Resolved question:
Thank you for your last answer.
Question 1: Now I am even more worried about my elevated n-telopeptides and c-telopeptides being raised. I don't know what else it could mean other than a marker for coming bone cancer. I do not feel that I am asymptomatic, because I do have breast cancer, and I do have pain in my thigh and bone pain in my buttocks.
I have extremely dense bones, so these values should be very low, not beyond the maximum. What do you think of this?
Question 2: If it is not the decadron taking the pain away, why do you think I am always pain-free for a day or two after chemo? If it is the decadron, I am just hoping it is not cancer pain it is taking away, but maybe neupogen pain.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Oncologist
Thank you for posting your query at DoctorSpring.com
I would not consider your condition as bone metastasis. Your symptoms have an alternate reasons which correlates well.
I would not correlate that with you pain or elevated bone markers.
Feel free to discuss further
Question 1: I just read that the telopeptides, when checked in the urine, are really unrealiable. They can make wild swings from high to low, that mean nothing. This was on wikipedia though. Do you think that is true?
Question 2: I am still confused by what you think is taking the pain away everytime I have chemo. Here is one thought, since decadron is a steroid, it has to be taking away inflammatory pain. The other pre-treatments are all for nausea and benadryl to prevent allergies--so they can't be doing it. And I can't imagine the chemo itself is taking away pain for a day or two--it's supposed to ADD pain!
Do you think that neupogen causes inflammation? If it did, then the decadron could be taking away neupogen pain. I guess the other question is does cancer cause inflammation? Because if it does, then the decadron is more likely to be taking away cancer pain. Or is my analysis all wrong to start with?
Hello. Thank you for writing to us again.
Yes. Wiki is correct. Thats why clinicians do not rely on telopeptides level. We don't give it any importance in our clinical practice.
Your analysis is completely incorrect. The mechanism of bone pain is due to reactive bone marrow activity to replenish the blood cells which causes marrow expansion. However, your concept is a novel one (may be further explored in future research setting & can be a thesis topic for a PhD).
Please do now worry about the marrow pain now. It has nothing to do with cancer metastases.
Feel free to discuss further.
Kind regards,
Prasad.
Thank you. So the question now, is, does decadron take away early stage bone cancer pain? Because if it does, that may be what is happening in my chemo. (I hope not).
Hello. Thank you for writing to us again.
No. Decadron does not take away early cancer pain as such. But no evidence is available for your claim. Role of decadron in early stage cancer is not known till now.
Regards
I would like to believe that all my pain is neupogen. My legs are sore from the feet--all the way up. But, at times I get sharper pains in just my left femur. And my buttocks is particularly sore--and you don't hear about buttocks pain with neupogen--you hear about HIP pain instead. That is why I am worried that I have bone cancer in my left femur and buttocks. Do you still think it is just the neupogen?
When neupogen is administered, it causes bone pain. What makes you think it is otherwise even after our repeated discussions ?
I hope you would have discussed it with your oncologist also. Please be assured that it is not cancer pain.
Regards