call an ambulance and it took them an hour to get him in the ambulance.   He has a fractured hip...where the femur meets the hip.  According to the ortho doc, he has a met there.  The same one that has been biopsied 3 times and been negative.   So I guess bone mets are confirmed.   They still want to do a surgical biopsy to make sure this is a CRC met and not a different kind of cancer  - which they say is unlikely to be a different cancer, but it would change the course of treatment so they want to be sure.  

     

    According to the ortho

    According to the ortho resident, there are two options.  If it is a CRC met, then they put a pin in and he could stand on it same night.   She said the pin could spread the cancer, so if it's CRC and already in the system they don't worry about that.  Easy for them to say.   If it was some other early stage cancer, they wouldn't want to spread it, so they would do another procedure - which we didn't get into that.   I'm so confused about it all at this point and hoping the doctors are making the right decisions.  Neither his onc or the ortho onc that she has been discussing his case with are on this weekend, but they have already been in contact with the on call doctors - so stuff is happening behind the scenes, but we don't know all of it yet.  They have not said how big the met was.  I'm kind of surprised they didn't suggest keeping him after the pet scan - they must have seen it and they saw the pain he was in...

  • UncleBuddy
    UncleBuddy Member Posts: 1,019 Member
    #15
    jen2012 said:

    According to the ortho

    According to the ortho resident, there are two options.  If it is a CRC met, then they put a pin in and he could stand on it same night.   She said the pin could spread the cancer, so if it's CRC and already in the system they don't worry about that.  Easy for them to say.   If it was some other early stage cancer, they wouldn't want to spread it, so they would do another procedure - which we didn't get into that.   I'm so confused about it all at this point and hoping the doctors are making the right decisions.  Neither his onc or the ortho onc that she has been discussing his case with are on this weekend, but they have already been in contact with the on call doctors - so stuff is happening behind the scenes, but we don't know all of it yet.  They have not said how big the met was.  I'm kind of surprised they didn't suggest keeping him after the pet scan - they must have seen it and they saw the pain he was in...

    Grrrrrr.....

    We depend on these people for our lives, but sometimes, I just don't know. I hope you are able to speak to his own doctors. Maybe you can have his service call them and ask them to call you at home. You shoud have input directly from them, it will make you feel better. Sit down and write a list of questions you want to ask each of them, then call their service and ask them to call you. I think it will make you feel better. Good luck and I hope he gets the treatment he needs quickly so he'll feel better.

    Lin

  • rls67
    rls67 Member Posts: 127
    #16
    Wow Jen,

    You and your husband have been through so much. I hope he gets some pain relief and some much needed good news soon. 

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit CSN Member Posts: 5,805 Member
    #17
    The good the bad and the ugly

    I am so sorry for this latest development, though it has to be somewhat of a relief to know what the problem is thats causing him so much pain and inability to get up and about. 

    You both continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. 

    Here's hoping you get some more answers and soon. 

  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe CSN Member Posts: 1,425 Member
    #18
    Trubrit said:

    The good the bad and the ugly

    I am so sorry for this latest development, though it has to be somewhat of a relief to know what the problem is thats causing him so much pain and inability to get up and about. 

    You both continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. 

    Here's hoping you get some more answers and soon. 

    Sheesh,  yes if they did see

    Sheesh,  yes if they did see it on the PET scan and knew about the severe pain  why wouldn't you have heard from someone before you had to make the trip to emerg.     This makes no sense.    Maybe a breakdown in communication between radiology and oncologist is all I can figure.    I just get the impression sometimes that they are all so busy that we get lost in the shuffle.   

  • janderson1964
    janderson1964 CSN Member Posts: 2,215 Member
    #19
    jen2012 said:

    According to the ortho

    According to the ortho resident, there are two options.  If it is a CRC met, then they put a pin in and he could stand on it same night.   She said the pin could spread the cancer, so if it's CRC and already in the system they don't worry about that.  Easy for them to say.   If it was some other early stage cancer, they wouldn't want to spread it, so they would do another procedure - which we didn't get into that.   I'm so confused about it all at this point and hoping the doctors are making the right decisions.  Neither his onc or the ortho onc that she has been discussing his case with are on this weekend, but they have already been in contact with the on call doctors - so stuff is happening behind the scenes, but we don't know all of it yet.  They have not said how big the met was.  I'm kind of surprised they didn't suggest keeping him after the pet scan - they must have seen it and they saw the pain he was in...

    I am sorry Jen. That sounds

    I am sorry Jen. That sounds so frustrating.

  • annalexandria
    annalexandria CSN Member Posts: 2,571 Member
    #20
    jen2012 said:

    According to the ortho

    According to the ortho resident, there are two options.  If it is a CRC met, then they put a pin in and he could stand on it same night.   She said the pin could spread the cancer, so if it's CRC and already in the system they don't worry about that.  Easy for them to say.   If it was some other early stage cancer, they wouldn't want to spread it, so they would do another procedure - which we didn't get into that.   I'm so confused about it all at this point and hoping the doctors are making the right decisions.  Neither his onc or the ortho onc that she has been discussing his case with are on this weekend, but they have already been in contact with the on call doctors - so stuff is happening behind the scenes, but we don't know all of it yet.  They have not said how big the met was.  I'm kind of surprised they didn't suggest keeping him after the pet scan - they must have seen it and they saw the pain he was in...

    My guess would be...

    that the person who would have seen the met was the tech, and they, of course, are supposed to pretend they don't know what they're seeing.  I know my scans have sometimes not been read by the radiologist until the next day, if they're busy.  It's ridiculous, though...you'd think even a tech could tell someone else about the situation, but it's the whole "it's above my pay grade" and chain of command mentality that exists in a lot of medical institutions.  It's hard as a patient or caregiver, no matter how much of an advocate you are, to do much about this.  I think you've been doing absolutely everything you could, Jen.  No one could ask for a more dedicated care giver.

    My only other thought is that if they put in the pin, you should start him on cimetidine asap, just in case it helps.  What studies there are suggest that it somehow stops cancer cells that have spread from attaching to healthy tissue, and it's just heartburn medication, so it can't hurt to take it for a while.  I did 800 mg a day, split into 2 doses, and you can just buy it OTC.

    Loads of hugs and love coming your way.

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #21
    I am absolutely amazed

    that the radiology tech seeing the scan did not call for a radiologist for an urgent interpretation of the fracture.  He should have never been moved from the scanner board until paramedics arrived to immobilize the leg and transfer him to the ED of your hospital.  It borders on negligence which must be proved by 3 conditions: the person knew something was wrong, had a duty to act, and an injury or worsening occurred due to the failure to act.  The fracture could have easily been made worse just by moving him without proper immobilization.

    And then for the on call doc not to make an effort to contact your personal oncologist despite him being off that weekend is deplorable to me.  Your personal physicians not only have a vested interest in your health, they should have a vested interest in your relationship. If they could have contacted him/her and he cares, he would have come.

    I'm sorry I went off on this, but my thoughts and prayers are for a good outcome.

    Dan

      

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