Pain in the sternum bone or heartburn???

bejuce · 09-07-2011, 04:06 PM

I bent over this morning to change my son before school and immediately felt a pain below the collarbone in the sternum area. I felt the need to burp after that so I'm thinking it may be hertburn or
reflux (which I have a history of). However, I haven't had reflux in a long time and when I did, it usually was before bed and after dinner rather
than when waking up (I hadn't eaten breakfast when I felt the pain).

I spoke to my cancer center nurse in the morning who
recommended I call my primary care doctor, which I'm
about to do. I also took a Zantac and a Prilosec just in case.

When I touch the area, I still feel a discomfort/pain.

How does one distinguish between heartburn/reflux/esophagus related pain and sternum pain? How does sternum pain feel like?

Thank you so much!

Marcia

Laurel · 09-07-2011, 05:27 PM

Marcia,

You say it is just beneath your collar bone? That's a bit high for heartburn, I believe.

I wonder if you did not simply sleep on your shoulder wrongly? When you get my age things like that frequently confront you in the morning, mysterious aches that were not there when you went to bed!

Here's to hoping and praying it is nothing more than you are growing older!

bejuce · 09-07-2011, 06:12 PM

Thank you, Laurel. I'd say it's a couple of inches below the collarbone. I made an appt with my primary care doctor tomorrow just in case. I'll let you know what I find out.

Thanks!

Marcia

Laurel · 09-08-2011, 05:27 PM

Marcia,

I have found that a high quality probiotic powder is the best thing for heartburn. You can pick up a small jar that will last a long time. Buy a brand that is refrigerated. I have struggled with heartburn ever since chemo, which apparently, according to my Onc., is a very common occurrence.

I am really believing this is nothing more than you are growing older. Isn't it great to be rejoicing in gaining years? Amazing how you appreciate every day now, isn't it? Praying this is nothing more than heartburn (which sucks I can tell you, but beats BC any day of the week!).

Gotta go watch the Packers play the Saints now. My husband is a huge Packers fan and his twin is an equally crazed Saints fan! Go figure.

Sheila · 09-09-2011, 05:13 AM

Marcia
Hoping the pain is digestive related....although I too have aches and pains in areas (ribs, sternum etc.) that appear out of nowhere. Maybe I just dont remember what I did to flare them. You are smart to get it checked out....only we would welcome "old age" as the cause of our pains! Hoping you get good news...let us know how things go. Keeping you in my thoughts!

bejuce · 09-09-2011, 08:49 AM

Thank you so much, ladies! I saw my primary care doctor yesterday. I explained to her what I felt and asked her how to distinguish between heartburn pain and sternum bone pain. She said the answer was simple - pushing. If you push in the area and it's tender/sore/painful, then it's most likely due to bone pain. I must have made a panicked look because she smiled at me and said "but that doesn't mean it's cancer".

She thinks the most likely cause is costochondritis, as a result of all the heavy lifting I did over my camping weekend and the day before I felt the pain when I returned the tent (carrying it as a backpack in my back) to our local REI store. She told me to take Aleve, stop the Zantac and see how I feel in a few days. She also said that she thinks it's costochondritis with 95% probability and as we get past the age of 25, we're bound to have some pain once in a while.

I'm better today but can still feel tenderness when I press the area. Either way, I'm scheduled to have a bone scan and a CT soon and I'll find out for sure.

I was so anxious last night that I had to go to bed early at 9:30 to turn my brain off. I couldn't deal with the possibility of being a bone met in the sternum when I looked at my children. I hate it that I seem to be the kind of person who upon any pain or feeling immediately thinks it's the cancer returning. I hate it that if there's a 5% chance of it being a bone met, I think that I must be in this 5%. I wonder if I'll ever stop feeling this way.

I was told that I had a 1% chance of having breast cancer when I was diagnosed, so I don't trust statistics anymore. How do I convince myself that it's not all doom and gloom sometimes? What are some of your coping mechanisms when you're dealing with all this anxiety? My children need me so much and I can't see myself dealing with cancer again. At least not so soon. I need to be here for at least 20 years. See how I am? How can I be more optimistic???

Thanks!!!

Marcia

bejuce · 09-09-2011, 09:07 AM

This type of article is what scares me: http://www.memesagligi.dergisi.org/pdf/pdf_MSD_223.pdf

KristinSchwick · 09-09-2011, 09:26 AM

Marcia,
I totally understand the fear of bone mets, I have 2. Let me just say that bone mets are super painful- even excruciating. Mine were in my hip/back, and I developed such a bad limp I couldn't walk without cringing in pain. Plus with bone mets they get worse everyday, they don't let up or stay the same- they get worse because they are growing and basically eating your bone. That being said, bone mets are not nearly as life threatening as other met spots- like liver, lung or brain.

I just went through a scare in my ribs- over my masectomy site, I was having some pain and I thought my rib was enlarged. Well I talked with my onc. and he said that rib mets would hurt with every inhalation and that the ribs will often shift and sometimes even extrude after a masectomy. So that put my mind at ease. My ca27.29 #s are still down so he wasn't worried.

One last thing to mention, you should rejoice that you have the option of tamoxifen- it combined with herceptin (aka triple + breast cancer) represents the greatest proportion of women who life 20+ years even after the cancer spreads. Unlike triple negative women who really have few targeted therapies available.

Kristin

bejuce · 09-09-2011, 10:23 AM

Thank you, Kristin. Trying to stay positive and focus on work while listening to some music on my iPod to keep my brain from having gloomy thoughts. It's hard being a mom of little ones with cancer.

Debbie L. · 09-09-2011, 07:53 PM

Marcia, no wisdom nor advice -- but I just want to affirm your note that being a mom of young children TOTALLY changes the context. I hear you, and send so many good thoughts, and empathy.

One of my biggest steps, as I pondered my mortality after breast cancer -- was realizing that my nearly-grown children might endure hardship if I died of breast cancer, but that they would be okay -- ultimately. It's much harder to reach that point, when the children are still young.

Which is NOT to say that I think you have symptoms that indicate a recurrence, nor that you're going to die. I just wanted to let you know that I hear and understand your concerns, and send much love and empathy.

Debbie Laxague

Trish · 09-09-2011, 10:29 PM

Marcia I doubt you can ever be fully free of the anxiety that cancer will return- especially as a mother of little ones- but I hope it it will become less acute as your fears are put to rest. The reality is EVERYBODY lives in the shadow of potential illness but not everyone is as hyper aware as we are. Focus on being the best mom you can be. With every passing day of good parenting you build your children's resilence so they are better able to cope with difficulties. My children have lived in the shadow of a mother with cancer since 2004 (ages 17, 10, 7) and are now 24, 19 and 14. I can't tell you how proud I am of how they are turning out. I am confident your children too will thrive. They have a great mother.
Trish

NEDenise · 09-10-2011, 11:29 AM

Marcia,
I can only imagine the level of anxiety you are feeling. My boys are 12 and 14, and my greatest fear is not being here for them as they grow into adulthood. Having young children must make it even harder...but...as someone else pointed out...all we can really do is hope that we make the most of each day...and raise them to be the people they're meant to be. So many of the women on this sight have shared stories of surviving 5, 6, 10, even 20 years. Why shouldn't you and I believe that we'll be like them someday?

That said, I wish you hope and peace...and I'll be praying that you are in that 95% that doctor mentioned.
I'll be thinking of you.
Denise