r/LivingWithMBC • u/vampBarbie • 1d ago

Tips and Advice What is my pain ?

How do you know if pain is from spinal bone mets or from the treatment. On Abemaciclib, anastrozole and zoladex. Xxx

15 Upvotes

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u/Even_Cheesecake4720 1d ago

You don’t without a scan—bone, PET, CT, or MRI. That’s what happened to me. My hip was really bothering me for weeks—thought it was joint pain related to Anastrozole. Massages, yoga, nothing was helping. So my onc ordered scans. And here I am, with mets to bones in pelvis and spine. Get it checked but you might be lucky that’s it just joint pain related to the meds.

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u/vampBarbie 1d ago

I do have spinal and pelvic bone mets, innumerable ones apparently, but was told that they haven’t caused any real bone damage yet. Started treatment 3 weeks ago and the aching in my upper back is definitely more noticeable. Wasn’t sure what was causing it, or even if it was psychological. I was wondering if the pain was different for mets than treatment aches or if it’s just different for everyone xx

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u/Even_Cheesecake4720 1d ago

Oh. I see what you mean. Not sure though. Some days I feel achy all over. But the bone pain is definitely different than anything I have ever felt before.

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u/vampBarbie 1d ago

It feels like I’ve been hunched over for hours, similar to the ache I would get when I used to do nails for a living. I think I’m just panicking as it’s all very new to me still xx

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u/sinistersavanna 1d ago

Verzenio def caused some upper back pain for me for the first little bit!

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u/BeenStephened 1d ago

Ugh. I haven't started treatment yet, waiting for the Verzenio to arrive. I have mets up and down my spine ... I don't need more pain there.

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u/sinistersavanna 23h ago

I replied to you about the Verzenio in my post ❤️ take your Imodium, it’s going to be ok! I did forget to mention I opted for a (intrathecal) pain pump after my hip surgery (I have several Mets in spine, ribs, hips/pelvis) that does all the work for me. I got tired of oral meds that we lose alot of in our digestive/blood stream. It basically microdoses me every few mins. It’s out of sight out of mind unless I go to get it refilled (which is now once a year) or give myself a bolus which I don’t have to use as much now that my dose is adjusted. It goes into my spinal fluid. It’s a handy little thing lol it’s in my lower right back. I’m not sure if it’s something you’d even need or want but I wanted to mention I do have it. You’ve got this!

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u/vampBarbie 1d ago

It’s in the area between my shoulder blades mostly

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u/sinistersavanna 23h ago

Yeah, honestly it could’ve been from stress, as I started Verzenio right after my met diagnosis. I still get that in between shoulder blade pain from time to time and I have no Mets there, I do have alot of osteo arthritis now so who knows. But I notice the more stressed I am, the more pain I have, but it’s kind of a different pain than the Mets. More of an ache? It’s so hard for me to describe pain that when they ask me I usually say ummmmmmmm a few times lol then they start naming it off “dull, sharp, throbbing” etc and I swear my brain shuts down and doesn’t know anymore 🤣🤣

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u/vampBarbie 21h ago

‘So is it sharp and stabbing or dull and throbbing?’ ‘Yes’

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u/sinistersavanna 21h ago

Exactly 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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u/FrogAnToad 1d ago

Thank you for raising this. Im never sure arthritis or active ca or ca damage and it drives me crazy