how were your liver mets originally noticed or diagnosed?

Cannon · 04-09-2008, 03:48 PM

My liver tests are running high - and my onc says if we hadn't just done a PET/CT in January he would do another one (it was clear).

So, I'm wondering if people were first alerted to liver mets by liver tests being off, and if those were followed up by CT or maybe ultrasound.

Thanks for your help and sharing!

chrisy · 04-09-2008, 05:19 PM

Hi,

I was dx with liver mets by "by accident" with a CT scan which was ordered to follow up on minor stomach problems (which had by then resolved on its own!). This was 2 months after having clean follow up exam including liver panel. I remember the doctor commenting " your liver is healthier than mine". Go figure.

So, in my case, there was no sign in my liver blood work that there was a problem. What you are seeing may have nothing to do with cancer - or it could be treatment related. The chemo you were on probably made your liver work pretty hard.

I would ask for follow up tests on the readings in question, if they are still elevated, you could ask for an ultrasound and/or scan

Cannon · 04-09-2008, 05:25 PM

Thanks Chrisy. I hate to worry for no reason, and I hate to think it might be something!

And I just started a new job, so I hate to take time off to see the doctor. ;-)

Lori R · 04-10-2008, 07:37 PM

Cannon,
Isn't Chrisy helpful? I always find her input so helpful.
I wanted to let you know you have a kindred sole. Upon diagnosis in October 2007 I was diagnosed with a liver met. I JUST finished 6 cycles of Taxotere + Herceptin at the end of February 2008 and am DESPERATELY looking forward to a break. My PET scan performed in early April came back clear so I was doing the happy dance.

THEN.....I receive my blood test and my liver measurements seem to be going wild. How can my blood test results change so much in 6 weeks off of Chemo??

I'll keep you posted as to the feedback that I receive from my Onc and we can compare notes.

madubois63 · 04-10-2008, 09:47 PM

I just wrote to a friend that is dealing with a relapse. She went to a chiropractor because she was experiencing back pain. Ended up going to a pc that ordered and ultrasound...found a 10 cm spot. She asked if I had any pain and I remember a deep down kind of itch and nagging pain in my shoulder blade (right side - where the mets were). I've read this "symptom" somewhere before. I didn't have any changes in my blood test. Hope this helps....

sarah · 04-11-2008, 04:27 AM

Hi Maryann,
Hope you are doing well, you are a pioneer, brave and funny and I always enjoy you newsy updates. You make the worst things sound like just a voyage.
What do you mean by shoulder blade pain and liver mets or other mets? I've had severe pain in my shoulder blades and thought it was bursitis but my local doctor said it's the wrong place for that and is sending me for physical therapy.
curious
sarah

Becky · 04-11-2008, 06:17 AM

Three years ago I manned the Her2 booth at the Young Survival Conference that was in Denver that year. It was then I met our Lisa (Love and Light). I asked her her story and her liver mets started as a nagging pain in her right shoulder blade (of which she thought nothing of at the time). As a few months went on, more investigation revealed mets. If you google liver problems - shoulder blade pain is mentioned over and over again as a possible symptom.

Gerri · 04-11-2008, 06:53 AM

Becky,

Too weird that I should read this thread a few hours before I see my onc for a routine followup. I have been having pain in my right shoulder and was debating whether to even bring it up today - I am for sure now! My onc does not run routine tests but I feel like I should request something. I had a bone scan done in January that was clear.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Cannon · 04-11-2008, 06:36 PM

Thanks for the responses. I'm thinking I'll push for some further exam, maybe an ultrasound. Onc and gastro are supposed to talk on Monday.

I didn't realize until I looked it up how close the liver is to the breast/chest - it's actually under the rib cage on the right side, and my cancer was right side and in the nodes, so it's geographically closer than I thought.

Anyway, I'll let you know.

Jackie07 · 04-11-2008, 07:08 PM

Wow - y'all got me worried here now.

