joint pain after chemo

I am 57 years old female.  I finished chemo in July and was delighed and feeling great.  I starting playing sports again, play on a team and was happy to be back.  I have been noticing pain in my hands and wrist that is starting to be debilating.  I have a pain in my neck as well, making it difficult to entirely turn my head.  I am 7 months out of my treatment and starting a new phase where I'm worrying about these symptoms more and getting down about it.  I'm at this site to see if joint pain is an after effect to chemo?  dsm

im 50,i just finished 5 weeks of chemo/radiation....i had a stage 2 anal carcinoma......about 4 weeks into recovery i developed headaches for 1 week straight and severe muscle and joint pain...thought it was from just lying around doing nothing...now its been 2 months with everyday my body aching from head to toe....thought it was lyme disease and blood tests confirmed positive for lyme....a infectious disease spec says its just the antibodies in my system from being bit last year........he says it could be fibro myalgia....they don't know.....i truly believe it is from the chemo distroying my tissues.............................and there is no pain reliever that helps,tried percocets,vicadan,etc.........

I was diagnosed with breast ca in 2004.  Did mastectomy, did chemo, doing Arimedex.  One more year to go on Arimedex.  I have had and still do have significant lower body joint pain...mostly ankles.  Worse after sitting or sleeping.  First 5 minutes up are pretty painful...I hobble like I am ninty years old...then do okay.  Better if I keep moving... no good remedies.  I am 54 y/o and figure it came from chemo or Arimedex or both and at this point I am stuck with it...but alive.  Advil helps as much as anything and it's not narcotic...I say keep vertical and moving girls!

Hello everyone,

Ladies: I hope this will work for you, it was a miracle for my wife who has regained full activity and the muscle and joint pain is almost completely gone! 

My wife was diagnosed with IDC in February and has completed chemo and rads as of last month.  During taxotere/cytoxan she began having joint and muscle pain that was very debilitating.  It would come and go suddenly.  Any sitting or being still seemed to make it worse.  Her oncologist prescribed the usual: first percocet then loritab after he became wary of continued use of percocet.  Her oncologist said it was unusual to have this pain so long after chemo so he referred her to pain management at out local hospital.

She went to see her family physician last week and he prescribed Cymbalta which is used to treat fibromyalgia.  The first day she took it her pain all but vanished.  The next few days were touch and go but the doctor had warned her the full effect would not come for a week or so when taking the drug.  Now a week later she is (Thank GOD and thanks to her regular physician) back to her old self.

I hold no grudge against the oncologist.  He is a great doctor and very sympathetic.  However it seems that doctors get used to their routine and have so much to deal with that they rarely take the time to do any research about symptoms and side effects which are said to be "rare".  I don't know the impact of taking the drug during chemo so make sure to ask your oncologist.

While I'm at it: if any of you have had eye problems such as uncontrolled tearing or irritation of your eyes during taxotere/cytoxan:  After the first infusion of tax/cytoxan my wife's eyes started watering uncontrollably and it continues to this day.  Now she can't wear eye makeup.  After much research I found documentation that taxotere and cytoxan can damage the tear and oil ducts in the eye causing stenosis: Canalicular Stenosis.  Irreversible.  The articles I found mentioned the possibility of having an ophthalmologist insert silicone tubes into the tear ducts asap after the symptoms appear to prevent further damage.  As far as I know the only way to fix it after the damage is done it is to have an ocular surgeon permanently surgically bypass the tear ducts with glass tubes.  We have tried everything under the sun and nothing works so we will be considering a visit to an Oculoplastic Surgeon.  If you notice excessive tearing make sure to tell your oncologist to look up this info for himself.  The studies have been out there for about 10 years.  I have found that many oncologists including our own simply dismiss the symptoms as rare instead of exercising due diligence with a bit of research.  I found the info using the ubiquitous Google.  Some doctors get mad when their patients presume to do their own research, especially on the Internet.  Don't let it bother you.  It's easy to find a wealth of respected research and info on the Internet but most doctors wouldn't be caught dead using a Google search to look up symptoms.

