Tweet
My last day of BEP x 3 treatment was October 18th. On November 1st, I received the positive news that the enlarged lymph node in my abdomen had shrunk to its normal size and my tumor markers were all normalized.
For about a week or so now, I've felt an occasional, slight discomfort/pain in the area under my left breast in the upper rib cage. This left side is the same side as my I/O and lymph node. I've also noticed a very faint shortness of breath, but only when I attempt to take a really deep breath, not from participating in normal activities. My breasts are also still slightly tender (although my doctor explained back on 11/1 that it sometimes takes a little while for that to subside after an increased HCG.)
Of course, this has me freaked out about a possible recurrence in my lungs. Coincidentally (or probably not) I've recently finished weaning myself off of Celexa (anti-depressent) and Ativan (anti-anxiety) so my worrying seems to have worsened over the past couple of days.
The thing that scares me is that I haven't had a chest x-ray done since the week after my I/O (in July). At that time, the chest x-ray came back clear. The only problem was the enlarged lymph node. So, I was treated for that, but my lungs were never really in play.
Am I simply over-reacting? Wouldn't the chemo treatments have cleared out any possible metastasis in the lungs, as well? Could cancer truly recur in the first month and a half after chemo?
I figured this would be the best place to ask, rather than worrying my friends and family again. Any advice is appreciated.
For about a week or so now, I've felt an occasional, slight discomfort/pain in the area under my left breast in the upper rib cage. This left side is the same side as my I/O and lymph node. I've also noticed a very faint shortness of breath, but only when I attempt to take a really deep breath, not from participating in normal activities. My breasts are also still slightly tender (although my doctor explained back on 11/1 that it sometimes takes a little while for that to subside after an increased HCG.)
Of course, this has me freaked out about a possible recurrence in my lungs. Coincidentally (or probably not) I've recently finished weaning myself off of Celexa (anti-depressent) and Ativan (anti-anxiety) so my worrying seems to have worsened over the past couple of days.
The thing that scares me is that I haven't had a chest x-ray done since the week after my I/O (in July). At that time, the chest x-ray came back clear. The only problem was the enlarged lymph node. So, I was treated for that, but my lungs were never really in play.
Am I simply over-reacting? Wouldn't the chemo treatments have cleared out any possible metastasis in the lungs, as well? Could cancer truly recur in the first month and a half after chemo?
I figured this would be the best place to ask, rather than worrying my friends and family again. Any advice is appreciated.
Comment