Continued hip pain and MRI results.

lizm100 · 01-04-2010, 07:16 AM

Hi-

I've been meaning to post but my saga of hip & joint pain continues and I just don't know know how to proceed. Need some advice & input please.

Diagnosis background:
When I was initially diagnosed with stage T1MIC (DCIS with less than 1mm of a microinvation) bc in Febuary 08', my oncologist ordered a baseline CT scan of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis and all was normal. I also had a baseline bone scan which was normal. I have had repeat CT scans a year ago and had my last bone scan in March of 09' for other aches and pains, they were all normal.

This is my worst and latest saga:
For at least 3 months I have had pain in the whole left side of my pelvic area which includes the front hip, back hip, joint & socket, rear end area, upper leg pain the radiates with sensations of pulling, burning, shooting, tingeling, throbbing, to just plain pain. The intensity of the pain varies. At times it feels muscular & at times it feels like the bone, it's so difficult to tell. Motion/activity such as walking & standing relieve the pain, not make it worse. Inactivity such as sitting & especially laying down intensify the pain. I tried physical therapy but the stretches made it worse. I'm taking Zyflamed which is a herbal anti-inflamatory(suggested by my naturalpath) and at times Motrin which only help moderately. The pain started shortly after I started doing yoga (I did hip stretches to open the hips) simutanously I also started working out on a weight machine that require pulling and pushing of weight that work out your back end and hips etc.

I don't believe the pain has gotten worse & may have improved slightly (I think?). I feel like I'm starting to lose my mind since I'm starting to obsess over this now.

A few weeks ago I went to see an orthopedic doctor who specializes in hips. The doctor has ordered x-rays and had an MRI of the pelvis. The X-rays showed a little wear and tear.

The MRI reported stated that "there are small subchondral degerative cysts & bone marrow edema in the superior acetabular rim. Heterongeneous red marrow throughout the pelvis, sacrum & proximal femurs. My doctor told me the type of pain I'm experiencing is not consistent with the findings but wanted to start off with a steroid injection which I had on Dec. 24th & it didn't help the pain.

In addition, having a clean bone scan 6 months b/4 the onset of this pelvic pain; my oncologist feels confident that it's not cancer related but injury related. I am very nervous and the fear of mets is starting to consume me. How good are MRI's at diagnosing mets?

Thank you for reading my post and any advice and input would be greatly appreciated.

Margerie · 01-04-2010, 09:26 AM

Liz,

could it be sciatica??? http://www.spineuniverse.com/display...ticle1448.html

tricia keegan · 01-04-2010, 10:55 AM

Liz,

A recent bone scan I had showed a small spot of concern, this was followed by an mri which showed the same as the bone scan but was inconclusive. I then had a pet/ct which was negative, the area is too small to biopsy so another mri is planned for the end of this month to note any changes.
I'm not sure if anything cancer related has to be of a certain size before being seen on the mri but agree your pain could well be sciatica.
I've also had ongoing joint pain in the past from arimidex so this too may be a factor?
Sorry I can't help more, but it appears many of us have varying degree's of bone/muscle pain since diagnosis and always think it's cancer!
I really hope your Dr's can give you some answers soon

Laurel · 01-04-2010, 06:29 PM

Liz,

I had pain very similar to what you are describing a few months ago. It had been developing over a period of perhaps 6 months or more. After a bone scan which was negative, I found it was related to how I was sitting. I cannot remain in certain positions for any length of time or they cause me great discomfort and stiffness that can last for many days. I must not prop my feet up on the coffee table when sitting at the sofa. Why that irritates my left hip I do not know. I know that whenever I fall back into that old manner of posture I pay for it dearly! Certain positions at my office desk kill my lower back! I can hardly straighten up! Ridiculous this damn disease! In my case I blame it on the A.I.'s, my catch-all culprit for everything achy!

