Excruciating bone pain anyone?

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I had my first chemo treatment lat Thursday (Oct. 22) with the Neulasta shot Friday. The nurse who administered the shot told me it could cause bone pain but said the shot usually makes you ache 24 hours after receiving it and will last about 1.5 days. Last Saturday I had some slight bone pain which lasted until half way through the day Sunday, almost exactly like the nurse said. It wasn't anything major.

When I went for my CBC Wednesday, it was extremely low but the nurse said that usually on day 7 after the shot the white blood cells will be released a little at a time for day 7-10 of the shot, which would have been starting yesterday. I went to bed last night and my back hurt a little, so I thought maybe I didn't get enough rest. At about 1.30 a.m. I woke up in a cold sweat only to face excruciating pain the rest of the night which was in all the places they told me it would hurt. Is this normal? And can this be from the shot now? I thought I got off easy when it really wasn't bothering me all that much last Friday. Do I really have to deal with this another 3 days? I can barely move today and am terrified that this might last another 3 days? Have others had this delayed reaction or is this how I should expect the shot to go?    

Comments

  • jenn3
    jenn3 Member Posts: 3,316
    edited October 2009

    I had terrible pain from the Neulasta shot starting about 24 hours after the shot and it lasted about 2 days.  I did and do suffer muscle aches and body pains, but it's from the chemo. Talk to your onc about the pain, if the OTC medications aren't working he may be able to prescribe something to help you cope with the pain.  And...... the onc needs to know all of the SE's you are dealing with so that he/she can help you manage them.

    Good luck and I hope you feel better.

  • mke
    mke Member Posts: 584
    edited November 2009

    I had pretty bad bone pain with Neulasta but I don't remember the timing of it.  I switched to Neupogen which seemed a bit easier on me.  It was more shots but at least I could move.

  • tkone
    tkone Member Posts: 511
    edited November 2009

    Piffken,

    I  have posted this before so soon people are going to start to think I'm a nutjob, but will repost it here.  I had horrible bone pain from the Neulasta after my first chemo and decided that I would sell my soul if that is what it took to not have the same pain for the remaining chemo rounds.

    I decided to take my chances and go to an acupuncturist and guess what?  It worked.  For my subsequent rounds, I went to chemo and the next day while I was still feeling OK, I went in to an acupuncturist.  I had never done acupuncture for anything before and was extremely skeptical that it would work, but I swear it is the only reason I made it through chemo.

    Besides that, my only other advice is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, the day before, the day of and the day after chemo.  The faster you can get it moving through your body the better.

    Good luck

    Tracy 

  • MarieK
    MarieK Member Posts: 911
    edited November 2009

    I had a bit of bone pain/ache last round of shots but now I take a 24 hr Clariton tab before my Neupogen each morning.  So far so good - I'm on day 6 of 7 and feeling great!

    The onc did prescribe Naproxen for me for the bone pain but I haven't used it yet because it is very hard on the stomach and so he gave me some Ratandine for the stomach issues.

    BUT I have a problem taking a drug (Ratandine) to offset the side effects (stomach issues) of another drug (Naproxen)  I'm taking to offset the side effects (bone pain) of a drug I'm already taking for the side of effect (killing white blood cells) of chemo.

    If I can get by with Clariton and the occasional Tylenol Extra Strength that's what I'm going to do!

  • birdlady-09
    birdlady-09 Member Posts: 4
    edited November 2009

    I always had terrible pain after the shots.  I had muscle aches and " charley horses"  in my legs so bad I could not sleep at all the first night after.  Hang in there, it gets better.  I am on Femara now and I still have joint pain. 

  • concernedsis
    concernedsis Member Posts: 256
    edited November 2009

    Hi Piffkin

    Hang in there - talk to your doc

    Sis had bad pain from neulasta - did finally take claritan I think the 3 & 4 shots and throughout taxol and it helped alot. For pain, every doc is different - sis was given oxycontin which she was afraid to take. He doc gave her ativan to sleep when her nausea was bad. Pain only gets worse if you cant sleep

     Hope you do better!

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