Hi, I was diagnosed last June and have had Chemo, surgery and almost finished 5 weeks of radio. After surgery they said chemo didn’t work very well, and as I had 13/15 possitive lymph nodes I am pretty concerned about spread. I have had back ache since starting the Tamoxifen which started day 5, it was pretty bad for the first week… I have heard the Tamoxifen can cause tumour flare so that worried me, has this happened to anyone else?
I asked the onc yesterday if I could have a bone scan, he agreed but said it would be in a month as it was just to stop me worrying, I got a message today saying I was booked in for next week so that has now gotten me slightly worried as maybe he decided that there was a real need for it? The problem is he was going to book me in the get the results in 8 weeks - this will now be almost two months after having the scan, if they found anything would they let me know sooner?
I now i only posted this a minute or three ago but can people see it? Just wondering as some people seem to need to ‘bump’ their posts For them to appear?
Hi Sumica
Sorry that you’ve got worries over the timing of the scan and results. In my limited experience of one bone scan, I think you could expect the scan report (done by a radiologist) to be ready within about a week of having the scan - the results will be on your electronic patient records, so you could ask your BCN or anyone else in the BC team to access your records and tell you. I think its unreasonable to have to wait weeks for the results. Maybe you could try and set this up with your BCN with a telephone call or two?
Good luck
Maggyx
Thanks Meggy, I had’nt thought about the BCN as I haven’t used them really, she’s been off almost since I started this but I’m sure any of them could have a look for me
You could ask your GP as they also have access to the hospital patient records. My GP printed me off a copy of a path report that my BCN was refusing to give me without going through some silly central system to ask permission.
Hi sumica
dont worry about the bone scan being sooner than planned - it may have been that they had an earlier slot available, and nothing to do with any urgency at all. As for results - you should not have to wait so long for hearing about them. I would suggest you ring your BCN and ask her to call you when the results are ready. Or ring her the day after the scan (sometimes they can have them ready the next day, depends on how often the radiologist is available to look at the scans) And check whether she knows something already.
I hope all is well. Odd pains are worth having checked out - happily often enough they are just side effects from treatment and nothing to worry about. I hope your pains fall in that category too.
You have gone through a lot so far. Well done for persevering. You say should are still going through radiotherapy - I hope you are not too tired. The radiotherapy works on for some time after finishing, you may find that you are most tired about ten or fourteen days after the last sessions. After that your energy levels should slowly get better, good timing too as the days are getting longer and the weather moves into spring something to look forward too.
warmest wishes
Thanks Christine, think I will be calling the BCN to get the results
I just have 3 more ‘Treats’ to go and am starting to feel tired so thinking maybe I won’t go to work next week but shall see how I feel, always end up feeling slightly guitly if I don’t go in.
It’s funny, I’ve been great through most of my treatment (mentally) but now i’m almost finished i’m worrying, I suppose I should be making plans for all the free time I’ll have now
Hi sumica
don’t be surprised about starting a little worrying now, I think we all do once treatment has finished, when it hits us what we have gone through and there is no longer a diary full of all these planned bits of treatment. it feels a bit as if we have been spat out by the system, and our safety blanket has been removed - now we are on our own. Planning a few nice things will help, and keep in touch with fiends and family too. And remember that your BCN is always there for any little niggle that may worry you, and so is your gp, and all the lovely ladies on this site. You are not on your own.
Wishing you the very best with the last few radio sessions, christine
Hi sumica
dont worry about the timing of the appointment. I asked my surgeon for a bone scan as had been getting a burning sort of neck pain post op ( also have 9/15 positive nodes). This was on a Tuesday last month. The hospital phoned the next day and gave me an appointment for the next day (Thursday). Now that put the wind up me bit! I had my scan got the results a week on the following Monday. And yes they were clear!!! So short notice isn’t always bad news. I also a CT scan within 4 days of request and got the results the next day.
LS xx
Hi Sumica, I had a bone scan 2.5 weeks ago and have to get the results through an onc appointment on Monday The bcn won’t even look for the results for me, and the GP never will give out results either. I’m just saying this because all hospitals seem to have diffrent procedures. I think we all worry about things like this (I am bloody terrified ) but we do tend to read things into things they say or the speed that an appointment comes through. Take care xx
but I’m sure any of them could have a look for me 