One more issue:  Radiation burns:  My wife had 6 weeks of rads.  As predicted her skin began to get red at the 3rd week, then it started to burn.  I did some extensive research (again) and found many advertised products.  I decided to make my own using a dozen natural ingredients used in many popular salves and ointments.  My wife started slathering on the stuff after every rad dose and kept it on at night.  Within days the redness subsided and disappeared.  We were amazed and so was her radiation oncologist who had never seen anything like it.  I have heard stories of BC patients burning so bad the skin sloughed off in places and nothing seemed to help.  Other BC survivors we have talked to have seriously damaged dimpled, wrinkled,mottled purple and red skin for up to a year or more after rads.  My wife finished rads a week or so ago and her skin looks like she never had the treatment.  I will be doing more research and plan on providing the salve to our local cancer radiation center for free to make sure my wife's result wasn't a fluke.  If it works with others the way it did with my wife we'll be providing it for BC patients to use and ALL profit will go to cancer research.

Ladies/Caregivers and especially HUSBANDS!!!:  You must be an active and participatory advocate for your wife's health!!  Don't let your doctor discourage you from asking questions and doing research.  My blind faith in my wife's initial doctor (who we basically fired after he recommended watchful waiting, allowing her tumor to double in size), was misplaced.  He failed to offer her the option of a needle biopsy at first and later when it was too late he preached against the simple and proven methodology of core or needle biopsy since he believed in the antiquated view that it will "seed" and spread cancer if it was present.

He also got mad at me for asking questions and doing my own research.  His unprofessional conduct and lack of belief in current technology resulted in my wife having 12 nodes positive out of 20.  Had he done a needle biopsy when she first pointed out the lump to him the year before it would have been a much easier road for my wife.  Remember, doctors are not infallible and sometimes their egos can hurt your chances.  If you feel any resistance to questions or concerns, get a different doctor.

God Bless you all and keep you safe and healthy. And by the way, take it easy on your caregivers, we get frazzled and discouraged too. Even though you are the patient, we are as terrified and concerned as you are and many of us (me included) actually feel the pain and sickness the same as expectant fathers have sympathetic labor pains.

Feel free to email me anytime, we have been through a lot as you all have and we are willing to help anyone in any way we can to make it though all this.

RBurton  hdsledge@gmail.com

Followup:

 My wife was prescribed Tramadol (non-narcotic) by her pain mgt specialist and it seems to work very well.

 So now she only has to take Loritab once in a while.  Looks like the combination of Cymbalta and Tramadol is the key at least for my wife.

She feels pretty good most of the time now although the fatigue is still there.  So far we are 3 weeks out from rads and several months from last chemo.

Ask your pain mgt spec or oncologist if he/she is willing to try either of those for you.  Good luck!~

I have just completed 4 weeks of my 7 weeks of radiation and am interested in the salve you made.  I have been using Biafine cream, vaseline, and an Aloe vera cream.  They help some

but my breast skin is very red and uncomfortable.  The radiation oncologist just shrugs and

says "That's normal."

I had the TC combo in chemo. The pain in large joints continues to be profound. I finally went to a pain management specialist.He is doing a great job of keeping me functional and bringing pain in a range where I can tolerate it. But, I have had to make many behavior changes. I was a gonzo saltwater big game angler and often out in the Gulf Stream catching monster fish. I can no longer do that. It is such a loss!!! The hip, pelvic and spine pain (feels like my spine is being pulled out of my back and it is a throbbing pain. I am told by my docs is from the Neulasta. Then I began having shooting pains in my hands and feet (like stabbing). My doc simply said, oh it's likely you have peripheral neuropathy" a se from chemo, with no explanation nor plan for how to treat it if it really is PN. Pain is so bad when I wake up I dread crawling out from under my cozy bed. I have to 'stretch' to get back into my skin every day. Then try a short walk with my dogs. Such a B*tch as my whole life has changed to accomodate pain and fatigue right now. Not much encouragement, but you are not alone. {{{{{SOFT HUGS}}}}} SV

