help with my thoughts

Dear All
I need someone to speak to me sensibly or something. As you may know I had a bone scan last week which showed increased uptake or activity or something. I then had a bone scan which showed nothing. My onc wants me to have an mri to finally confirm and I cannot get one until 25/2.
My mind is going aropund and around. It seems unlikely because the spots are in the lower leg , and they appear in both legs. I get pain after taxol any way ( am on taxol/herceptin for scar cells)Could the taxol do something to give a positive bone scan? The onc said something about maybe it is the effect of the steroid?
How do I stop my thoughts until I am sure?
And I am still not sure how treatable and serious bone mets is.Help please.
love
Linda

hi linda, i dont know anything about bone mets, but i will be thinking of you and praying for you. this board always gives me so much hope and info and inspiration. i am sure that you will be fine, just try not to worry too much. your onco will be able to get a drug to treat them.

Linda,
I wish I could tell you about steriods, but I can't. I CAN tell you something about bone mets, since I have them throughout my body. First of all, there are treatment options. Also, even though mine are in skull, legs, spine, etc., I have never had pain from them. (Although, some people do.) An MRI will be your best bet probably. Glad you've having it. Sorry you have to wait, though. I've been told that bone scans are just terribly inacurrate at times.
Linda, my bet is you don't have bone mets. But, on the long shot if you do, the taxol will help kill the bad cells and you'll do another drug (with minor/no side effects) to help build the bones back up. If you'd like to discuss this more to help calm down some, why don't you come to the Chat Room Sunday at noon EST or Monday at 9 p.m. EST. Talking will help.

Meanwhile, breathe, breathe, breathe.

Love and light,

Lisa

Thanks so much Lisa. I am trying hard to live in the 'here and now' and go with it and put it out of my mind.Sometimes I am better at this than other times. I have visited the chat room but was the only one there. I am in australia and it is currently 4.30 ish whilst sending this.I will keep trying.

love
linda

Calm, calm, calm. I posted a reply last week about my "increased uptake" which did not turn out to be anything. My onc put me on a drug to take once a week to strengthen my bones and asked me to work on my calcium intake.
Once all my liver mets were killed and my tumor markers went back to well in the normal range, there was no worry. My doc put me on another "maintenance" drug called Zometa (infused every 3 weeks), which actually takes calcium from my blood stream and pushes it into my bones. My last bone scan in Sept showed no such "uptake" as before, which was after 12 weekly adriamycin and 4 doses of taxotere.
You are currently on a very good regimen (same that helped me with mets, except I also had navelbine) and if there IS anything in your bones it is being attacked by the chemo and herceptin as you sit there!! Hold that thought!
Try to work on getting more calcium with vitamin D in the correct proportion and this WILL help. We all need to be aware that our bones are at increased risk after taking chemo.
Nervewracking to wait so long - but use your intuition and do your "inner" work.
We are here any time.

Thankyou
It helps so much to get others perspective - I will print out these emails and read them when I am feeling worried.

love
Linda

Linda,

I have had uptake for arthritis and scar tissue. (PET and Bone Scan). I have a really large hot spot on my clavicular joint because of arthritis. Last PET, my entire skeleton was glowing because of the neulasta (neopogen) I receive following my chemo. Don't fret. PET is great, but not perfect. Praise God your bone scan was good. Stay strong. Bug the the MRI place for an earlier appt. or try another place. If the doctor was really worried, he could get you in today!

Dear Staci
Is the neupogen from a chemo? Which one?
Thank you so much for the reply - it is reassuring.

love
Linda

Thank you Kim
I am feeling a bit better as vivist to onc yesterday and he is having doubts too.

love
linda

Hi Linda,
the MRI is going to be more exact than a bone scan and will give the onc much needed info. Not to mention a base line for possible future tests. Your question about bone mets...........of course it is serious but it's not the worse thing that could happen. bone mets are very common and if it can be contained, it is not terminal. The onc's are starting to consider it more of a chronic illness that they can treat. Go figure.
el