Hi, I hope someone can help me. I have been for a bone scan today to look for mets as have a lot of bone and joint pain.
I only finished treatment in March and was wondering how likely it is that it could have spread so fast.
I asked after the scan if they could give me some idea and they just said see your oncologist for results and looked very cagey!!
Am I reading too much in to this, or are they the same with everyone?
At my first bone scan the woman explained everything and told me it all looked ok but obviously she couldn’t confirm that, and it was.
I appreciate it’s not their job to tell us the results, but the fella just seemed so cagey and uncomfortable that I am now worried to death.
What is the prognosis and treatment if it is bone mets?? Any advice would be gratefully appreciated. Thankyou.
Love and hugs, Debbie. xxx
i hope your results are ok.
whether you have spread or not is more likely to be based on your original diagnosis than how soon you had treatment… if you had a small cancer with no nodes then it much less likely to be bone mets than if you had a large tumour with lots of node involvement… but statistics are statistics and you can lie on either side of them.
i had a bone scan a couple of months after chemo… but during rads for bone and joint pain… it came back normal bit the pain continues and they put it down to chemo/menopausal pain.
fingers crossed its nothing serious and the radiographer is just being a jobsworth.
i had a similar experience a year ago when i was seen in the radioisotope dept for a bone scan and couple of days later for a heart scan… after my bone scan she said it looked ok and when i went for my heart scan i was told it was normal i asked the same woman when would my doc get bone scan results, she went all defensive saying she couldnt give me results and i would need to be seen by my consultant… cue blind panic… but it was actually fine she was just being a bit of an eejit!
will be thinking of you
Lx
Hi debbie,
I’ve got bone (dx in June, 09 with prim) + liver (dx in April, 10) mets. All I can say is try not to worry too much. I know how hard it is because I felt the same way before my liver mets. I thought I’d never cope with more bad news. But I’m now coping, even though still having very wobbly moments. Don’t believe in prognosis, either. They can be so wrong sometimes and I never believe in being part of the statistics.
I’ve been on Zometa for my bone mets and I believe lots of ladies with bone mets on this site are having that or have had it. It’s a very good drug and very effective in hold it at bay. Lots of ladies on this site with bone mets have lived for years or even decades to prove the statistics wrong.
I know when you are in pain, it’s very difficult to think about something else, but pain doesn’t necessarily mean mets and I don’t have any pain related mets, it’s the SE of treatments!. Have they suggested to have some painkillers while you wait for the results?
For now, try not to worry or read too much. Just wait till the appt with your onc. If it’s your worst nightmare, then don’t respire, you will find lots of support on the site. I really hope you don’t have to join the secondary club.
Lots of love and hugs and sending you positive thoughts and hope your results come back clear.
Take care xx
Thankyou so much m1yu and Lulu.
If it’s bad news then I will just have to deal with it the same as I have dealt with the BC. There’s nothing I can do to change it.
I think it’s the waiting for results and reading things into everything that “does your head in”.
Thanks again for your support.
Debbie. xxx
Hi,
I’ve had bone mets since diagnosis almost 3 yrs ago and whenever I go for a bone scan the radiographers will only say that the scan will be seen by their doctor who writes the report and then my onc and surgeon can see it and let me know. They aren’t allowed to say anything/pass comment etc as it’s not within their remit although they must have an idea as they do so many scans. Of course once you’ve had 1 scan, they compare it to future ones and can see what seems to be happening.
I’ve been for a scan today as my back has been aching a bit more recently but fingers crossed it’s just wear and tear.
I’m on zometa now which is a bone strengthening drug given by drip but there are others in tablet form too. The bone mets can’t be cured but can be kept at bay to some extent. There are also options like rads and chemo too. And of course things are being developed all the time. I’m seen by the onc every 3 months and the surgeon every 6 mths and can ask to be seen in between if I have any issues (not needed to so far!). I’ve recently been on hols to Mallorca and Rome so I’m not letting it get the better of me and am a bit blase about it - can’t change it, so just deal with it !!! Prognosis is a very difficult thing and most medics won’t give one. I work on the basis that there are loads of ladies here who have had mets for years and years and I could get knocked over by a bus before the mets get me !!! Sorry if that seems flippant - don’t mean to offend anyone.
