ct scan for sinuses?

[v-ness]

hi.

i have succeeded in freaking myself out a little bit tonight. my sister's friend was diagnosed with BC a year and a half ago and thanks to her i started doing almost obsessive breast self exams which resulted in me finding my stage 1 tumor in late august. she got brain mets in september and lung mets (she's triple negative). she went into hospice today so i have been feeling terrible.

tonight i was reading various posts on this site and found a post by julierene who started out stage 1 like me and now has brain mets. she hasn't posted since november. she'd had a CT scan because she thought she had sinus headaches.

on thursday i had herceptin and saw my oncologist as usual. i told her about my bloody, dry, raw nose and how it does not respond to saline solution and i told her how my head often feels pressured so much so that i can't wear my damn wig half the time. to my surprise, she ordered a CT scan for this monday. she said she didn't want to give me antibiotics without being sure i had a sinus infection. i found this very curious and somewhat over the top, but said OK....

well now i am a nervous wreck having read about julierene's experience. i don't actually have headaches, so i am trying to rein my mind in, but you know how it is, right? my imagination has run away with me. i now think my oncologist must have ordered the CT scan to be cautious about a lot more than a sinus infection. or is it normal to get sent for such an expensive test for such a mundane thing? is she just careful because i'm on chemo? ugh. thank god i have klonopin because i am gonna be using it for the next 2 days. i feel like an alarmist now, too overly influenced by my sister's friend's entry into hospice and what i read tonight. it's so easy to get scared.

valerie

[PinkGirl]

Hi Valerie

CT scans are very commonly done now to check for sinus problems.
I had one (before my cancer dx) to check out my crooked nose and
breathing problems.

When I was on herceptin, my nose was running, dripping or bleeding ...
did something different every day.

If your onc. thought there was something going on in your noggin, he/she
would be ordering and MRI ... not a CT scan.

Try not to think the worst.

[v-ness]

thank you for the reassurance. i just didn't know, i never had a CT scan and it seemed awfully much. that, combined with pam going into hospice at only 35, and julierene's history frightened me. i am glad to know i should only fear an MRI. :) i've had a good attitude through these 18 wks of chemo - which end next week, yay!!! - so i have to slap myself back into sense. the anniversary of my husband's death to cancer only 10 wks after diagnosis also influences me, though i try not to let it. cancer does not equal death, though it did for him. so i have to think like the survivor i plan to be.

by the way, i loved the cat shots - lynx, are they? i used to summer in Thunder Bay and loved it. saw my first mountain lion up in canada. to this day my sisters and i call beautiful, dry, blue sky days "canada days".

thanks again, valerie

[Jackie07]

Valerie,

Sorry about your sister's friend. Triple negative is often hard to treat because there's no 'target' for effective treatment. Her2 breast cancer used to be the same way because of the lack of effective medicine. Now that Herceptin is available, the whole picture has changed.

Your doctor has ordered a CT scan because it is a cheap and effective way to get a clear picture of your sinus area. Because you are in chemotherapy, any kind of treatment for any type of side effective has to be weighed carefully.

There are a few stage I members on the Board who has either progressed or has had recurrence - I am one of them and I know your fear is not unfounded. And I am glad that you are cautious about your symptoms. But your tumor is a Grade II, which is much slower growing than a grade III. Plus you've been getting Herceptin. I seriously doubt that the scan will show anything more serious than a sinus infection.

The hardest part is the 'waiting period' we have to endure. Some would pray, some would dig up more information, and some would seek other's advice. And you are absolutely correct in bringing up the 'power of suggestion' factor. Had you not known about what had happened to your sister's friend, you would probably not have been so worried about your bloody nose and the pressure in your head.

Having had the cancer-fighting experience, you have now become a warrior who actively seeks out the enemies and try to 'pre-empt'. You are doing what you think is right. And the result will be in soon. You've handled your emotion effectively by coming to the Board sharing it with your friends...

I hope we have somehow eased your mind a little bit. [Looks like PinkGirl's posting already did. :)]

[StephN]

Pink Girl has good information.
It is easy to get panicky in our situation! Our minds don't think logically - our experiences take over. Sorry for your friend - she is way too young.

I had a sinus CT after I had finished my second group of chemos for liver mets. My nasal passages were a total mess by that time. I had a place that would not heal up cauterized and then my ENT wanted to look at my sinus structure and said he could tell by the CT if I had an infection.

