Suggestions please

QueenSuzu

Hi! Had a double mastectomy and started reconstruction 6 weeks ago. I am very fortunate in that I do not need chemo or radiation. The oncologist put me on anastrozole with a baby aspirin which I started two weeks ago. Everything was going fine until two days ago when I had such severe knee pain I could not walk. I do have osterosis arthritis in that knee and take supplements which contain glucosamine, fish oil and have had 3 shots of euflexa. I will be going back to work in two weeks and need to be well.

Any suggestions on minimizing the knee pain while taking anastrozole. I was so upbeat but this really put me down in the dumps. I am stopping the drug for the weekend and already can feel that I can at least walk without lurching and will call the dr on Monday. Taking Alece or Motrin did not touch the pain at all and I can handle a lot pain.

Again, I realize how fortunate I am not to undergo chemo or radiation. My Drs are very pleased with how well I recovered from surgery so you can see why this is so disappointing.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

Blessings2011

QueenSuzu - so sorry you find yourself in this "club" of ours, but you will find great support here.

Yes, you're right - you were fortunate to not need chemo or radiation, so the Aromatase Inhibitor drug (Anastrozole) is really your only post-op breast cancer treatment. (There are several different drugs you can try should one not work out for you.)

Having symptoms that soon (2 weeks) from Anastrozole is unusual. I'm not saying impossible, but unusual, especially given your history with osteoarthritis in your knee, and prior treatment in it. Is it possible that you injured it in some way that you don't remember? How have you treated the knee pain in the past? Taking Anastrozole should not change your therapy.

Also, clinically, Anastrozole remains in the bloodstream and does not clear out until about six days from the last time you took it. Unless you are having a severe allergic reaction to it, I wouldn't expect to see your knee pain disappear after stopping the drug for one day.

At this point, if it were me, I would concentrate on healing my knee, then dealing with the issues of Anastrozole later.

I'd be careful with the drugs I take in addition to the aspirin, but you might try ice packs or heat packs (whichever feels the best to you) and elevate that leg for a few days. Do you have a knee brace that you wear?

Is there any redness? Swelling? Fever? You may not want to wait til Monday to call the doc.

Is there an Urgent Care clinic you can go to?

Having a double mastectomy and starting reconstruction puts our bodies through the wringer. Sometimes we end up VERY sensitive to additional pain anywhere in our bodies. That doesn't mean the pain isn't real, just heightened.

If your docs are pleased with your recovery so far, then I would be too. This is probably just a minor bump in the road, and MAY not be related to BC at all. You have every reason to expect that your recovery and reconstruction will progress very well.

Here on BCO, you will read all sorts of ways that women cope with taking these drugs. Some have a hard time with them, but the majority do not. One thing you will read most frequently is that staying physically active will alleviate symptoms. Acupuncture worked for me. But before you start to worry about that, I think you need to see about healing that knee.

HOWEVER - Please understand that I am not a physician, nor are the majority of the members here. We can share our experiences and try to empathize, and even make suggestions, but there is no way we can diagnose any medical issues online. Only your doc can do that.

Please come back and post after you call the doc, and let us know how you are doing!!!!!

Sending healing wishes....

QueenSuzu

thanks for your reply. My knee started hurting in August and X-rays do not show any tears, just the oa and was told to take Motrin which really did not help. Finally got an appointment with an orthopedic dr but before I could start with him, was diagnosed with bc. I do wear a knee brace, have a cream I can massage on, as needed and was also given patches to wear, again as needed. You can see how frustrated I am feeling