Hip pain?

cherneski

Hello my Lovely Ladies!  Miss you all!

First check out all the hair I have! Yes, yes it is all about the hair right now.  I am able to go without my wrap now, although I still wear it a lot.  I am very happy I CAN go without it.  It is crazy as I wake up with bed head, BED HEAD!  That is the BEST!

Anyway... When I was getting chemo I had terrible hip pain (and other bone pain), to the point I was put on oxycotin and percocettes round the clock.  Since chemo has ended my hip pain is NO BETTER.  Most days I feel like a 90 y/o woman.  Most of my bones ache, but my hips just kill me.  I try to not take so many meds as I hate them.  I usually only take 1 oxy a day, and the percs I am trying to only take 1-2 a day. 

For whatever reason I am not concerned about mets (dont know why, you know I am usually a freak about worrying).  So what is up with this pain?  During chemo onc. told me I had nerve damage, but should get better with time.  Is that what this is?  STILL?  When will it go away.  My last chemo was Oct. 5th.

Much Love to you all, Deb

Let-It-Be

Deb, I'm assuming you had taxol?  I have a friend who had excruciating joint pain on taxol.  For me it was sharp sudden pains and some where my hip joints felt like suddenly giving away while standing.  But, it was nowhere near as bad as what my friend experienced.  I found the neulasta shots to be far more horrible. 

Throughout radiation I did have lingering hip pain on one side.  It was always there, I noticed as I drove to every appt. the way it bothered me.  But, it did go away, and now it's a non-issue.  If only I could get rid of the lingering foot pain!!  I hope yours improves too! 

Anonymous

Deb,  It is soooo about the hair!  I'm glad your lovely locks are coming in.  Mine too, including some facial hair!  Anyway, sorry you are going thru such bad hip pain.  I am really going thru this bad.  I take oc analgesic every morning and evening and the bone pain has been really bad since finishing the Neulasta and Taxol.  It is still lasting even though I finished chemo in Sept.  I haven't thought to ask for pain meds.  I live on excedrin now.

cherneski

Let-it-be~ Nope I had Taxotere and Cytoxan 6 rounds(thought I was going to die, it was THAT bad),  no neulasta shot ever.  I will be starting Tamoxifen next week (3 years of that, then 8 years of whatever else)~Yipeeee~  YUCK

Glad your hips got better, yeah I still have neuropathy but not so bad anymore.  I notice it more when I have been on my feet.  But how do you avoid walking and standing?  Yep the gift that keeps giving.

mmm5

I am going to take a guess here and assume you are both under 50 or were premenopausal prior to BC. I had horrible hip pain after chemo as well had 3 MRI's all clear. Then this fall it came back much to my dismay. I finally have figured it all out. If you go on these boards you will see hip pain all over and it is usually attached to Estrogen deprivation. For those of us that had estrogen prior to chemo, most likely chemo has put you into menopause and shut any estrogen production down. I had the pains then they went away, simultaneously my ovaries started waking back up (according to my estradiol counts) THis fall I went on Zoladex and my ovaries started shutting down my hips started hurting again.

I have done much research and the pain can be bad due to sudden spontaneous menopause. I am currenlty researching options. I have learned much on the natural threads and read a lot. I am also working with a naturopath that is also part of my ONC's office.

Some days my pain is so bad I can do nothing, but now it has gone beyond my hips to my back feet, hands etc.

I am determined not to give into this and find answers.

Anonymous

Adriamycin, Cytoxan, and Taxol and Neulasta DD every 2 weeks from May to Sept.  My bones have not felt good since.  Especially in my Clavicle and Hip area.  I know I need to get out walking more often, but with the cold weather, I've not felt like going out much.   I also think sometimes the weather makes it worse.

cherneski

mmm5~ OMG that makes sense!  Yes I am 38 (for the next few days lol). 

Shanagirl~ Ecedrin gives me stomache cramps.  I hope for all of our sake it goes away.

I have heard about the bio progesteron creams (I think that is what it is called), can we use that stuff?  Would it help?  I hate feeling like I am 90 every day.  I hate that I have to live on pain pills just to function with less pain, and it still never goes away.

mmm5

I am researching Prog cream now. I am going to get many opinions I was 42 when dxed and I feel horrible now. The pain is so bad I think I have mets and end up getting expensive scans and stres and stress and it never is mets. I know now it is Estrogen depletion. Read up on it and Fibromyalgia. It all makes sense to me now. There is a thread on it on the natural girls but I am taking my time and really looking into everything.

Let-It-Be

Cripes!  That does make sense.  I feel like I'm on info overload.  For a girl who didn't even know what an oncologist was this time last year.

mmm5

let it be, you are not alone I was in Med Field for 17 years and thought I knew it all.

Until I had BC I thought there was one kind of BC had NO IDEA about all of this. But I think the instand menopause is the worst part of this way worse than chemo. I also believed it was all mind over matter but it is what it is and Estrogen or lack of it can really be hard on a body.

jenn3

Wow.........that may explain the hip pain I'm having.  My hips hurt sooooo bad and I just lumped it into all of the other pain I've been dealing with.  More to learn............