It is not the most comfortable. The way I had to prop my chin up on something to get the right angle. But it was not for very long.

My result was good so I did not need more antibiotics.
I also had a sore scalp - sensitive and a little painful.

I, too, am worried about Julierene.

[v-ness]

i am so glad to have this place to come to, to seek out the reassurances and guidance of those who've been through all this. i consider myself still a newbie to it all, though i have read voraciously. you must be a newbie when you're still in your first, and hopefully only, chemo. i let myself slip tonight with my fears, but you have all helped me and i'll probably re-read your words again before 4:10 monday's CT scan. the other good thing is the very same day my onco told me "i consider you disease-free". so that should be my mantra. my lara croft tomb raider, cancer killer in miniature, successfully racing through my veins destroying any errant cells. she worked well for me in the beginning. i've only now had those 'end of chemo' anxieties. the 'what now?' upcoming loss of a safety net. i expect it will revisit me at the end of radiation too. then again at the end of herceptin. but i will say that finding out that it is not uncommon to feel anxious at the end of chemo has already helped me feel better. i was falling into a melancholy over christmas and bob's anniversary. but one thing my honey would have said was," you get yourself up by your bootstraps girl and go on like a trooper". one of his greatest gifts to me, besides his love, was strength. as you can see in my sig file, i think his hand still reaches out to guide me along on this path.

valerie

[Jackie07]

That a girl!

You have been through so much in the past two, three years. No wonder your anxiety level was high. Thanks for sharing your story [and pictures] with us. We'll keep our fingers crossed for your scan...

[Chelee]

Valerie, Herceptin is famous for causing nose and sinus problems. The first yr I did herceptin I had such a dry, crusty and bloodly nose. It was just awful. Every thing was trial and error till I found ways to manage it. Once your nose is that dried up, raw and just plan sore all the time it takes a while to get it under control. I just don't want you in a panic thinking the worse because this really is one of the "most" common complaints about herceptin. Especially when your new to it. The pressure you mention in your sinuses is normal too. I use to get terrible pressure and even headaches from the herceptin. Especially the day of my infusions.

The saline will help but you have to first get the inside of your nose healed up. If it's the raw and crusty right now you might need to have your onc write a "prescription" for an antibiotic ointment to put inside your nose. This worked great for a gal I know at my center. I don't meant neosporin that you get over the counter...this is an actually script your onc can write for you. This would be different then your onc giving you an antibiotic for your sinus infection that treats the entire body. This ointment/creme is just for inside the nose and works wonders. Then once the ointment heals it up you continue to use the saline and it should be fine. It's a pain but it will get better.

Jackie is right...CT's are cheap. They do give a good picture though. However I always push for MRI's because I try to avoid radiation exposure ever chance I can. If my onc had her way she would always order a CT to save money. So they always go for the CT first...but I always tell her no I want a MRI. :) Your onc is just being safe and making sure everything is ok. But I will bet you this is just the herceptin playing havoc on your sinuses and nose. There is a thread on this board titled "Herceptin side affects real or perceived ". If you do a search for it you will see how many of us have had to deal with the nose problems. But in time it normally gets better.

It's so hard once dx with bc...every little thing we experience our mind goes to the worse possible senario. It's so stressful...so believe me...we all understand how you feel. Try not to worry...easier said then done...I know. But I really believe it's no more then a side affect of herceptin. We are all here for you.

Chelee

[PinkGirl]

Hi Valerie

Sounds like you're feeling better about this now. It's so hard to
not worry about everything. I'm sure your nose issues will resolve
when you are finished Herceptin.

I think those are lynx but I have trouble with a lynx and a bob cat
looking almost the same. My brother in law sent me those pictures
from somewhere in British Columbia.

Yes, the Thunder Bay area is very nice. I know exactly what kind of
dry, blue sky days you are referring to. I live about 5 hours from TBay
and go there often ... my oncologist is at the Thunder Bay Regional
Cancer Centre ... that's where I have all my appointments and scans
etc.

[ElaineM]

The sinuses are such a strange thing. All kinds of things can get them going !! Environment is a big one. Let us know how your ct scan went and what the results are.
Take care.

[Jaimieh]

Valerie,
I have had both a CT for my sinus due to pressure and some dizziness and a brain MRI in the last month. The final result was a block eustation (sp) tube which was causing the pressure.

Your doctor is just CYA in my opinion.