Can I just say how pleased (for want of a better word!!!) I am to see that this new forum topic is now up and running.
Many a time I have posted on the secondaries forum, concerned that I may have mets. Each time I have come across many others who have also made similar postings.
I am very grateful to all the ladies on the secondaries forum, whom have always responded to my posts quickly and supportively. However I have always been mindful of the fact that I didn’t want to encroach on the forum too much. Therefore I am pleased that there is now somewhere that those of us concerned about mets can now post which is more appropriate.
When i was on tax (finished it in Nov 2008) i had bone pain (sid-effect). The thing is it has now been almost 4 months to the day that i finished my chemo and i still have bone pain which in my shins is persistant. i have told my onc who told me that the chemo is still in me but i am worried very much about this. I get aches and pains else where, when before dx i never got. Is this all in my head or has my cancer come back already?
I too welcome this forum.Being triple neg I am always mindful of possible probs and hate to keep bothering people.My usual worry is lung mets as I am asthmatic and have a fairly persistent cough.Because it sometimes disappears for a couple of weeks my onc says it is ok but every time it comes back I am so very afraid.By the way my shin pain post tax lingered on for about six months and the pain in my upper back lasted longer but both have gone now.It is always worth mentioning persistent pains to a doctor but taxotere is a vicious chem sometimes and the after effects can be very long lasting.
Good Luck,Valxx
I finished tax in October but am still having Herceptin. My aches and pains seem to get worse week by week, it started in my shoulders and arms, now I get back ache, hip ache and an odd knee. I have told the Onc about these pains to be told the same, its still the chemo in my system.
From looking at forums I also think that herceptin causes pains too, it doesn’t stop me worrying though.
The thing is, how long after stopping chemo can we say “enough is enough, pains still persisting, what and why have we got them?”.
I don’t know about Kelly or Vodka (I know you finished chemo quite a while ago Horace), but some days I feel like I am 100 years old, my body has trouble from getting out of bed, getting dressed, in and out of the car and generally walking, cleaning, and anything that involves day to day life - am I just exagerating or do you both feel like this too? I get fed up with myself for wingeing about this ache, or that ache.
I too am glad this thread has been started, lets keep our fingers crossed that this is where we stay - but at least we know where to come when we just need that bit of reassurance.
Just found this forum, and it’s good to have somewhere to share that horrible feeling of paranoia you get with every little twinge. I am still at the early stage of the journey, only diagnosed six weeks ago, had lump/lymphectomy 10 days ago. I had a CAT Scan which they said showed no sign of secondaries, and blood tests, but the paranoia doesn’t go away, however much you try to be “sensible.”
I have had bloating and loss of appetite since Xmas, lost half a stone (though on thirteen stone this is a bit of a silver lining to the cloud!) Sometimes I get a twinge of pain on the right side, just under the bottom rib. Whenever that happens, I’m like “aaaaarrrrghhhhh!” but then it goes away and I tell myself that if it was mets it would be there all the time. Of course it may just be anxiety (although it started weeks before the diagnosis) or it could be related to something completely different - my GP is going to test me for wheat allergy. I guess it’s important to remember that just because you have cancer, it doesn’t mean you can’t get some other minor ailment!
thanks so much for your kind messages of support. As I’m sure most of you know by now the news was good, well sort of! My onc was very careful with his choice of words and is insisitng on keeping a very close eye on me from now on, but for now at least I don’t ‘appear’ to have secondaries. Having convinced myself that the news was gonna be bad this came as a total shock. I guess my gut feelings aren’t always right!
This has really given me a wake up call and I intend to live life to the absolute fullest!! I’ve rejoined my local golf club with my OH and I’m now trying to lose a few pounds so I can get my recon (long overdue!!).
hi all
i was dx sept 07 had wle,node clearance 7/21 involved, 3 fec/3 tax finished feb 08, 25 rads finished april, herceptin finished xmas eve 08, i have lymphoedema in my left arm, in january i had a swelling above my left collarbone and neck stiffness and pain so my onc sent me for ct scan which came back liver & neck clear but it showed a small nodule on my right lung which was’nt on the scan i had before treatment started i will have another scan in 3 mths time any advice would be appreciated…
MIZZY xx
So sorry to hear that they’ve found a nodule on your lung. I have two nodules on my lung. These were found in March 2007 when I was first diagnosed. I then went through all the treatment which was the same as you but mine finished in August 08. They were following up my nodules and then discharged me from scans as they said that they were probably nothing as they hadnt changed at all. However, since being scanned pre-reconstruction, theyve started following them up again and I have another scan of them in May!
I really dont know in your case but know in mine that the ‘nodules’ can be anything, scars from chest infections, pneumonia, TB etc. or even just little abnormalities just like you can have a little lump anywhere on your body. There are a lot of women on here that I have ‘spoken to’ via the boards who have similar nodules and, like mine, they have not turned out to be anything serious. I think the issue with yours is that it has appeared when it wasnt there before. However, I remember my onc saying that a solitary nodule or a couple of nodules was not typical of spread in the lungs following BC. Did they say that they could have missed this little nodule first time round?
I hope you find some peace soon, the worrying is terrible, isnt it? It looks like your hospital, like mine, is following you up very carefully - although it would be better not to have any need to be followed up!