I have included glucosamine/condroitin/msn into my regimen, garlic, and EPA all of which reduce inflammation. I think it helps, but who knows? At any rate, I wish you health and freedom from worry. Why not ask for a bone scan if you continue to be concerned?

Becky · 01-04-2010, 07:05 PM

Hi Liz

Your MRI clearly shows that you have degenerative disease (cysts etc). I would go to an orthopedic guy and see what they recommend for recovery/physical therapy. You sound just like my mom (also a bc survivor) who had every test in the world (including a PET/CT) and it was bursitis and arthiritis in the hip. She is almost 80 (and very overweight) but slow walking helps her and some physical therapy. They threw the "testing book" at her when her symptoms began (about 6 months after Arimidex started) since she was less than 2 yrs out at that time and everyone (including me) thought it might be a recurrence to the bone - but it wasn't. You do need to get to the bottom of it though so you can get into a phys therapy program that will work for you.

Jackie07 · 01-04-2010, 07:45 PM

Liz,

Sounded like you overstretched yourself. I got 'Diastasis recti' - pulled my belly muscle while doing yoga last January. At the time I was very panicking about it and thought it was mets. But my oncologist asked me to move in certain way and confirmed it was just a muscle pull.

Ruth · 01-04-2010, 07:54 PM

Liz ~
This describes to a tee my problems with sciatica. I have been through some great physical therapy and without it I wouldn't have learned correct ways of sitting; driving; and using the computer. Physical therapy helped immensly and it taught me to notice when it flares up to help myself. The "burning" really describes it!
Please try physical therapy again...it hurt me worse at the beginning before it improved. Strenghtening your abs makes a huge difference too. So sorry for you!
Hugs ~ Ruth

"upper leg pain the radiates with sensations of pulling, burning, shooting, tingeling, throbbing, to just plain pain."

lizm100 · 01-05-2010, 11:52 AM

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and respond to my post. All of you are so knowledgeable and are always willing to offer very helpful advice and insight.

Margerie, thank you for the link it is very informative and detailed.

Tricia, you always have a story to share that makes one feel better. Thank you for sharing your story and I truly hope your MRI will come back with no worrisome changes. Imaging and scans are a great tool but they can also cause one to worry unnecessarily if something new and unexplained shows up.

Laurel, its coincidental that you mentioned glucosamine/condroitin/msn since I just added that to my arsenol of supplements along with fish oil since it's supposed to help with the joints. You had commented on a bone scan, I am one of those that worries about too much radiation exposure and if the risks outweigh the benefits in my situation since I had the MRI of the area of concern.

Becky, may be a different Physical Therapy program may help. Glad to hear your mom did not have a recurrence. That is great news!

Jackie, you & me are probably the only few that yoga did more harm then good. I think that I will stay away from it and stick to my walking, running & free weights.

Ruth, as you and Becky said, may be I need to get into a different Physical Therapy program that is specifically for sciatica and be treated by a Physical Therapist who has treated many sciatica patients. There are many programs out there, I just need to weed them out. I agree strengthening the ab muscles makes a huge difference with many aches and pains.

I hate this damn disease!!! Thank you again for your time and responses.

Sending (((hugs))) to all of you.

Liz

fauxgypsy · 01-05-2010, 01:26 PM

I am taking Arimidex and I have hip pain similar to what you described. I didn't take it for a couple of weeks (I forgot to take it on a trip) and my hip improved. I am back to taking it and my hips are bothering me again. I can't sleep on my right side because of the mastectomy and sometimes my left hip feels like it on fire. After my commute my hips are very stiff. It takes a little while before I can walk comfortably. My hope is that this is not going to cause damage that will continue after I finish the Arimidex, I may be wrong but I am pretty sure that is where this hip pain is coming from.

lizm100 · 01-06-2010, 08:48 AM

Fauxgypsy - as I had heard from a BC survivor..."cancer, the gift that keeps on giving".. I hate the fact many medications seem to help in one area(preventing recurrence) while "hurting" another and that's a fact with many medications. Since I am pre-menopausal(hormone neg too!) and taking only supplements, it wouldn't be the cause of my pain.
Thank you for sharing and I hope you find some relief too.

