Mom Scared/ Scans Show?

[janeths466]

Hello All,

As mentioned before my mom (43 and dyalisis patient) has been doing amazing post lobectomy. It has been 3 months. She looks like herself and she says she feels better than before. She was in ICU for one month after being in an induced comma for the tumor found after coughin blood. Like I said surgeon said no spread to lymph nodes. Is this good or what does it exactly mean? We still have to go to the oncologist to follow up soon.

My mom has ocassional heel pain, which scares me. This went on a year before her ICU stay. Also she feels a veiny thing in her breast that feels hard. She is scared this is breast cancer or anything. My mom is scared because before she already had dyalisis, and she overcame this cancer intensive care thing she did not expect. Now thinking of having spread or breast cancer is scary to her since she is young and has my siblings and I. She is doing so amazing and so active that she is afraid she will lose this.

In ICU she had so many MRIs and Scans/bloodwork during her stay. Would this show any other cancer like breast cancer? Is there a possibility it could have been seen if she was tested for so long. Also with the lymph nodes would they sign if there was spread? Doctor said the lymphs were all negative.

[Ssbastos]

If she had surgery, it’s because they saw that the cancer hadn’t spread yet. It’s also good news that her lymph nodes were negative. It’s one more proof that her cancer didn’t spread.

Regarding everything else, I think it would be better asking the oncologist. He can answer all the questions you have and order exams to address any lingering doubts.

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer]

She should have a routine mammogram. Chest CTs do not image breast cancers when given a routine chest CT (mine didn’t). It’s possible she has fibrous breasts. Only a breast specialist can tell for certain. I had fibrous breasts for decades before developing either the lung or the breast cancer.

[janeths466 in reply to Denzie]

she does, they said she had dense breast tissue before. Maybe that is why.

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer in reply to janeths466]

Is she due for a mammogram? If yes, get her in. If not, tell them she has a solid lump and you want her to have a mammogram.

[janeths466 in reply to Denzie]

Yes. She has had that veiny feeling bump for like 2 years. But she is scheduling her mammogram appointment soon. I am nervous but hoping is nothing bad.

[JanetteR57]

It's good news that it hadn't spread to her lymph nodes. I had upper left lobectomy in Dec 2010 (diagnosed Jan 2011) and returned to work/swimming 3 months later. Pain can be unrelated - we still all experience symptoms from other things but it's natural to assume it's linked to the cancer diagnosis - usually they are not. I found a book called 'cancer is a word not a sentence' by Dr Rob Buckman helpful in appreciating not every symptom relates to the diagnosis. Hope she continues to recover well. I went onto swim much further after my surgery than beforehand and raised money for lung cancer charity that gave me an incentive and helped me maintain momentum and redevelop my lungs. There is life after a diagnosis but it takes quite a while to get your head around it....