Bone Scan Done - Questions
July 7, 2019 9:55 PM   Subscribe

IKYNMD - been having a lot of health issues, namely repeated infections and bone pain. I have a long history of blood and bone problems, so ortho doc sent me to have a bone scan and x-ray of the painful shoulder. Results came back and he takes one look and says - you have a lot of inflammation and muscle wasting. He chalked it down to joint disease (wear and tear). Told me to swim (!) and since I have no swimming pool nearby to swim in, I left it at that and kept on putting out my little health fires.

So, since I've been feeling absolutely terrible - zero energy, I figured no harm to look and took out the CD - with the scan - and there are areas that are completely lit up - like my urinary tract - and on the shoulder - there is a little lit up circle - and other areas as well. I am due to go to an internal medicine doc this week who hopefully will be able to tell me what is going on - but I want to understand what it is I can research in this matter.

This was a basic bone scan - not for density - it was isotope. There is heightened activity basically all over - I don't care, you can scare me - at this point it doesn't matter. I just want to know, be informed - see what can be done. My CRP was slightly elevated, LDH and CKP also elevated, as is creatinine. WBC is low. RBC is iffy - comes and goes. HG is ok. PLT - ok. Slight hypercalcemia. Could these be calcium deposits?
posted by watercarrier to Health & Fitness (5 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
This is the kind of thing that really needs to be answered by your doctor. I’ve finished med school and I can’t interpret this for you—it’s more specialized than that.

Keep in mind that these kinds of tests and their results are designed to be read by people who know them inside out. Having someone look at them who doesn’t have that training is likely to just give you flat out wrong interpretations.
posted by ocherdraco at 10:36 PM on July 7, 2019 [4 favorites]


and there are areas that are completely lit up - like my urinary tract

I just wanted to chime in to say that this finding is completely normal, since the bladder is where the tracer concentrates on its way out of your body. Beyond that, I agree with ocherdraco that this is really a question for your doctor, as only they have the full picture.
posted by un petit cadeau at 11:47 PM on July 7, 2019 [3 favorites]


You should see a rheumatologist.
posted by fshgrl at 11:49 PM on July 7, 2019


I would not start doing push-ups if you have shoulder issues and don't have a diagnosis and haven't worked with a physical therapist. Speaking as someone who has shoulder trouble and has been given very specific advice about what exercises are good to do and which are not. And yes - definitely follow up with someone who will read scan and tell you what is going on. If you can find a physical medicine or rehab doctor they will likely be more helpful than an orthopedist - more focused on functionality than surgical fixes.
posted by leslies at 10:06 AM on July 8, 2019 [2 favorites]


Mod note: One comment deleted; it's fine to describe what worked for you but please don't give the "you should __" in response to a situation that isn't your own and might be quite different
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 4:50 PM on July 8, 2019 [1 favorite]


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