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Original poster

Anyone medical/experienced able to shed a bit of light on this for me please? (cancer Q)

24 replies

washnomore · 29/03/2011 20:30

Background: MIL has had breast cancer twice now, and in the last 7 years has had a lumpectomy, a mastectomy, lymph node removal, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and herceptin. She's been all clear for about 4 years now I think.

She has had a bad back for weeks now, it came on suddenly and although better than it was initially she's still very sore. She said she'd had x-rays and they showed a couple of vertebrae were "smashed", but then they had her back for a scan of some sort. She was talking about dye, so I initially thought they meant a myelogram (was a bit Hmm because I thought MRIs were the gold standard these days and myelograms aren't very safe). But she said she'd had to wait 3 hours after the dye before they did the scan. Which makes me think it was a systemic scan for metastasis.

Anyway, she's now been referred back to the oncologist because it showed "hotspots".

This is all second hand via DP, I'm not a human medic and anyway I can't really ask her more myself. I'm trying to be positive for DP's sake - after all, with her history they're bound to be pretty cautious. But it doesn't sound good, does it? :(

OP posts:
lilyliz · 30/03/2011 17:47

probably a CT scan she had and it does sound as though they suspect cancer is back in other places but she has fought and won before so just wait for the oncologists verdict.

Original poster
washnomore · 30/03/2011 18:44

Thank you so much for that lilyliz. It's been on our minds a lot, but we just have to wait it out. Goodness knows how hard this must be for MIL. She's just lost an extremely close friend/family member through cancer and she lost her husband to it a long time ago now :(

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belledechocchipcookie · 30/03/2011 18:56

It would have been nuclear imaging, she'd have been injected with a slightly radioactive dye which is absorbed by areas of inflammation/tumours, which then show up as 'hot spots' on the scan. A MRI and a CT would show tissue changes whereas this sort of imaging shows areas that are active. They also detect areas of inflammation from arthritis etc though so the results may not necessarily mean that she has mets. Does this make sense?

CMOTdibbler · 30/03/2011 19:05

It would have been a bone scan - a chemical which binds to bone which is growing is tagged with a radioactive molecule, so that areas where the bone is growing more than usual are highlighted. This can be due to fractures, rheumatoid arthritis, or of course mets.

But you are right to worry. She should see the oncologist pretty fast

Original poster
washnomore · 30/03/2011 19:57

Thanks, yes, that makes sense. Scintigraphy I think? It all sounds quite ominous, and until the referral I don't think she really had a clue - or if she did she hasn't said anything. Time will tell.

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LimeJellyforBrains · 31/03/2011 20:04

I second CMOTdibbler: Following my recent breast cancer I had a CT scan and a bone scan. For the CT scan I had to drink a large amount of yuk liquid. For the bone scan I was injected with a kind of dye, then had to wait some hours just like your MIL. The bone scan showed up some hotspots where I had previous bone damage from breaks. Areas of arthritis etc would also show up as hotspots. As long as the hotspots correlate with areas of known damage from this kind of thing they are not suspicious. I hope that's 'all' it is with your MIL, although I wouldn't wish my mum's crumbling spine from osteoporosis on anyone either....Sad

Original poster
washnomore · 04/04/2011 18:50

Oh god it is terrible news :(

Multiple bone mets and query mets in her heart and lungs. 2 years at best, palliative treatment only.

DP is devastated :( It's so fucking cruel after everything she's been through in life. She's a wonderful grandma to my kids - now the youngest won't even remember her :( :( :(

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CMOTdibbler · 04/04/2011 19:17

I'm so sorry that its bad news. Are they offering her radiotherapy to reduce the pain ?

lilyliz · 04/04/2011 19:19

sorry it's such bad news for you all,the shock will still be with you.Thinking of you all.

Original poster
washnomore · 04/04/2011 19:57

Yes CMOT, within the next fortnight. Hopefully she'll get a break from the pain. DP got her a TENS which helps but she's already on a cocktail of drugs to try and keep her comfortable.

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belledechocchipcookie · 04/04/2011 19:59

Sad I'm really sorry.

RumourOfAHurricane · 05/04/2011 19:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster
washnomore · 05/04/2011 19:29

Aw shiny :( sorry your poor dad's in this bloody rotten boat too.

