C2 vertebral fracture

[luckysmom13]

Has anyone had a vertebral fracture from bone mets? I'd appreciate any personal stories you can share on treatment and how you did with this. I've been stable on Verzenio and Faslodex for nearly 7 years. Just found out I have a C2 fracture due to new bone mets. I'm going to get radiation and possibly surgery if the bone doesn't heal. I'm devastated and angry to be dealing with this!

[Bettybuckets]

hi lucky mom13, love your name… 7 years is a fantastic result to be so stable… that bodes well for whatever they put you on next….i have not had a bone break do to my cancer but I have been blowing through therapies.. I would love to just sit tight in one therapy having confidence of stable disease for 7 years. Sounds like they have a good plan to fix you up and send you back out to your good life after a tune up…your name really suits you! Hope you get fixed up quickly!

[Tolife_18]

Hi luckysmom13,

I’m sorry that you developed C2 fracture. I have a few compression fractures, most severe is at thoracic level. The spine mets literally destroyed the vertebrae and pushed into the spinal cord. The pain was insane, but then subsided and my neurosurgeon concluded (wrongly, in my opinion) that fracture is stabilized. I had radiation, but surgery was done only after I developed symptoms indicative of spinal injury.

Not having any symptoms is a positive sign in your case. Pls take the findings seriously and follow the dr advise. Are you going to change systemic therapy ?

I wish you all the best!

Thinking of you! Pls let us know how are you doing!

[Twolilo in reply to Tolife_18]

May I ask what were the symptoms that indicated spinal injury?

[Twolilo]

My fractures weren’t from cancer but a fall. I had 5 fractured vertebrae and the repair was done by injecting a type of cement that also helps prevent cancer into each one. The surgery didn’t take very long and recuperation wasn’t difficult. I walked out after the surgery. The incision is very small and healed quickly. I’ve had stage 4 breast cancer for 17 years and they thought it may have gone into that area but they took biopsies during the surgery and it was negative. The reason I fell was I have terrible neuropathy in my feet from so many years of different chemos. I feel very fortunate that I’ve made it this far and still going and still enjoy my life!

[Tantalon7211 in reply to Twolilo]

What a wonderful story - and 17 years !

Can you tell me what therapies you’ve been on and how long - I’ve been on Ibrance and seem to be getting infections and fear it’s not working anymore - becoming toxic maybe

Where are your bone Mets

So glad they women are surviving for many many years now with treatments -

[Twolilo in reply to Tantalon7211]

I don’t have the info on all my chemo right now but it’s been just about anything that worked on PR+ HER2+. After awhile the cancer changed and was no longer HER2+. I then went through many kinds for that. I did Ibrance for 4 years and it quit working. As for surgeries, in the beginning I had lumpectomies on both sides. About halfway through I had double mastectomies with reconstruction. Before the reconstruction was finished the cancer came back as a rash looking area where the reconstruction was. Then I went back in infusion chemo….several. I recently had targeted radiation therapy on the spots and they thought that would hold it off for many years. I was taken off chemo at that time. Now. I’m 7 months past radiation and it appears some of the cancer spots are still alive. I’m getting a pet scan in 3 weeks to see where it’s at now. Then my oncologist and I will discuss any further treatment or not.

[SKoter]

Hello, I am so sorry that you have to deal with it! I also had the same experience (Bone Mets C6 to T1 and T12 to L 3, also R femoral) I had surgeries and radiation therapy done. It was a lot of work, say the least, unfortunately I’m way different now comparing to pre surgery. I have been on Verzenio and Faslodex for a year and half now and hoping that I’ll be stable like you for a while… Don’t get discouraged. You have been doing so well. You will find new medications that work well again!

[vallergirl]

Please look at research on a widely used Chinese preparation WSGZ (Wenshen Zhuanggu) used for bone Mets from breast cancer, there are several entries in google which describe a trial with 40 breast cancer patients. The TCM formula is widely used in Chinese hospitals. I have used myself with positive results.

[Charlie_99 in reply to vallergirl]

Any idea where one can get this WSGZ?

[vallergirl in reply to Charlie_99]

I go to a Chinese Dr in Virginia who orders the preparations which are in granule form and are organic. Liver toxicity can be an issue with some chinese herbs but these seem very clean and clinical and I have had no issue. Dr Jing Charlottesville.

