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cancer update

My Bone Scan Results & Answering FAQs About It

My Bone Scan Results

Getting My Bone Scan

I recently received my bone scan results and thought I’d share with you all. I didn’t make it known prior to the day of my scan that it was happening. So if you had no idea I was getting it, you did not miss anything at all. I kept it mostly within my family and close friends (and even some didn’t know until the day of). I honestly hoped it was nothing and therefore not noteworthy to share.

But I’m sure many of you noticed something was up. If you subscribed to my weekly newsletter, I asked you all to say an extra prayer for me and same in my InstaStory. So if you were wondering WTF is going on, ta-da, your question is now answered!

Bone Scan Results

I’ll cut to the chase and share with you all my bone scan results. I did my bone scan yesterday and received my results late that evening. It’s bittersweet to be on the high priority list of your medical team. Based on my scans, there was no evidence of bone metastases! Phew! Feels good to be NED.

After I shared my bone scan results in my InstaStory, I did receive questions about it. A lot of them were the same, so hopefully I can get that all cleared up. I realized when I was about to answer a DM, that my response is basically a blog post HAHA! It’s so hard to explain everything in a few short characters!

A BIG THANK YOU

Before I answer any questions though, I want to THANK YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH! Even though I never really shared what was going on, you all reached out to me that you are praying for me and sending me well wishes. That means a lot. More than you can imagine! In situations where you just have to let faith run its course, I can’t help but think your positive energy helped me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for caring!

FAQS

Alright peeps, here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding my bone scan & bone scan results.

  • Do you get bone scans regularly?

No, I do not. The last scan of any kind (either MRI, CT, PET scan) was right after my bilateral mastectomy. So it has been 2 years since I’ve done any kind of image testing. It’s not part of my check-up routine. They only schedule some type of scan/test when they feel it is necessary. The cons of radiation exposure outweigh the pros.

During my checkups, my medical team focuses on chest wall exams and asks about symptoms and side effects I am experiencing. Every single doctor on my medical team does this and I’m at the hospital at least once a month. These exams alternate between my oncologist, surgeon, primary, OB/GYN, all of which their specialty is dealing with young adult cancer patients.

  • What led you to getting a bone scan?

This may be a long response. Bare with me. Overall, I have been experiencing some type of bone pain mainly in the joints which is a side effect from my current treatment plan. However, a few months ago (maybe more…) I noticed I was having hip pain on my left side. At first, I thought nothing of it… maybe it is a new side effect… It is tolerable and it didn’t prohibit me from my day to day. It’s more of a dull ache. Or how I describe it, it feels like when you put pressure on a fresh bruise.

The severity of the pain varies. Some days are worse than others. And for the worst days, I just take a break from whatever activity feels like it is aggravating it. However, my hip pain consistently happens every day. Unlike my other side effects that come and go. For instance, my joint pains in my wrist may be bad for a few days, a week, etc. But it also goes away sometimes. Side effects are supposed to come and go.

Fast forward to now, I noticed my hip pain never went away. I did agonize quite a bit over whether it was something worth telling my care team. From an outsider point of view, it seems obvious that duh I need to tell my doctor. But at the same time, I struggle what to share. Several things ran through my mind:

  1. I didn’t want to assume every ailment relates to cancer. Not everything is cancer.
  2. I didn’t want to be a hypochondriac.

Last week I had a couple appointments and I mustered up the courage to say something to my medical team. Based on my symptoms, they felt it was suspicious enough to take a look at it. They didn’t want to get my hopes up, but they also believed it was a possibility that it could be a new side effect. But the consistency of the bone pain was questionable. So the bone scan was scheduled.

  • Did I experience scanxiety?

Yes and No. Mainly yes but not in the way I expected – I know this is confusing ha. So yes, because I know people who have metastasized and I know there is a possibility that I can too. And what happens if I were to be re-diagnosed as stage IV scares the sh!t out of me.

If you didn’t know this, you are classified as Stage IV breast cancer whenever they find cancer outside of the breast area. Also, it doesn’t matter if you were originally diagnosed as stage 1, 2, or 3. Your chances of metastasizing are the same. The staging in breast cancer (1, 2, or 3) is based on the size of the tumor(s). Unfortunately, Stage IV breast cancer is incurable and terminal. The longevity varies from person to person and I have already known friends that have passed away from Stage IV breast cancer. So knowing what the bone scan results may potentially mean scared me.

No, because I was too calm considering why my doctors wanted to do a bone scan. And I was more freaked out that I was calm about it. It freaks me out because most of the tragic things that have happened in my life, happened when I was calm about them. It also reminded me what I was like during my initial diagnosis. CALM and look where that led me. So it made me question why I’m so calm about my bone scan. Does it mean I’ve metastasized? I wanted badly to just freak out. If I had a choice, I’d rather go through the stress leading up to the test and have the results be NED. So it was strange, that I felt so calm leading up to the bone scan. I even slept real well leading up to the day of the scan. No anxiety. Too. Freakin.’ Weird.

