Achilles Tendonitis post chemo - anyone else?

I did not go through chemo however I did develop hip/knee pain and tendonitis after being on Arimidex about 4 months.  I had to give up playing tennis, and I LOVE that game.  They gave me two weeks off and then started me on Aromasin.  I only lasted two weeks on it although the hip/knee pain and tendonitis did subside somewhat, there were neuropathy issues as well as UTI problems that would not go away.   They then gave me a month off and now I am on Tamoxifen (about 3 weeks) and so far it is okay.  The tendonitis issue did not totally resolve and it still gets sore but I am no longer limping.  I have been asked to play tennis again this coming week.......so I am going to give it a shot and hope for the best.

I hope that your issues resolve soon as I know how uncomfortable it can be. 

This also comes a long time after the original post. 

I am also having Achilles problems since undergoing chemo earlier this year.  I have what seems to be Achilles tendinosis in the early stages - stiffness in the Achilles tendons on both sides when I get up in the morning.  Apparently it can progress to having the stiffness all day in the later stages, so I'm definitely going to ask for a referral to the podiatrist.

My fabulous oncologist told me today that the Achilles problems definitely are not caused by the chemo or Arimidex, but now after reading these posts and others on the internet I'm wondering if he is fully informed about this.  He's still fabulous but I'm going to have to advocate for myself.

Thank you to all who have posted on this topic - your stories have really helped.  I hope that you have found relief from your Achilles problems and other symptoms.

tcat

Soon after I finished my radiation treatments preceded by 6 rounds of chemo. My ankles started hurting and kept getting worse.   I started wearing my orthodics, but that didn't seem to help.  I went to a podiatrist and found out I had tendonitis in both ankles, but not the achilles. Mine is across the top of my inside ankle bones.  My physical therapist is the one who told me that chemo affects the connective tissues and can cause tendonitis.  I had steroid injections and wore an air cast for six weeks on the worst ankle. Then moved into braces on both ankles that I can wear in my shoes.  When I wear the braces, I have virtually no pain. As soon as I'm on my feet for even a couple hours without the braces my ankles hurt.  Sorry to hear that others are suffering too, but that's why I googled it, to see if anyone else had this problem.

Update to my previous post. Achilles Tendonitis in both ankles but the one that was worse before is now the better of the two.

Did not develop full blown until a year post chemo. I'm thinking now it didn't show itself until I became much more active but I was also taking Aromasin, which causes joint pain and I think has contributed to my current state of agony.

My Rt knee has been getting steadily worse, to the point that it was waking me up at night and on a scale of 1-10, the pain was a 15.

My supervisor told me this week, she saw a program where a woman was talking about how her young son developed Achilles Tendonitis during chemo, and could hardly walk. She said she researched it and they tried botox injections, and it worked! I've spent a little time looking this up as a treatment but haven't found anything. Has anyone else heard of this?

Curcumin, which is a concentrated form of turmeric, has worked wonders on my Achilles Tendonitis. No more arthritis in my rt knee either! Read a post that I wrote in 9/2013 where I describe being woken up at night with knee pain of 15, on a scale of 1-10! I had forgotten!

I got my mom a bottle too and her arthritis pain is gone!

Got mine through Amazon, Eden Gardens I think, the 1 with 5 stars. The reviews were so great, after my cousin told me about it, I had to get it. 

A 2 month supply is under $25, based on taking 2000 units a day. Take 2 pills every morning. As it's a natural antiimflamitory, also has helped my mom with sinus congestion and me with the Graves Disease I have in my rt eye. Both my eyes are the same size now!!

FYI, I stopped tomoxafen on 2/24/14 as it was making me so foggy headed, I couldn't remember anything and it was seriously impacting my ability to do my job and live my life. 

My oncologist and I agreed on a 1 month vacation but as the month is almost up and I'm feeling so great, I don't know what I'll do. 

surge, the pain you describe may be a side effect of the meds you're on. 

When I was on femura and arimidex the pain was so bad only Percocet would work. I said this is not the answer as I'll grow addicted. They switched me to Aromasin which was much better. Only need to take an occasional Tylenol. 

Unfortunately, a bone scan showed marked deterioration in my spine after being on it for less than a year, which really scared me as I've delays had strong bones. He wanted me to take fosomax (sp?) 1x weekly to counteract that but I declined thinking enough already with all these drugs!

Was a Tomoxafen for only 3 months and made the decision to stop taking it be sirs it was making me do foggy headed I couldn't do my job or function, overall. 

As of this week, I'm back on the Aromasin and taking the 1x week bone fortifier. This decision was based on fear alone since in a recent pet, nodes in my lungs and near my abdomin lit up, so now I'm under going a 2nd biopsy to R/O Lymphoma. If it is lymphoma it's considered an entirely different cancer and one of the risk factors got one of the chemos they gave me. 

Damned if you do or don't. 

I'm so sorry the surgery didn't help. My orthopedist told me about a treatment they are having a lot of success with called platelet rich plasma therapy, I believe. It's been used for decades in the OR to speed healing, particularly when going back surgery. They have been finding its great at repairing I'm other areas but apparently insurance won't cover it because it's considered off label. Cost was about $2-3k, per ankle. 

I was thinking of fighting my insurance company to cover it since the cost is way less than surgery and the recovery period is immediate. Ridiculous and cruel the way they jerk us around. 

Praying things turn around for you. 

Both of my achilles tendons are very painful. Many mornings I cannot walk - I kind of slide/shuffle until they loosen up a little.

I have been trying to work out why they are so painful and inflexible and only this morning did I see your post and look further into it being related to some chemotherapy treatments. I can see from other entries through Google search that it does not appear to be uncommon. It's strange that sharing an issue with others is somehow comforting.

The pain is so bad at times that I cannot touch the area and the pain stretches up my lower leg through the calf which at times becomes quite cramped.

I am applying an Asprin based cream for arthritis to the area which does provide some good relief.

My first post treatment mamogram and follow up Oncologist/surgeon appointment after that and I will be discussing this Achilles issue and find out if there is anything that I could do to relieve the pain or stop the problem.

I will try to remember to share the outcome with you and I hope that you will do the same if you come across anything?!

Take very good care, Kerrie

I have experienced a great deal of pain in both my Achilles tendons following chemo therapy. I have asked my oncologist and radiologist both have said it is not related to my radiation or chemo treatments. I received my final chemo treatment on March 14, 2018 and my last radiation treatment in June. I've been trying to get some relief for this issue since I began chemo. I have gone to see a podiatrist and were given orthotics for my shoes but they have not provided me any relief. My podiatrist says I have a heal spur that was caused by a tight Achilles tendon but that still doesn't give me an answer for the pain in the first place. I'm still in pain and gaining weight fast. Not to mention chemo pushed me into early menopause, making weigh loss a whole new beast for me. My general practitioner says I need to workout in a pool for weightlessness but I do not own a pool and I don't live near a pool. I live in the country. The nearest pool for me is 35 miles away.