Back Pain

[jaimelagym]

I am 30 years old, was diagnosed with IDC grade 2 stage 1 a year ago. I have a spot in my back that hurts every time it is touched, not when I move. The pain isn't bad. This has been going for  about 3 weeks.  I was sent for a chest x-ray, which came out looking normal. My question is whether xray is sensitive enough, or if I should ask for some other test to be done in order to eliminate BC as the cause for this pain? Or can I relax and trust that if anything was wrong it would have showed up in the chest xray?
Thank you for your help!

[jaimelagym]

So glad it is not cancer! Yes I am on tamoxifen. What kind of test should I ask for?

Thanks!

[katarina777]

I am sorry that I was not clear about my leg but it was not cancer that had spread to my leg but something altogether different. It was 'osteonecrosis', which is the dying of a bone.

Are you on hormonal treatment? These medications can also cause chaos.

But the fact that it's next to the spine makes it even more important, I think.
These things usually happen most near/in spine, and hips, I think.

But I don't know, and I want you to know that I am not an expert about this. Trust your intuition. Katrin

[jaimelagym]

Thank you for your response! I am so sorry about the cancer going to your leg! How are you doing? Does your leg feel better?
The pain feels as if I have a bruise in the middle of my back on the right side of the spine, except that there is no bruise there are all. So it doesn't hurt when I move but only when I touch that area. I did not speak to the doctor directly but I was wondering why he sent me for a regular xray when I was quite certain it wasn't a broken bone (if it was it would have hurt when I moved my back). The nurse told me that I probably pulled a muscle, but I am an active 30 year old, I know how a pulled muscle feels. Anyway I do hope it is not related, it doesn't really bother me physically but I really want to make sure it is not from my BC. It is great that you insisted on further testing. I do not want my cancer to spread but if it does I would rather catch it earlier (I think).

[katarina777]

I had such a symptom and I was absolutely sure it was my cancer that had metastasized to my right leg. It hurt like hell, and my oncologist didn't think bone meds hurt that much and of course it showed nothing on an x-ray. but then I insisted on further testing, and I was really mad that anyone doubted how serious this was.

Well, it showed up like a glowing orange on PET scan, and more specifically on MRI. Part of my femur was dying and chips of bone falling....

[katarina777]

I am not sure where on your back it hurts and that may make a difference, i.e. if it is a bone or a muscle.

But if I were you, it would be hard for me to relax even if I tried, and I would ask for further diagnostics.

Again, I don't know if this is a muscle or a bone, and I really don't know enough and don't want to scare you. but I have read numerous times that when a person has a specific localized symptom somewhere on/in her body and there is either a mark or not, and they point to that exact place and it is biopsies, (of course with people at risk), then if it is cancer that has spread, they are almost always right and knew this before it was in any way visible to the naked eye.

Of course it could be something totally different and the options are not only cancer or nothing?

Best, Katrin