Rib pain or bone mets?

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Hi ladies

 

I’m coming up to 9 months after my diagnosis. Large mixed ductal and lobular cancer not seen on mammo. Initially node negative, ER+ve and 6cm. Chemo upfront. At mastectomy discovered 13cm of residual lobular cancer (didn’t know my breast was that big!) and both sentinel nodes were positive, so I had a clearance.

 

I’ve had to wait over 3 months to start radiotherapy due to problems with cording and not being able to get my arm above my head. I was finally started on Tamoxifden and Zoladex whilst waiting, but that was a good 2 months after my mastectomy.

 

For the last month I’ve been getting niggling pains in the middle of my second rib, just below my collar bone. It feels different to the costochondritis pain that I’ve read about. My radiotherapy CT plannings can has been looked at by my onc who said it’s not diagnostic but there’s nothing obvious. My BCN said to try ibuprofen gel for a month and then see my GP.

 

When do you trust your gut and ask for a bone scan, and when do you trust your team, even though they haven’t seen you? I hate all of this. Don’t want to be seen as a ‘worrier’

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The worry never seems to end does it, I’m 9 months post rads and still get rib pain on and off, it can range from a slight niggle to a sharp burning pain all of which I was warned may happen and many other ladies I talk to here who have gone through treatment experience the same sort of thing, there is no way we can not worry after having been through this and you have every right to push for more tests without feeling like your over reacting Xx Jo 

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If it helps I had similar issues 12 months after diagnosis
I’ve since been given calcium tablets. Turns out treatment and tamoxifen have weakened my bones and I’m on osteoporosis radar
Still better than cancer though x
Hope yours is something as innocent too