DCMom

I'll pipe in on the hip pain chorus.  I have had hip pain ever since chemo.  Really noticed it after I started tamoxifen, but then again that was when I didn't have so many other pains to take my mind off my hips.  I especially notice it after exercise and all of my muscles seem so much slower to loosen up after working out.  I am just so tight all over...feel like I am always stretching.  I have seen numerous posts about hip pain, but that doesn't always talk me off the ledge when I am "positive" I have mets.

everyminute

my wrist/thumb area hurt - I have a bit of cording there but this is sore to the touch and hurts to move my wrist.  Its not impossible that it is mets but unlikely due to location. It is arthritis or carpel tunnel or nerve damage or some such thing.

 I also have a sore tailbone.  That could be mets I guess but it has been bothering me since last march - after chemo/rads/zometa - and has never gotten any worse (unless I try pilates or too many situps).  I broke my tailbone when I was 14 and now I am like some 80 year old woman who can feel rain coming in my bones. sigh.

but it beats being dead (I just channelled Kerry Mac!)

KerryMac

I get a sore thumb too, and sore feet. I think that is the Arimidex. And I sometimes a bit of lower back ache, like I have been standing too long.

Yep, sure beats being dead though. 

everyminute

Kerry - you are the best!

KerryMac

Thank you.

weesa

Yep, there is a recently recognized form of arthritis that is caused by sudden estrogen deprivation, and the hip, being such a large, overworked bone and joint, tends to cry out in pain first. So congratulations, Cherneski, you have morphed into a new stage, and your 38 year old body is still in shock  Better than bone mets, tho...BTW, have missed you, adore your posts, they are so --so--so--pissed off. I know you are fighting like a girl and gonna make it.

living4today

Thank you to all for your information on pain.  I am sorry to hear that you are suffering, but so glad to hear that I am not alone.  My low back/tail bone have hurt since early last spring.  We thought maybe it was because of all the sitting I did while going through chemo, etc..I didn't realize that chemopause could cause continued pain.  Actually, I keep getting the feeling like my cycles are going to restart up, but than it goes away...lately I have been feeling like I am suffering PMS (never had it before--but boy, certain days I am sooo edgy.)  Thanks for your help.

mmm5

Weesa

Do you have any more information on the newly recognized form of arthritis? Our Onc dept is really looking into this especially for younger women who go into immediate menopause and can't take tamoxifen. I am really suffering beyond what is acceptable and would love to read anymore that you are aware of.

concernedsis

Sis had hip pain prior to BC diagnosis - no cause ever elucidated - was on antiinflammatories. Had to stop them during A/C and was very bad. Taxol she was back on her meds and did ok - chalked it up to the steroids given during Taxol.She developed some bad pain and weakness postop which we thought was disuse but her onc recommend a rheumatology consult.

The estrogen deprivation thing I think you mean "menopausal arthritis" which I have heard of. There is also an association with Tamoxifen and the aromatase inhibitors and arthralgias.

 She is also having a bone density test - we had asked onc about the studies which suggest stage 4 bone mets might be prevented by Zometa and she said to get the bone density and maybe she could start the oral biphosphonates and see from there

Deb - you may wish to consider a pain consult - you are taking some heavy duty meds for a while and you may need to wean off them when you are doing better. The body gets kinda used to them.

Good luck to all!

weesa

mmm5, to answer your question, above, I have learned a good deal just by googling things like aromatase inhibitor-induced arthralgia or arthritis--you will pull up a good deal of information about carpal tunnel, rotator cuff problems etc. Estrogen is apparently an anti-inflammatory so when it is suddenly reduced with the use of AI's, arthritis can occur. I couldn't find much information about this problem back in early 2003 when I first started taking an AI. But now--it is easy to access. It has also been mentioned in some rheumatology journals. I consulted with a rheumatologist and also had several surgeries with an orthopedic surgeon who was shocked at the inflammation in my joints.I took them for 6 years then had to stop, but as KerryMac says, it beats being dead! Please do PM me if I can be of further use to you!

kimt

Was going to start a thread asking whether anyone else had hip pain on Tamoxifen, but I see that many of you have!!  I started Tamxoifen in November and have small pain in my lower back and pain in my hip. Have been just watching to see if they got any better before calling the docs.  Totally lost it the other day crying my eyes out thinking I have bone mets - couldn't even make it through a walk without bawling!  Finally called my onc nurse - based on my descriptions, she doesn't think this is cancer related - yay!- but suggested I see my primary care doc for an MRI if I want for peace of mind b/c I am not due to see the onc for a few months (was just there in January).  Anyway, I think I will see my primary to get the MRI - hate to run an expensive, possibly unnecessary test, but if there's nothing there and this is just from the Tamoxifen, I think I will be able to "move on" SO much easier!  Good to know this is not uncommon with you all!

Diana63

Everyminute, I am so glad you mentioned tail bone pain, mine has been hurting since last year. I thought I was nuts but now I see I have company