enyaw061032 Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Hi, everyone: I went to the doctor this morning, and he said there was no problem with my legs; that it was my "SHINS" and it was "neuritis", whatever that is. He said he believes the swollen lymph nodes are from the dental surgery, and suggested I go back to my dentist again to find out what's going on there, which I will do. The doctor said it was probably normal for me to be very observant and worried over things but it is important to remember that stress and depression are not conducive to getting well or staying well; he said not to dwell on every little thing, but if I'm worried about something to give him a call. The doctor had me take a blood test a couple weeks ago, and told me today that my tiredness is caused by being slightly anemic, which he thinks is from the surgery and it will get better in time, but told me to temporarily take iron pills. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 What kind of pain are you having? Is it a burning pain? Any swelling? Have they done a bone scan? The reason I ask is that I ha ve a paraneoplastic syndrome called Hypertrophic Pulmonary Osteoarthropy that is present in about 12 per cent of NSCLC patients--and is usually cured if there is no cancer present. It can indicate a return of cancer also. I am not trying to scare you, but you do need to know this. My pain is mostly in my shins and knees--well, it's the most painful there. If your fingers are not clubbed, then you probably don't have that. A bone scan will tell for sure. elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy P Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Barb - Glad you went to the doc and got some answers. Hope you are on the mend soon! Much Love, Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnmynatt Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Barb, Glad it doesn't sound like anything serious. Take care. Better safe than sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 The reason I said such a "scary" thing is that too many people on this board have went undiagnosed for many, many, many months and sometimes years because too many Drs do not know what few physical signs there are to LC, including myself who had these symptoms for nearly two years before dx. One of my dearest friends from this board had clubbing for many many months and only lived about 8 months from DX. It is an important sign. I also was told I had nueritis of unknown origin; r I was told I had vasculitis, arthritis, you name it. Clubbing, without cynosis, is not indicitive of heart disease, for the most part, not always, of course. I told her about the clubbing to help reassure her. Now, here is where I went wrong. I should have looked back at her previous post before responding, because now I see that she has pain in only one leg. The condition I talked about is almost always bilateral, but again, not always. Like I said in my earlier post, Barb, I am not trying to scare you, but wiser minds than I have said on the board, KNOWLEDGE is POWER. Like most pains, if they don't go away within time, insist on seeing a specialist. elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnmynatt Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Elaine, I think I understand what you are saying. Sometimes doctor's take something lightly. When it is our bodies or our loved ones and it doesn't feel right, it should be checked into further regardless of what the doctor has told us. They are seeing many patients a day. They aren't in our shoes. Elaine, thanks for reminding us to be vigilant for ourselves. Take care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 I am glad that you found out everything is ok!! Now you can have a more peaceful weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 Glad to see that there was nothing serious going on. It is always better to check than not to. Best wishes, Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 Barb, I'm glad you called the doctor and had it checked out. MY physician has told me to call for anything that "just isn't right". I leave a message on her line, the nurse calls me back to say it's "nothing" or that I need to go in for the doctor to have a look/listen session. The last time I complained of headaches, they were solid for a week. "Normal"? Could be for my line of work, but she got me in for an MRI within hours - see, I now have "history"...I have a "history" of lung cancer...and I'm a non-smoker...and young...and my doctor was just as shocked as me when she sent me for a follow-up for pneumonia and discovered she had a lung cancer patient. If ever you feel "not right" or something has carried on for longer than "usual", call your doctor. That's what they're there for.... Oh, and SOME things that go away with two Tylenol can still be serious. Just because symptoms go away doesn't mean the underlying condition isn't bad. If you think you are depressed or suffering from anxiety, talk to your doctor. You may need medication for a while to make it through the day. Plenty of the members here are on "happy pills"... I strongly recommend counseling to get through the mental battle - I go about every other week. Take care, Becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 Plenty of the members here are on "happy pills" What would life be like without those pills? I cannot even imagine! I remember when I first moved to California people kept talking about prozac like it was the norm and I was shocked at how open people talk about it. How naive I was, now I walk around daily almost singing "I love prozac. I love xanax" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calintay Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 Very wise advice Snowflake I totally agree that if there is cause for concern, then get it checked out. Thank you for lending your support and advice for those of us who are truely concerned for ourselves and others fighting this