[vallergirl in reply to Charlie_99]

Wensheng Zhuanggu Formula (WSZG), a traditional Chinese prescription, is used to adjunctively treat breast cancer bone metastases in clinical practice. I would think any reputable Dr practicing traditional Chinese medicine TCM I get mind from Dr Jing in Charlottesville Virginia.

[Gallivanter in reply to vallergirl]

Same question...Any idea where/how to get? Thanks!

[vallergirl in reply to Gallivanter]

I go to a Chinese Dr in Virginia who orders the preparations which are in granule form and are organic. Liver toxicity can be an issue with some chinese herbs but these seem very clean and clinical and I have had no issue. Dr Jing Charlottesville.

[Totheriver]

I have had a few compression fractures in my spine from Mets but so far have just healed on their own. I did have some radiation to my spine too. The cancer also broke my femour and I had surgery and am doing well. Hope things go well for you !💕

[urthmothr]

I have compressed thoracic vertebrae that showed up in scans after my HER2+ showed up in a lymph node 2 years after mastectomy.. it explained why I was having rib pain (pinched nerves). May have been from osteoporosis, but oncologist assured me that Taxol with Herceptin and Perjeta would take care of any cancer in my spine. Not serious enough to require surgery, but requiring mild pain relievers, avoiding bending, lifting and twisting, and frequent rest. Recent fall due to Taxol neuropathy may have aggravated, will be interested to see results of upcoming routine scans. 4 years of no new mets since completing Taxol 4 years ago.

[Dragonfly2]

I haven’t had fractures to my vertebrae (knock on wood) but I did have Mets near my L5 which were treated with radiation prior to stenosis surgery. Then…a couple of months later I had a pathological fracture in my ilium! I’m still trying to heal that without surgery. However, my point is that I have returned to Zometa infusions over the last 5 months and that is what seems to be working. This is a bone growing med that is used in bone metastasis. I hope this helps you in navigating a solution to your troubles. Best wishes for a long and successful journey!

[PlutosNose]

Hi Luckysmom13,

I’m sorry you’re having to deal with a disc fracture, especially this time of year.

I had a fracture to my L3 2 1/2 years ago—before I was diagnosed with s4 cancer. It caused me increasingly intense pain over the 3 months it took me to find a doc who would take me seriously. They all treated me like a complaining old woman with "everyday back pain” . When someone finally ordered a CT, I was immediately sent to a neurosurgeon who did an MRI and got me onto the operating table within 2 days. The neurosurgeon found the metastatic breast cancer and repaired a very damaged L3 vertebra with Arthrodesis (fusion of the L#3 to L2 & L4 to stabilize), Laminectomy (enlargement of the the spinal canal to relieve pressure) and Kyphoplasty. (the “cement” that Twolilo referred to).

I’m “oversharing” here because I think it is important not to let medical professionals bully you in way, if you know you are in serious pain! That said, some compression fractures CAN heal themselves with the right bracing and behavior modifications, and hopefully, that is what you are experiencing.

After the surgery I followed the surgeons after-care instructions, got a very good Physical Therapist and continued with her regimen (45 minutes core/strength/stretching) 6 days a week until a week ago when I fell, twisted my back and ended up in the emergency room scared to death that I had messed up the original surgery. But this time it is just a”mild” compression fracture of L1 so I’m wearing a brace and limiting activity for 12 weeks and probably will be fine with nothing surgical or simple outpatient kyphoplasty at worst.

I hope that is how your episode will go , but it would be a good idea to have a great neurosurgeon in your group of supporting physicians, if you can find one.

I wish for you the BEST care.. have a wonderful holiday season.

[luckysmom13 in reply to PlutosNose]

Thanks for sharing

[Fpmeehan]

I was diagnosed with MBS de novo in 2014 after x-rays revealed two vertebrae disk fractures on T10 and T 12. The surgeon scheduled me for emergency surgery because the cancer had left holes in my disks that made it look like a rice crispy bar and it was ready to collapse, thus leaving me with the potential of being a quadriplegic. Thank goodness they removed both disks and replaced them with titanium cages to create spaces for the disks with cancer.

I felt great after the T10 and T12 disks were removed and rods were placed along side my spine. The painful part was when an incision was made between my ribs to get under the spine for the titanium cages placesment. Ouch!

So thankfully I’m able to walk without any aids. The surgery was successful but it took three surgeons, including a neurosurgeon,