Hi,
2.40 am and going mad with worry, been diagnozed with low grade breast cancer last week, less than 1cm, ultrasound of underarm looked clear, awaiting op on 27 June, trying to stay upbeat and remain positive during this waiting time however I am going mad with worry about upper back pain which seems to come from my spine and radiate to the sides… could it have spread to my spine at such an early stage, even though under arm scan showed up normal??? Has anyone out there experinced this???
Asked my GP for xray but recommended that I aviod radiation at this stage and does not think that the cancer could have spread to my spine or lungs so soon, and that the senitel node biopsy would reveal more results… in the meantime I am sick with worry… could it be what I am most dreading??? Has anyone experinced this???
Liz F
sorry you have found yourself here
if it helps i was dx with bc back in feb and now undergoing chemo at the time of dx i had and still have at times pain up the side of my back and under rips on the bc side i have had a bone scan and all was clear doc seem to think its arthritis im only 41 if pain carries on then they said they will do an mri scan but funny enough chemo is keeping the pain at bay for now so will see after its all over
from wot you have said your bc is small and the fact that ultrasound of underarm looked clear is a good thing too you may find that worrie is making you feel pain i know i thought every bit of pain was something more to do with bc and that pain seem 100 more pain fall than before try not to worrie to much i know thats not easy
maz xx
HI Liz, so sorry you are here - you are walking the now familiar to me tightrope of health awareness and health anxiousness - of course we are all anxious, but its how to keep a reasonable anxiousness or even just be sensibly helath aware that is so difficult…very tricky I think, especially so soon after your diagnosis. I know I was in shock for weeks and despite it being grade one and oestrogen receptive decided I wouldn’t live long as I had positive lymph nodes. Please try not to worry too much as Maz I think is right about the likelihood, but its always good to ask the experts as you have done. Your Gp sounds great. Call your BCN too? hope you got some sleep, bw Nicola
Try not to worry. I think your anxiety is creating these pains. when I was first diagnosed I seemed to have pain everywhere, when i started chemo, I kept getting pains in my back and chest. My doc, bless him, sent me for lung xray after lung xray and heart checks just to calm me down. All were clear, I too kept thinking OMG its spread its spread! But it was simply my anxiety, you might find it feels worse at night, and thats when we worry the most when we are laying quietly in bed. My lump was 1.3cm, its been removed, the lymph nodes were clear, my chemo is almost over and the rads start in July. It seems like the end of the world right now to you, I remember feeling that way. But its by no means the end of the world. Keep strong, stay positive, try to concentrate on how lucky you are to have found it early and you are getting it dealt with. keep your chin up and really try not to worry.
Hi Liz, I think the most likely culprit for your pains is stress. You’re all tense and upset and your body is complaining, along with all the muscles where the tenseness is - your back is the place that gets put out most often! Also, stress has a physical effect on your body. It’s the ‘flight or fight’ response and it was developed so that you could get away from danger. Nowadays, there’s no use in that response unless you’re in immediate physical danger (about to be run over or something), so all the stress hormones keep floating around your system instead of being used up in a big punch-up or a speedy run away. The hormones speed up your heart, speed up your breathing, open up all the blood vessels in your muscles, and release lots of glucose into your blood ready for your body to use. This means you get a sugar high followed by a big downer after the glucose has gone.
So, stress makes you feel bloody awful.
Exercise is a good thing, but not easy while your tx is going on. Also go to your local Macmillan cancer center where you can get lovely treatments to make you feel calm and rested.
I know exactly how you feel flower. You’ll get there, it’s all looking good for you at the moment.
Big hugs
xx
Brilliant post bubbletrouble… it’s helped me too! thanks xxx
hi, I am waiting for my op as well, because its not an agressive cancer I am waiting a long time–op on 22nd. Non agressive/low grade I suppose that is good news for us–weeks until the op is not so good news.
Its only natural to occasionally think "what if they are wrong? what if its spreading? Illogical, but natural.
even though technically I am calm and focused about it all, my behaivoir is a bit bizzare at times, i think its because the fear of the unknown is still lurking at the back of my mind. And yes i still have lots of new aches and pains. But i am sure even though i feel calm I must be stressed outand thats whats causing them. I have not cried yet. Mind you I nearly did today when they did not have my size trousers in M&S, totally bizarre reaction to what is a normal day to day disappointment.
So welcome to the waiting room, everyone says its the worse place to be. There are lots of friendly people around to give advice, its expecially useful in those wee small hours when your mind is going round and round.