back pain

Hello!

My Mom has asked if I would post a question regarding her back pain. She was initially diagnosed with liver mets March 04. At that time she was experiencing some discomfort under her right shoulder blade. She has since learned that can be a symptom of liver mets.

She just had her CT, bone scans, etc in April and all was clear but the remaining 2cm mass in her liver. She has been on herceptin only since January. The problem for the last several weeks has been severe back pain all across her lower back (not in the same area as before). Has anyone experienced back pain like this on herceptin? Any ideas? She is going to ask her oncologist about this next week but she asked if I would post as well.

Thank you!
Brittany

I don't know about Herceptin and back pain, but 90% of the adult population has back pain at some time, especially if one is relatively sedentary, ie not getting a lot of exercise and if one does not keep one's abdominal muscles in shape--so there is no reason she couldn't just have bread and butter back pain like just about everyone else. That is not to say it could not be due to the Herceptin, but various things would point to a musculoskeletal source of the problem vs referred pain from the lining of the abdomen. Of course a metastasis to the spine (not trying to give you ONE MORE THING TO WORRY ABOUT, but just trying to make sure you are aware of what the oncologist might want to look into) might give similar signs and symptoms as a pulled muscle, sore joint in the back or herniated disc--
Musculoskeletal back pain usually -can be made worse with certain movements, -is made better by lying down (especially with the hips and knees bent 90 degrees), is associated with an area tending to the touch (especially if you lie her face down on a hard surface and touch areas of the spine that are most bony, and then areas just to the right and just to the left of that while applying a bit of pressure to the areas to the right and left of the spine as they are deeper in and harder to test for tenderness, is often made worse by raising a staight leg (hip bent , but knee not bent)--that pain is usually relieved by subsequently bending that knee. Often it hurts more to bend forward or to bend back, and sidewards bending and twisting may cause pain.
Don't worry too much, but do check it out. And as I said, I have no experience with Herceptin, so let's hope others will log and and give you a more personally informed opinion.
Hope this helps
Lani

Thank you so much Lani for taking the time to respond. I will try the things you suggested for my Moms back. I am hoping too that it is not a cancer related pain. Like I said, she just had a clear bone scan last month so we're hoping it's not related.

I did experience the pain under my right shoulder blade before I was diagnosed with mets to the liver, lungs and nodes. I am being treated with Herceptin, Carboplaten and Taxatiere. Sometimes (mostly at night when I relax) I experience severe "charley horse" like pain in the upper back area. Also, I get the pain when the air pressure changes. Talk to the doctor. I take a pain killer at night as needed. I hate to do it, but at this point, you have to do whatever needs to be done to get through. I have a microwave heat pad (with spices inside). It helps too. Good luck.