Hi
I am new to the forum and wish I had found it 9 years ago when I was diagnosed with BC - really helpful and informative…
I have been fine for 9 years after having surgery, chemo, radiotherapy, tamoxifen and arimidex, but lately have been getting aching in the knees and shoulder area.
Can anyone tell me if when you get bone mets whether you can actually feel a lump around the bone that aches( I can’t) or whether any potential cancer is inside the bone and therefore not ‘feelable’?
Look forward to hearing from all you brave ladies…
Thanks xx
Hello
My understanding is that breast cancer tumours in the bone either eat away at the bone to make it thinner, or create harder bony deposits, but I doubt it’s something that you would feel as a lump, given that the bone is surrounded by muscle etc.
In my case, I started to get pain in my leg that moved around between my hip, my knee and my ankle/foot. The pain came and went for several months so I didn’t take it too seriously, till finally it came and never went away. Then I started limping. Finally I was diagnosed with bone mets in the hip, spine and shoulder.
Basically, the rule of thumb (wish I’d known this!) is that if you have a pain that doesn’t go away after a couple of weeks you should get it checked out. Better to be safe than sorry.
Hope whatever you’re worrying about turns out to be something other than bone mets.
Best wishes.
Alison x
Thank you Alison for your advice - I think I will get it checked out…Wishing you all the best x
Hello surreylady, Just to say that as I understand it (and have experienced it) bone mets pain tends to be worse at night and doesn’t alter in intensity with changes in position etc. It can wake you at its worst. Certainly I am getting such recent pains in my ribs and mid-back checked out as I was dx with mets in my upper left arm and shoulder last year following such pains there.Any investigations are painless and will hopefully set your mind at rest (anxiety makes pain sensation worse!)
Hope this helps and does not alarm. Wishing you well.
teacherjy
Thank you Teacherjy,
Yes you are right, anxiety does make the pain worse! - thanks for your advice - much appreciated and wishing you well…