right rib pain with breast cancer

I had a mastectomy in January and have just had my second FEC chemo, I am 36 yrs old. The last 3 weeks I have been getting a lot of pain in my right hand side ribs ( surgery was this side too) and am now concerned  as it is skeletal pain and not muscular.It is very acute sometimes and takes my btearthe away, almost like being punched in the ribcage. I am having a liver scan soon but not sure whether to push for a bone scan too, one doctor said i needed it and the other said I didn't.... Do I demand a bone scan or not?

[katarina777]

I think this pain may be an inflammation of the muscles between the ribs. I have had this condition before twice, once when I was pregnant and it is very painful and sounds exactly as you describe. And to me it also felt like bone, and/or some organ under it. Of course I am not sure if that is what it is except from your description and it is often the result of something else that is going on or got altered, i.e. pregnancy, or mastectomy, andy abdominal surgery would fit. Does what you have hurt especially also when you laugh, or sneeze?

Also, if you are taking an estrogen antagonist, bone pain can happen.  I was in your situation at about your time after surgery and I was in so much pain I 'knew' this had to be bone mets. it never occurred to me it could be something else serious but it was. my onco actually didn't think is would be bone mets because the pain I described sounded too serious.

For whatever my comment is worth, just keep what's useful and throw out the rest. Kat

I have also been told that the pain with bone mets is very persistent and does not come and go like many other pains?