Silently Freaking Out

[Deleted]

Our thoughts and prayers are with you Shasta. But, i thought that in general, that cancer did not cause pain and that would most likely indicate a different problem.

[moxie]

"Costochronditis perhaps. Its when the cartilage that connects your ribs to your sternum gets injured. I had pain all though my chest all around my ribs to my back. It had me in tears. It took several weeks for it to heal too. If not for the cyst, it almost sounds like that is what Shasta has."

Sounds like it. I do recall the Dr. asking me if I had fallen...

[NancysSummerSip]

Add me to the "silent freak out types" list. Mainly because I don't want to worry anyone else, I wind up worrying myself to a state of illness.

Shasta for you.

[findingdeadbeats]

I don't think the lump itself is causing the pain I am having. Right now, it hurts every time I breathe. And, in the last week it has started to really, really, really hurt. As in, sit in the recliner all day with heat/ice on vicodin and do nothing or it hurts even more.

I spent an hour with the therapist, and another hour with my BFF talking last week, and I had to come home because I couldn't stand the pain anymore and wanted nothing more than to get the ice on my side. The area has been sore for a while but nothing constant like it has become in the last couple weeks.

Looking back, a couple months ago I started feeling like someone shoved a golf ball into my left lung. At first there wasn't much pain, it just felt differently when I would breathe. Then the pain in my back/chest wall started. I got concerned and made an appt with the doc but he didn't have any appts for a while and I was due for a "medication check" so that is what was scheduled...

I go to a great doctor but he is very anal about you only talking to him about what your appt was specifically for. I was there as a 'depression medication check' so he didn't want to talk about my pain and actually changed the topic to a referral to a therapist and left the room. (I think this stuff is part of the problem with low/no Medicaid reimbursements for doctors. Mine requires a separate appt for every little thing, as does the "free" clinic in town. You can't really go with two problems. Which is a pain in the butt...)

So, he did mention at my appt that since I am 43 and have a huge instance of breast and other cancers in my family, that it was necessary for me to have the mamo and see if something there is contributing to my pain. Make another appt in a few weeks and maybe you just have a pulled muscle that will go away on it's own...

A couple weeks ago I noticed that my arm didn't want to move like it should. If I stand in front of a mirror and lift both arms up, one goes to the side and the other will go straight up. Also, the arm that doesn't want to move right is swollen as is that side of my face. It isn't painful in my shoulder itself, but I cannot reach over my head on the side that hurts. That actually freaks me out more than the lump itself, because it is very common for both lung and breast cancer to go to the shoulder joint and cause the same problem.

And, since I smoked starting at 15, through most of my younger years, and then later cigars and weed, it isn't above my intelligence to understand that can cause lung cancer at some point.

Last appt doc did his yearly lab draw and I asked to have my vitamin D levels checked because I have been feeling so horrible. We have had a lot of clouds and cold through winter and I live in an area where Vit D deficiency can be an issue. My level came back "way too low" and I have been on a mega dose of that for the last couple weeks. I read a statistic that 96% of people who get breast/lung cancer with low vit D levels have it spread to their bones. That's pretty much stuck in my brain for the last few weeks... and what finally freaked me out enough to start having the issue looked at.

Anyway, I am trying to maintain balance and not totally freak out. I don't want my kids to know what is going on, until I know for sure, so it's hard. I do have a great set of parents for support and my BFF rocks. She even offered to go hold my hand. It was so nice.

[findingdeadbeats]

May 8, 2012 8:47:08 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

Add me to the "silent freak out types" list. Mainly because I don't want to worry anyone else, I wind up worrying myself to a state of illness.

Shasta for you.

Yeah, I spent so much time first working for a hospital, then there when DH was sick all the dang time, that I hate, hate, hate going anywhere at all that relates to medical stuff.

To me, the worse state of hell on earth would be sitting around knowing I am dying from something. I really, really, don't want to know if something goes really wrong. I have seen a lot of relatives linger around with cancer, and have always said I would prefer a quick heart attack when it is my time...

[973beachbum]

I am so sorry you are going through this!

I may be out of line, but if you are literally sitting in a chair with ice and vicodin and are still in a huge amount of pain I would go to the ER. It may turn out to be not needed, but that amount of pain is not normal and should be checked out by a dr immediately IMO.

Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.

[kindthatjingles]

Prayers for you.

Stay off the Internet.

I think it is great if you are diagnosed with something to be able to do the research and get ideas. But more often than not (I know I do it) I diagnose myself with the worst thing I can find.


Take Care

[Deleted]

[whoami]

May 8, 2012 8:42:47 GMT -5 @moxie said:

"Costochronditis perhaps. Its when the cartilage that connects your ribs to your sternum gets injured. I had pain all though my chest all around my ribs to my back. It had me in tears. It took several weeks for it to heal too. If not for the cyst, it almost sounds like that is what Shasta has."

Sounds like it. I do recall the Dr. asking me if I had fallen...

It happened to me from a chiropractic adjustment gone awry. I thought he broke my ribs. I was in so much pain it was awful. I went to my family doc the next day and had Xrays. I had Vicodin and muscle relaxers and I was still in pain. You cant see the injury on Xrays, they go by symptoms. This is just me, but a cyst really wouldnt worry me. I have them all the time. The pain and the cyst can be totally unrelated to each other.

[dancinmama]

Shasta: Just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking about you today.

[Works4me]

Thinking of you - how are you doing tonight?

[findingdeadbeats]

I am doing okay, thanks for asking Sarahjese.

Waiting sucks. Reading (medical stuff) online sucks. So, I am trying to watch motivational things on TV, and try to think about other things.

[Works4me]

FI - you are in my thoughts and prayers today - any news?

[thyme4change]

Stay off the Internet.

Remember the day that Dark Honor came on and told us he was home sick. We asked him what was wrong and he said he either had food poisoning, or he was in the end stages of chollera, and he would be dead by morning. LOL. The internet can really work against you sometime. He is still alive - so let's go with food poisoning.

;D

Not helpful - hopefully will give you a chuckle.

[souldoubt]

I was somewhat in a similar situation earlier this year and even up until a few weeks ago. I've been going to the chiro regularly for years which has helped my back but about 3 1/2 months ago I was laying in bed and felt short of breath. I could take deep breaths but I kept waking up right before falling asleep because of the feeling of being short of breath. My back/chest/left shoulder hurt but it did so more when moving and my left hand was somewhat numb and even though my pulse was fine I thougth I was having a heart attack before reaching 30. Because of this I had what I can only think was a panic attack which is the first (and hopefully last) time that ever happens. Couldn't sleep that night, missed work the next day and felt like I had ran a marathon because of what my body/mind went through.

After blood work, a check up and finally telling my chiro at my next visit he explained exactly what it was. A few months later, deep tissue massages, icing and stretching it's better but having a better idea of what it was still didn't ease the mental aspect of it. Any time I felt it and was short of breath I had to keep from driving myself crazy and having a panic attack. Best wishes.

[thyme4change]

Please don't use a chiro as primary care.

[Works4me]

Worst thing about a panic attack is the number one symptom is that you think you are dying which makes it harder to breathe.
Seriously!
This causes all the panic chemicals to be released aka flight/fight response.
They really suck and are not all in your head.
Deep relaxation and positive self talk are the best treatment.

[TheOtherMe]

Shasta, my thoughts are with you.

Dr. Google is not your friend. I've having some health issues of my own and have it down to one of three things. I'm no longer googling. My appointment is on Monday, but tests will follow.

Hang in there.