Good luck with your results.
Liz
Hi
I had a bone scan on Tuesday (it was my 3rd one) and I was diagnosed with bone mets May 2008. Last year I had my 2nd scan but it was my first on the NHS and thet didnt have my previous scan, after the scan they sent me for xrays. The nurse looked at my notes and said we need to do lots of xrays- I thought Oh no, the scans must look really bad. I expected the worse and worried until I got the results and the results were great- no change from the year before!
I’ll get the results from my bone scan next Wed.
Good luck with your results
Sue x
Hi Debbie, another Debbie here. Got dx with bone mets last year during my chemo. I felt it was the end of me but now know this is not the case. I take one tablet a day slong with the tamox and altho incurable they can be contained. If they do worsen there are further treatments such as more chemo or even rads to the affected areas. I dont let it get me down and work full time and am a single mum. I have everything crossed that you get good results but wanted to reassure you that many of us live full and painfree lives x very best wishes to you, let us know when u get your results x
I’ve had a couple bone scans - last one a week ago. A number of areas show up on the scans and the dr always asks me if I have had an injury there, if I have pain etc. So I know there are areas of concern - one turned out to be mets, several others didn’t. But they are always cagey about giving anything definite until the report.
Thankyou so much for your comments.
I have just got off the phone to my breast care nurse and she says the bone scan shows no change from the last one I had.
Hopefully this will remain the case, but who knows.
Lots of love and best of luck to the ladies with bone mets, and thankyou again for your comments and advice.
At the moment I appreciate that I am very fortunate.
Take care, love and hugs,
Debbie. xx
Good news! May it continue that way for a long time to come.
Liz
great news debbie
Lx
Not sure if this is the right place, but here goes,
In sept after urgent Ct(clear :)) and bone scan showing 2 areas of increased uptake, the ‘consensus/feeling’ is 1st one in upper thoracic spine is degenerative, 2nd one in L1 may be a healing compression fracture, an MRI was suggested to follow to provide more info, this wasn’t done at the time due to personal reasons so the onc team decided to continue with 3 fec,3 tax and full radio etc,
All done and life is steady again, but the MRI issue has been raised again as a dotting the I’s crossing the T’s exercise to make sure Sue is ok, this is now causing anxiety and sleeplessness issues again, i suppose i’m in the usual quest of trying to find reassurance before the results come through.
Has anyone any experience of this ?
It was a largish 14cm Tumor,broken up, with 16 Lymph nodes positive and widespread lymphovascular invasion :/.
What can
Hello Ladies,
Lands - I had all my scans in one week a few weeks ago, got the results back for the bone and heart scans which were clear, still waiting the CT scan results will get that tomorrow. Also had a MRI scan but was told by my onc that the CT and Bone scans were the ones that showed everything up, the MRI scan showed the cancer in my breast and lymph nodes which we already knew about, but for a fully conclusive result I had to wait for the bone and CT scan results. Dont think you should worry to much about the MRI scan certainly dont loose any sleep over this particular scan especially as your CT scan was clear.
Hi lands
i had a bone mri 15 months ago after getting pains in my back, ribs and hips… i had node negative disease but was triple neg with LVI… the mri scan was very reassuring although still have the pains which they put down to menopausal and radiotherapy side effects… fingers crossed for good news for Sue too.
Lx
That’s so encouraging. Thank you Debbie. I’ve just got a Ct result that shows spots on my spine and am going for a nuclear bone scan soon. Having gone into remission 7 years ago this is a bit of a shock and all the fear comes flooding back. It’s good to know that I️ can still look forward to life even if I️ get a bad diagnosis.