Sending (((hugs))) your way. Liz

Westcoastgirl · 01-06-2010, 11:52 AM

I too have had hip pain along with other joint pains. I find deep tissue massage for trigger points is what works best for me. I also try to be very aware of my posture. Habitual bad habits are often the case of many problems, along with inactivity. It is hard to go through treatment and continue to be active but take heart and keep plodding. As Winston Churchill said, "If you are going through hell, keep going." I have found there are good times and bad times for my pain and hold to the belief that things can only get better when they are bad.

lizm100 · 01-06-2010, 07:11 PM

Westcoastgirl - you just put a smile on my face & made me crack up......especially about Churchill's comment

)) I've gotten back to working out; yoga excluded ofcourse and am definitely hurting especially from all the post stretches. I've got figure out what helps (P.T. or may be a new dr's opinion?) but for the time being...working out (brisk walking/running & free weights) helps to keep me mentally focused.

v-ness · 01-06-2010, 08:10 PM

liz - you can add me to the list of those hurt instead of helped by yoga. i too badly injured my hip doing exactly what you were doing, hip stretches! it took a while to go away and i was spooked off any yoga aimed at the hips. if they're tight, let em be tight, i now say. my husband used to call me China Bull (as in bull in a china shop) because i do nothing gracefully or lightly. so naturally i'd hurt myself doing something like yoga. i hope your hip improves soon. i just managed to hurt my back sweeping and mopping. if only i could use that as an excuse never to do housework again. valerie

Midwest Alice · 01-07-2010, 10:25 AM

I can join in on the hip pain. I had my shot in the right hip joint yesterday. The one on the left hip joint in December it helped. My movement is still limited. My PT gave me exercises which I have not been doing over December. So I will start up again.

The like you Churchill comment. .. just keep going.

My arthritis started progressing quickly last spring.

Leslie304 · 01-07-2010, 01:08 PM

I everyone! I just can't believe all I'm reading. I've been having hip/joint pain too and was wondering if it was a side effect of any particular drug. I've just finsished radiation and am currently on Tykerb/Xeloda. I had the whole regimin of chemo drugs. I'm very stiff, my joints ache, my finger joints are swollen and I cannot sit on the floor cross legged at all!! It's very painful. Prior to radiation I was doing yoga and my hips were fine. Could it be that radiation accelerates arthritis systemically? My oncologist does not approve of many supps, definitely no antioxidants. Currently I'm only on calcium, vit D, and b-complex. I'm leaning toward doing some anyway. I even consulted with an integrative doc at the hospital and she also said no antioxidants, even when treatments are done. She stated that antioxidants can proliferate cancer cells!!! What?!
Any feedback would welcomed.
Leslie

lizm100 · 01-07-2010, 05:02 PM

Hi-

Ok, I just spoke to my orthopedic doctor who is a hip specialist and now he wants me to see a sports medicine doctor since he said my symptoms are consistent with Piriformis syndrome which I believe is like sciatica as some of you already stated.

Valerie, I guess you too can join Jackie and me as far as skipping yoga since it did harm rather than good for us. I'm sorry that you hurt your back by cleaning, I can relate. Actually you have a valid excuse for not being able to clean, at least temporarlly. I wish that I could get away with no housework but I know that will never happen (with 3 young kids and 2 dogs) in reality. My friends & I always joke around that we need cleaning elves and a laundry fairy...LOL! Do you remember how long it took your hip to get better?

Alice, glad to hear that the injections are helping. Yes, life does not stop when we're in pain...all we can do is keep going and life goes on.....

