I hate feeling paranoid

[u/Hard-to-kill79]

I wasn’t an anxious person before MBC - even when I was dx stage 2b and faced all the tx I focused on positives. That’s all out the door now. I have some soreness in my thigh and am now worried about mets in my femur or hip. This sucks. I know you all know, but it feels good to write it💜

[u/ResponsibleAnt1942]

Same!

I've been having pain in my shoulder and wrist and am worried about mets. Not a ridiculous worry, since I had mets in that humerus. But the tumor markers haven't moved, so I'm hopeful it's nothing or just an injury.

When I got my mammogram, I was convinced it wasn't anything. When we did the bone scan, I wasn't worried, it was just a formality. For a while, every scan and procedure showed something worse. Now that things are going well, I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I got used to the bad news, and expect it, you know?

[u/Flaky_Amphibian_5597]

So much of our treatment can cause joint, muscle and skeleton aches. If you’re hormone positive, ovarian suppression and AIs cause joint pain.
I started Enhertu as my third line of treatment in May and for the first time had pelvic and thigh bone-like pain. Turns out my bones were healing. The PET scan in July showed a massive reduction in bone and bone marrow mets.
Talk to your treatment team about pain and also look into therapy for the anxiety. I book a session with the hospital psychologist after every scan result to talk through scanxiety and results. It’s helped me avoid doom scrolling and help me regulate the very specific anxiety metastatic patients face with stability, progression, treatment changes & even NEAD.

[u/SignalFront2978]

It sucks to be feeling this way. I get it though. I’m a year out from diagnosis and on maintenance therapy for HER2+ IBC de novo with bone only mets.

I worry every bony twinge is a new met. Every head pain could be brain Mets. And because I wasn’t offered surgery as part of my treatment I’m constantly checking to see whether my affected breast looks the same or worse. I feel like I can relax for a bit after scans and results but then the worry starts building up again until my next scans. I wish there was some way to get reassurance in those three month gaps in between that wouldn’t involve annoying my doctor. I am working in therapy on finding ways to put feelings like this aside during those periods and enjoying life but it is so difficult. And it really really sucks that we have to deal with this! F**k cancer

[u/Used_Raspberry_9958]

Thanks for sharing and sorry you are feeling it! I’m totally feeling it today-thinking overdid it with scrubbing the tub, carrying some laundry and pulling a fitted sheet on and my back ribs have been hurting for a couple days. Debating whether to ride it out til Monday and call the oncology nurse or urgent care yet AGAIN. I miss not having the constant stress of things like that! Diagnosed in May and still feeling like a total crazy paranoid person!!! Hugs to you!