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Original poster
washnomore · 08/04/2011 09:38

Bumping this really because I'm home alone now, DP has gone down there with DS to try and lift her spirits a bit but she's pretty much taken to bed and is in dreadful pain :(

GP has prescribed her oral morphine and they're just waiting for the radiotherapy. I can't see how she can last 2 years in such pain? :( Nothing I can do to help from here either.

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RumourOfAHurricane · 08/04/2011 09:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Portofino · 08/04/2011 09:47

Oh - sorry to hear this! Tis truly a bastard disease! Sad

CMOTdibbler · 08/04/2011 09:49

The radiotherapy will have a really fast effect on the pain, and now they know she has bone mets they will keep on top of them. If she has many of them, they might try Strontium which is given by injection and the drug attaches itself to the tumours and irradiates them all.

She should get a referral to the palliative care team who will help her manage her pain - theres lots of strategies out there

Original poster
washnomore · 08/04/2011 09:59

Thanks, and that's reassuring about the radiotherapy CMOT. Is this your field?

It's really difficult being so far away because I want to be able to support DP too. And I can't understand why there's been no contact with palliative care yet - she's in such pain, but she had to be taken to the GP yesterday for more help with it. I'm not sure if they have any access to specialist nursing yet but it's hard to talk freely with DP as he's looking after DS and the family are coming and going. I really think she needs some sort of advocate because when DP comes back and his sister has to go back to work I don't know what she'll do :(

Also, can anyone recommend somewhere DP can get advice/support? He's gone into practical mode just now but I know he's going to really struggle to process this once he's home and not able to be there in person IYSWIM. He's honestly not come to terms with losing his dad yet and that was decades ago :(

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Rindercella · 08/04/2011 10:00

Washnomore, I am really sorry to hear this. Your poor MIL and family. My DH has advanced prostate cancer, bone mets and secondary lymph node and liver cancers. In February he has his 2nd lot of radiotherapy for his spine but unfortunately it wasn't successful. There is now nothing else that can be done for him - no palliative chemo, nothing other than pain management. This happened very quickly - diagnosed last May, relatively well until Christmas and then rapidly downhill from there. It's unlikely he'll make it to the year from diagnosis.

I would recommend you and your family spend as much 'quality' time with your MIL and make as many happy memories with her as possible.

I am truly sorry. I wouldn't wish this disease on anyone.

Rindercella · 08/04/2011 10:03

Call MacMillan. Or your MIL's local hospice. They will be able to help. Think MacMillan need a referral from either GP or nurse. Do it today, the sooner she gets access to them, the sooner she will get the help she needs.

Original poster
washnomore · 08/04/2011 10:04

Oh Rinders thank you so much for taking the time to post. I have followed your DH's story and I'm so sorry you're going through this. It's cruel indeed :(

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CMOTdibbler · 08/04/2011 10:09

I'm a radiotherapy physicist, so yes, my speciality.

Referrals take a week or two to make their way through, so I'd guess that when she sees the oncologist for radiotherapy she might hear about that. Is there someone to take her to radiotherapy ?

You might want to discuss with her about moving closeto you - she's going to need support, both physical and emotional

ThingOne · 08/04/2011 10:10

So sorry to hear this washnomore. I would call your local hospice to ask about help for your DP. They might need a GP referral- they might not. Also your local big hospital might have a cancer information centre, maybe with some macmillan nurses. Generally these places do expect to help families as well.

And echo what the Rindercella says about help for your MIL.

I personally found morphine (well something similar but can't recall name) patches easier to manage than oral morphine which made me very nauseous and even sick. They give a constant level of morphine over a long time (can't remember whether day or three days) so you have less highs and lows.

Original poster
washnomore · 08/04/2011 10:17

Thank you :)

She's been given something for nausea (she was nauseous before the morphine I think). Not sure what. In my line of work we use pethidine patches to good effect. Basically I think she needs some sort of specialist nurse to sort all this stuff out. I'm more on the ball about these things than DP but she's not my mum IYSWIM so don't want to meddle. Will hopefully be talking with him again later so will suggest Macmillan, have found local contact details for him.

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