I woke up this morning with very bad right shoulder / left neck pain. Last night for some reason I put three pillows under my head (must have not been feeling well already.) So I figured that was the cause. By the time I got to my office, the pain was not getting any better. Also, the pain seemed to be in exactly the same places where I had felt back in 1990 - after I woke up from the 10-day semi-comatose.

So I called my doctors - Oncology, neurosurgery, neurology. Finally, the oncology nurse practioner called me back after lunch. She did not think it had anything to do with 'technesium' which I had been injected for bone scan yesterday afternoon. But she couldn't think of any other reason either. She told me to call her next Monday if I am still experiencing problems.

Bill · 04-11-2008, 08:15 PM

Hi Cannon, my wife, Nicola, during a routine mammo. in early 2004, showed microcalcifications in one breast, stage 0. She had a stereotactic lumpectomy and 20-some rads. to the site. Two surgeries to check margins came back clear and all tests came back good. Then, late November, 2005, she had severe abdominal pain. We went to our GP, an excellent doctor, who ordered an ultrasound for the next morning. He said it seems like gall-bladder trouble. We went to the hospital for the ultrasound, and during the procedure, Nikki asked the technician what she saw. The tech. said she wasn't supposed to analyze that info. and give it to the patient, but we talked her into it. She said the gall-bladder definitely looked bad. Nikki then asked how her liver looked. The tech. said the liver looked good. Nikki's sister had said that gall-bladder trouble can indicate a problem with the liver. Then, the next day, they scheduled the gall-bladder removal. We called the surgeon who had done her lumpectomy and margin checks to do the procedure. I didn't know it at the time, but he was also chief surgeon of the hospital and was always voted "best in his field" in our area. The gall-bladder removal was supposed to take about an hour and a half. After 2 hours, I got worried, then after 3 and a half hours I was scared to death. Then the doc., one of the most amazing men I've ever met, walked up to me in the waiting room, with tears in his eyes, and led me into the "private room". He said he had some bad news and I said what? He put his hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eye, and said,"she's got cancer in her liver". I asked if he was sure, and he said yes he was sure, and he said, "this just doesn't happen." He went on to explain that in 20 years of surgery only one other time had he gone in for a gall-bladder removal and found cancer in the liver, and he couldn't even remember the other time. I asked how many lesions there were, and he said he didn't count them. After that day, it was just always "numerous lesions". Nikki, like Chrisy, and a few others, went from stage 0 to stage IV. Her liver biopsy showed the cancer to be breast cancer, but she never showed any cancer in her breasts, other than the DCIS in 2004. She never had any shoulder blade pain that I can recall. I'm sorry for the long-winded reply. I wasn't even going to respond, but then I thought it might help someone. But please bear in mind, Nikki's situation was an extremely rare occurence. Love, Bill

fullofbeans · 04-12-2008, 04:42 AM

I too requested a CT scan and it was therefore found by "accident" too. Later I had a slight pain on the last rib. Get a scan if you are worried I should think.

Mary Anne in TX · 04-12-2008, 05:07 AM

Bill, your story was riddled with love and reality. What a journey our warriors take. This has been really great information on this thread. Thank you to all who responded and shared such helpful info. Cannon, I'll be waiting to hear your results.
ma

KellyA · 04-12-2008, 11:28 AM

Hi there,

I hope that I can make a few people feel better. Although ANY persistent pain should always be investigated by a doctor, I did have a pretty recent bout with abdominal pain and pain that radiated around my ribs to the area around my right shoulder blade. It turned out to be my gallbladder and some other digestive issues. The pain got progressively worse and I even started running a fever. I was SURE that it was my liver, and was scared to death. My doc told me that it is very common to have issues after chemo.

Please do check out any pain that does not go away in a reasonable amount of time, but try not to assume that it is always "the worst". Hee Hee- ANYTHING seems like nothing now as long as its not cancer. They could tell me I have aliens growing inside of me, and it wouldn't bother me!

Love, Kelly

sarah · 04-13-2008, 02:42 AM

wow. So what type os scan do you recommend and where?
good health to all of you and thanks for all your helpful knowledge, we learn so much from this site and get so much support from it. It helps us help our doctors keep us alive.
sarah