New here because I was looking for ideas for upper arm pain after radiation. Various images show nothing, waiting for labs and ??? In a strange way it is educational to see that so many other women are having problems in treatment and are frustrated; my oncologist's nurse once said I was "unusual." That was after having neutropenic reaction more than once. Thankfully I didn't get a bad infection. They really put us through the mill with this, and of course it's for a good reason -- we will be well. But greater understanding always helps. 

Annie1066: Hope you are doing well. The skin problems I had were helped by these, all provided by the radiologist and staff: Radiaplex to start, later the same w/ Lidocaine, later an Rx cortisone cream and Rx silver sulfadiazine. I kept using whatever worked and put on as often as possible when it got bad. Benadryl pills and pain-killers also were part of what helped me for a couple of weeks. Once the creams/meds are on board, do something you like -- I watched "Jeopardy" and "Chuck" with my daughter. 

I realize this is a two year old post, but this along with the others really has helped. I finished chemo and have surgery coming up.  I complained of hip pain shortly before my 3'rd and 4th chemo.  chiropractic helped alot.  Then I started with calcium and vit D which also helps.  But mainly knowing it is probably just the chemo from reading this website, has relieved my fears, which in turn lessens the pain.  I have a pre surgery pet scam this Friday and I guess I can relax after that. 

Thanks alot fo all the good advice in this post and your wife is lucky to have you.  I have my son who is very busy and no family around to help but some good friends. 

Marianne

my final breast cancer chemo was march 2, 2011, and my final radiation was may 6, 2011.  it was all hell.  the extra pain brought on by the neulastra was intense and at times unbearable, but i made it.  my doc started me on my 5-year-pill in late may.  first was arimidex.  since i already have fibromyalgia, the doc said, "do not try to tolerate more pain.  you don;t have to live with it!"  sure enough, exteme joint and especially hip pain came.  stop that pill.  next was aromasin, which also caused extreme joint and hip pain.  that hip pain is fierce!  stop that pill.  next pill was tamoxifen.  no hip pain!  i still get hand pain and even occasional arm pain which i guess are by-products of chemo.  i still have my fibro pain, which never stops, but i had that before.  now i only get the hip pain if i walk too long.  i think all that chemo crap did something to us that is irreversible.  anything that can kill cancer and make straight hair explode into curls has to be potent!       nancy 

Nancy

My Story is exactly the same as your I to had my last chemo is march 2011 and my final radiation was on or around the 6th of may. I am also on Tamoxifen but i get heaps of hip pain. I am 44 but may as well be 80 the way it make me walk. I walk every day early and apart from being stiff at first can do about 5km with my dogs. Its as the day goes on and if I have been sitting for a long time. I would love to know if this is left over from the Chemo or if it is the Tamoxifen. I also have a bit of pain in my shoulder and down to my wrist. i am sure you are right about the chemo anything that strong is sure to knock us around. Good luck with it all. strange to see someone else with the same dates as me and also wait for it I have a twin sister who's name is Nancy.

Jayne

I had Abraxane and AC, really didn't have any joint pain until after I finished the treatment.  My ONC was great she listened and ran a bunch of test to rule out the cancer coming back.  I decided to write everything down and when it started to hurt and emailed it to her, after she ruled out cancer she looked at me and said I need to send you over to the Rheumatologist.  Low and be hold he runs a few test and BAM I was told I had Sjogren's Syndrome an auto immune disorder, unfortunately there is no cure.  We treat the symptons as they flare up, I am taking Oxy, muscle relaxer and Naproxen for the pain, and making sure I get enough rest.