My Takeaway

One thing to take away from this, is that the next time I’m calm about something else in my life, I know I can relate back to this situation and know that being calm just means I’m calm. I’m glad that being calm has a positive memory now engrained in my mind.

Thanks again for caring! I hope I was able to answer your questions! I probably answered more than what you needed haha, but I hope this helps. Let me express, that this is my experience and my journey. Everyone’s cancer experience is different. If you know anyone going through it, please be respectful of their journey. I don’t want my posts to be a source for medical advice or suggestions. I share my story because I want to create a sense of community. Let people know that they are not alone in their struggles.

I feel confident that I will be here for a long time. I’m sure God knows that I have a laundry list of places I have yet to travel to, build a family with my husband, find a career I’m passionate about, and to keep blogging about my love for creating outfits.

xo RD

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Comments

  11. Thank you for sharing your story. I am so happy for you that your bone scan turned out great. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer as well and just had bilateral mastectomy 3 weeks ago. It still hurts….but I am feeling better each day! You’re totally right, each person’s journey is different and thanks for bringing up the awareness that we should not judge others. I will add you to my prayers list. Please stay strong and stay hopeful!

    Reply

    • Thank you so much Amy! And you are incredible! Despite the pain (I can relate), I hope you are recovering well. You will be in my prayer list as well. Take care Amy and thank you for sharing this with me!

      Reply

  12. Awww I am so glad everything turned out okay. Still, I can only imagine how scary this must have been. Even if you were calm, I’m sure your family also worried. Thank you for keeping us updated! You look beautiful in all your pictures <3

    -PerlaGiselle | iamperlita.com
    instagram.com/iamperlita

    Reply

  13. That must have been a little scary. It’s good to know that you were calm all through and thank God the results are good. You are such an inspiration. Again, thanks for sharing your story.
    ‘looking forward to more style inspiration from you like that printed maxi skirt and top you are wearing. God’s blessings…

    Reply

  14. I actually cheered out loud over reading your results! That is such wonderful news! I can relate to the ongoing bone pain, especially around your hip and wrists. It’s incredibly unnerving to have that kind of lingering pain, especially for somebody with a more complex medical history like you have. It makes total sense that you wanted to do the scan just for peace of mind. I would have made the exact same choice.

    While I haven’t found anything that helps immensely with bone pain, I do take turmeric supplements that have made somewhat of a difference and I also purchased a handheld massager off Amazon a few weeks ago that has made a really big difference. It doesn’t necessarily help with pain but just loosens everything up a bit which, in turn, helps me relax and handle the pain better, if that makes sense. I’d be happy to send you the links to both if you want to give them a try, just shoot me an e-mail! Sending you so much love and a great big happy dance over your results!

    Reply

    • Aw Kasie this means so much! I hope you are doing well with your health (as well you can be). And thank you for taking the time for sharing what works for you. I have tried tumeric here and there but not consistently. I’ll for sure give it a shot! Thank you again!

      Reply

  16. Ahhh, I am SO GLAD your test yielded positive results! I’m sure that was super scary, but you are such a warrior, lady. SERIOUSLY. I am sending you well wishes that you and your care team sort out your hip pain soon- living with ongoing chronic pain (regardless of whether it’s debilitating or “fresh bruise” type pain) is TOUGH.

    -Ashley
    Le Stylo Rouge

    Reply

  21. How scary for you, I’m glad you got good results and I’m really happy you weren’t too anxious about the lead up to the scan – it’s good you have nothing new to worry about! 🙂 Hope the pain fades over time if it’s just a side effect ad it’s easier to deal with.

    Hope you are having a nice weekend 🙂 It’s a really sunny and warm day today, we’ve been to the park 🙂

    Away From The Blue Blog

    Reply

  24. Rach, I’m so happy that everything turned out for the best! I know how you feel about being calm and then something bad happening – but as you said, being calm (or nervous, for that matter) is simply a state, and it has nothing to do with the result. So we might as well be calm while we can! 🙂
    http://www.lambassadrice.com/

    Reply

  33. Rach! You are so amazing! I love reading these posts of yours. They’re just so raw and real and I think you inspire everyone to be more real.

    I’m so happy to hear your news! I kept picturing myself in your shoes when you talked about being calm. (Would I be calm?) I think I would have been nervous. But I’ve also been working a lot on mindfulness this year, so who knows.

    Basically, you’re my hero. And I think of your courage often when I’m going through my own struggles. Thanks for being such a bright light on the Interwebs. 🙂

    Amanda
    LittleMissFearless.Blog

    Reply

    • OMG you are so kind Amanda! It is crazy to think that our minds can be so unpredictable during stressful moments. I always admire how you put your mindfulness practice. I definitely have learned from you!

      Reply

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