beast. Calintay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnmynatt Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 LCFamily, I suggest you read some of the patient histories here. There are many that have had serious complications along the way. We are here to provide information to help people get an understanding of what they may be facing. I personally believe in checking things out when they persist. Better safe than sorry. Take care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 Someone once said, and I take this to heart (and took it to heart before my mom got diagnosed, which is how she got diagnosed) that it is important to go to the doctor if something concerns you b/c the LAST thing you wnat to hear is a doctor say "if only you came in sooner with your concerns.....". When my mom had her cough, I INSISTED on the chest xray. The doctors were like "if everyonoe with a minor dry cough had a chest xray, blah blah.". I said that's nice, but my mom is MY mom and she WILL get getting a chest xray. And then the fun began! When in doubt, get it checked out. Of course my mom and I were "laughing" the other day and reminiscing about an inner ear infection she had 6 months prior to diagnosis whihc was bad and how if she had that EXTREME dizziness today she would be sitting in a MRI machine to make sure the viral infection was not a brain mets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadstimeon Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 LCFamily, Everyone here is offering their support and experiences trying to help one another as best they know how. Any doctor worth there salt is going to tell a (lung cancer) patient to call or come in if they feel there is a problem and be checked out. Even if a test turns out to be negative it brings a sense of relief to the patient and there love ones. Better to be safe then sorry. We are taking about lung cancer and people's lives. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindi o'h Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 deleted by poster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 This is a very difficult issue because it cuts both ways. In my wife's case, closely monitoring symptoms and at times scrutinizing and obsessing over her symptoms has paid off with some helpful tx but it has also backfired. In a couple of instances she received unnecessary and possibly detrimental tx ( including delayed tx ) because I insisted on action due to a couple of ' symptom headfakes '. I gotta go. Monitoring the wife's occasional chest pains ( sternum ) and extreme fatigue. Hopefully, just residual effects from Wednesday's P-A-C implant and Gemzar / Navelbine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karenl Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 I agree with Bill - this is a very difficult issue. We do tend to obsess about symptoms and attribute every little thing to the cancer. However, I think it is important to remember that not everyone is well-educated about their disease, ie: what symptoms might actually be something to be concerned about. I have only read about the syndrome Elaine mentioned in passing. I am not familiar with its symptoms, and I have no idea what 'clubbed fingers' means. And I like to think that I am very well read on most things to do with lung cancer (I should be - I've spent enough time on it!!). I think we all know too, that doctors do not always pick up on symptoms that have been mentioned to them by their patients, and this has had disasterous consequences. My Mum was recently diagnosed with brain mets. She had been experiencing a few troubling symptoms, but nothing that Mum and Dad couldn't manage to attribute to side effects of medication. The symptoms had been mentioned to their PCP, who didn't think an investigation was warranted. A few weeks later, Mum decided to go for a head CT, and sure enough, 4 brain mets. If a symptom continues to trouble you, and your doctor doesn't share your concern (and is not able to alleviate your concern with a good explanation), get it checked out by another doctor. Doctors do NOT know everything. I asked Mum to check with her radiation onc about using Temodar with her WBR. He did not even know that it was indicated as an adjunctive treatment to WBR. Granted, it is not yet approved here, but I would like to think that he would be more familiar with the research that is happening!! My point is, any symptom which is troubling to you, should be mentioned to your doctor. They are in a slightly better position to determine whether it is something that should be investigated further. Even then, they can get it wrong! Obviously, we can have many things going on that are unrelated to cancer, but at least your concerns have been noted, and the doctor can follow up with you at your next visit as to whether the symptoms have continued or worsened. Better safe than sorry. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justakid Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 I will say that I for one ask about every problem that I have, I am not the average patient. Everything goes wrong and when in doubt it's an allergic reaction. It's important to have a doctor that does not treat you like a statistic in a book. Everyone is an individual and different. In everyone of my cases (except one), and I have had A LOT, there has been a problem. I have stumped the doctors and believe me I have some good ones. My opinion - better to ask then ignore. We are dealing with cancer not a cold and cancer can turn on you over night. When it comes to MY life or my family there is no over reacting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.C. Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Barb, Happy that you had it checked, and hope you will be fine soon. J.C. Take the good and wise answers given to you by the people that care and flush down those sarcastic comments made by LCFamily, that is where they belong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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