Leslie, I love your BIG black dog. I have a black labradoodle that has a wavy coat and actually resembles a New Foundland instead of a doodle. I can't answer the chemo question but I'm sure there are many wonderful members on this forum that probably can. As far as radiation.... I have read & from my own personal experience I have experienced more aches and pains, especially in my radiated areas that I have never experience b/4. I know radiation is supposed to be local treatment but personally I believe that it adversally effects other parts of the body. For example I had chronic diarrhea while getting radiation which is supposed to be local treatment. After radiation, I developed chronic costochondritis along with many other aches and pains that I never ever had b/4 in my life. I see a naturalpath who specializes in women's health(my breast surgeon referred me to her) and treats many breast cancer patients; she too says NO antioxidents while in treatment and I waited about 8-10 weeks to start the antioxidents after treatment. You may want to find a good naturalpathic physician to assist you in your decision making. My naturalpath suggested I take glucosamine/condroitin/msn and fish oil since they are great for the joints. May be you can check with your doctor if that's something you can do but it takes 4-8 weeks to feel improvement if it will work. Also, epsom salt baths are supposed to help with joint and muscle pain. Best of luck to you.

Thank you all for caring to respond. I don't know what I would do without this forum. Sending (((hugs))) to all of you and please keep the advice coming.

Liz

SoCalGal · 01-09-2010, 01:31 AM

My knee is killing me as I read this. My hips have been bothering me on and off for years, but doing pilates on the reformer helped my pain quite a bit. Hahaha, yesterday I went to a private "Yoga Therapy" session. It was a super gentle set of stretches, not more than 15 minutes, all on the mat laying down. In other words, perfectly appropriate, no impact, lots of breathing which is good for all of us. Meanwhile, I was in such agony last night it was ridiculous. Today is better. I find that Wobenzyme N is very good for inflamation. I've been off it for a few weeks, and maybe that's why my knee is hurting. Of course, my mind goes to the worse case scenario. Who has knee-cap mets? It doesn't even sound sensible. BUT if this pain continues I'll have to mention it to someone doctorish. It hurts to bend my knee, which interferes with...everything. Feels like I slammed my knee into a pointy table but I didn't. Maybe it's the zometa, it can create a bunch of aches post treatment...

v-ness · 01-09-2010, 11:00 PM

hi liz - i remember the pain taking several weeks to subside and i know i went to the doctor about it, it bothered me so much. this was a number of years ago so i am foggy on anything else, like what i might have taken for pain. perhaps 600 mg Motrin - that usually helps me (although it hasn't helped this back thing). the funny thing is, when my back improved a bit this week, the first thing i did was go to the gym and walk and do some yoga - but just cat & cow pose and child's pose. gentle for the back. i learned my lesson!

when i got gingerly out of my chemo chair on thursday the nurse asked me what was the matter and i just brushed it off. she said if it lasts 2 wks to mention it to the onco. i guess that might be a standard thing? i don't know. i am new to all this even at 5 months.

i hope your hip problems are relenting!

p.s. flori - i once had that sort of pain in the knee you are describing, like you'd slammed it into a pointy table. it turned out i had patellar chondromalacia and a loose bone chip in there under the knee cap which can cause some amazingly sharp pain. it was from running, which i can no longer do.

valerie

Laurel · 01-10-2010, 05:36 PM

Boy, we sure are a rickety bunch, aren't we?

lizm100 · 01-12-2010, 12:35 PM

Hi-

I can finally say that my hip pain has improved just over the past week, I think the walking, epsom soaks, an husband's messages to the area really helped to loosen the muscles in the area. But now my costochrontis is back again. I never in my life got costochondritis until I finished radiation. Now I have been getting a flare up every couple of months that take months to go away. I'm only 40, too young for these aches and pains according to my doctors but then again too young to have had bread cancer too...... OK, I'll stop venting..

Flori- I have heard from so many that taking glucosamine/condroitin/msn has improved their knee pain, (including my physical therapist...lol) May be that's an option for you? My mom swears by it too! As far as the yoga, I think I'm done with it.

Valerie - you're brave ; I too enjoyed yoga but the pain for me is just too much

I hope your back gets better soon.

laurel- I think you are right :0)