Cervical cancer and ultrasound treatments

Hello Sisters!
I recently had another flare-up of what the Dr's believe is arthritis in my cervical spine (neck). However, after taking Celebrex and two short courses of Prednisone the pain (across the back from the left of the spine almost to the shoulder) has not lessened. The physical therapist I've been seeing decided not to use ultrasound treatments since I have had cervical cancer. Does anyone know what effect ultrasound has on cancer cells and in particular if there is any effect on cervical cancer cells?

I have a call in to my MD to have him check out why the pain is still there -- maybe it's not arthritis after all(?). Most of the info I've read says that it's probably not related to the cancer, but I would really like to rule that out officially. It's hard to function when you have constant pain like this (about 8 or 9 on the old pain scale) -- hard to sleep, too. Any and/or input would be appreciated. Thanks!

I once went to get a massage and the therapy center would not give me a massage without an OK from my oncologist. I was not sure why either. I am sorry that I cannot be more helpful.

Back pain can be so painful. It is a good idea to make sure that it is not cancer. It most likely is not but it will give you peace of mind.

Therapeutic ultrasound increases blood flow in the area in which it is delivered. It is a no-no if there is any concern that there might be cancer in the area. So, if it seems at all possible that pain could be caused by cancer that has spread (however unlikely), other treatments would be selected to address pain. I think a call to your doc is definitely in order. S/he might order some further testing to determine what's causing your pain. It could be any number of things--a bone spur, a disc, etc.

Good luck! I hope they find the cause of your problem so that you can get some relief!

Thanks for your replies. The MD gave me a referral to a physical therapy center. I am also getting an x-ray tomorrow to rule out any cancer, etc. I want to get that determined first before I continue with other therapy. So, I guess this is will be another continued story. Hopefully, I will get some relief and make some progress toward healing.

I do have a further question, though. The past couple of days I have had problems with lightheadedness when standing after sitting for a while, as well as palpitations and some serious hot flashes . These problems the MD said to be careful or basically ignore (palpitations), as they would come and go. These things are concerning and uncomfortable, so I will keep tabs on them. I do have my 3-mo follow-up with my gyn/onc in August, so I do have a back-up. Maybe my estrogen needs to be tweaked a bit?

Thanks again for listening. I do enjoy visiting the HysterSisters!

MsEagle