Bone Pain a week after A/C chemo and shot

LCH033

Any suggestions on how to deal with the bone pain from the shot the day after chemo? It started yesterday, day 8 after my first A/C chemo and day 7 after the shot; it's in my hips, neck, ribs and chest. I've been taking Claritin 2x daily since chemo and I thought the side effects were done for round 1. However this hit me yesterday and is a little worse today; I would say right between moderate and severe. Any tips or suggestions to cope and get some relief?

Thanks,

Lara

Moderators

Hi Lara,

So sorry to hear you're dealing with this side effect! While you wait for the ever-helpful members of our wonderful Community to weigh in, you may be interested in checking out the tips on the main Breastcancer.org site's page on Bone and Joint Pain.

We hope this helps!

--The Mods

Stellasmom_11

LCH033, So sorry no one's written back yet. I just went through this same pain. Mine started after my third shot in 4 days. Most of it was in my lower back but at times shot up to my ribs and it took my breath away. I was also taking Claritin but the only thing that seemed to help was Advil (check with oncologist to see if you can take it). I still had the spasms but it was much less frequent. I called my doctor and the only thing else she recommended was Vicadin. I know it doesn't work on me so I stuck with the Advil. My pain lasted about 40 hours... thankfully it's gone now! I hope yours is as well. Take care!

SpecialK

Sometimes the first Neulasta provokes the most intense discomfort because of the expansion of the marrow as it produces an abundance of white blood cells.  Subsequent injections may not cause as much discomfort because the marrow has already expanded previously.  The analogy is a new pair of shoes or a tight pair of jeans - once you break them in they get looser and more comfortable.  This does not always happen, but I hope it does for you.  Some have gotten good relief from Aleve -- ask your MO if it is ok to take.  Aleve is an NSAID and may cause stomach irritation so be sure to eat before you take it since your stomach may already be iffy - also, this drug is filtered through your liver, as are many chemo agents, so only take as much as you have to.  I also found that very warm baths were good for both the joint pain, and relaxing the muscles that tensed due to the joint pain.

Cynthiae3

I am sorry that you had such pain, and I am hoping that it has passed by now.

I can relate, but I can also tell you that for me, what SpecialK said rang true - the pain was by far the worst after the first neulasta shot. I had pain with subsequent shots, but not nearly as se severe. I took Vicodin (grudgingly) and it did the trick.

Hang in there and remember that with each treatment you are that much closer closer to being done

LCH033

Thank you all for your responses and sharing your experiences and remedies. I took some Tramadol and Valium and it helped some. It lasted about 48 hours or so; and then just stopped. It was quite painful though; like a bear hug of pain sometimes. I also found laying on a heating pad gave me some relief as well. I will remember to try the hot/warm bath next time as well; thank you!

My next and 2nd A/C chemo is this Thursday then shot on Friday; so I am hoping it's not the nightmare weekend it was last time. SpecialK, the analogy you gave for the bone marrow and new shoes helps me understand so much better, that makes so much sense; thank you!

And Cynthiae3, you are so right; I may be just starting however each treatment is one more closer to being done.

Saturday I shaved my head as my hair was really starting to fall out; my boyfriend shaved his with me and his daughter and her cousin took pictures and video. It was tough but being surrounded by so much love and support was such a blessing. And then my Mom shaved her head yesterday.

God Bless,

Lara

SweetHope

Lara, your boyfriend is a hunk! You look beautiful! And your Mom is getting numerous cyber hugs from all of us here!

LCH033

Thank you so much SweetHope; he is pretty amazing and loves me no matter what; and I will share with my Mom the cyber hugs!

Astarte

I end up taking extra pain meds I have. The first Neulasta I couldn't walk because of my lower back pain. The second shot hit my cervical spine and knees pretty bad. Shot 3 is this coming Tues, I still don't feel good from round 2 of AC.