Pain & Stiffness in all joints

kasilotus
kasilotus Member Posts: 2
edited March 2016 in Pain

Hi Ladies, thought I would check in to see if anyone is experiencing post treatment joint pain, particularly severe cramping in my fingers and thumbs as well as my feet, but very aware of pain in all of my joints since chemo and radiation more noticeable though during radiation. I also took neupogen injections for low blood neutrophils, I was supposed to start tamoxifen last week, holding off until I see my doc tmr. Anyone out there have similar SE?

Comments

  • map66
    map66 Member Posts: 13
    edited November 2015

    so glad I logged on kasilotus. I've been fighting with bone/joint pain since chemo, last year. I finished herceptin in June, 2015 and have constant pain. Currently in PT for left arm/elbow and I can honestly say, had I known this would be the result of chemo and radiation, id have considered other options. My hands and feet are so painful every morning I walk around like an 80 yr old. I'm 49. I walk most days but my hip pain is always there. So, yes....im experiencing it big time! If anything, I feel like the SE's have gotten worse. Im an artist and I do a lot of painting, building tables, etc. My work has come to a screeching halt which is frustrating because Im a single woman and need to support myself. I'd love to write a book about what the medical staff doesn't tell you. Also, chemo brain is real!! Im on a high dose of vitamin D for 8 weeks. My med onc believes this may help w bone pain and fatigue. Maybe have your vitamin d checked?? Im 5 wks in and haven't noticed any change. Im thrilled to be cancer free but the struggle continues in a different way. I hope this is short lived for you and that your pain

    Smile

    improves very soon.

  • sahars
    sahars Member Posts: 7
    edited November 2015

    Hi ladies, I finished chemo 7/2014 and now taking exemestane. I was on tamoxifen and letrozole but couldn't take the joint pain. I mentioned it to my pharmacist and she recommended Cosamine DS . They didn't even sell it at that pharmacy so she showed it to me on Amazon. I've been using it for a month now and my joint pain is almost gone, it really works. My oncologist said he's seen it work in some of his patients. It might be worth a try. Good luck!

  • PMR53
    PMR53 Member Posts: 452
    edited November 2015


    Sahars- I finished Chemo TCHP in March. I complete Herceptin in December. I also feel 80 and I am 54. I am going to try this Cosamine DS! It can't hurt. I am going to be put on an AI after completing Herceptin. 

    PMR53

  • juanitat689
    juanitat689 Member Posts: 1
    edited December 2015

    I am having severe joint pain. Especially in my fingers, right hip bone & knees. My toes have very bad cramping in them alot. I've been on Meloxicam for 2 years for rheumatoid arthritis. I've been trying to get an appointment with a rheumatologist for 3 months, still have not gotten appointment. Very frustrated because my oncologist who is the referring doctor says, well it can take a while to get an appointment. Just this past Thursday when I was at the cancer center for my Herceptin & I was speaking to her about how bad the joint pain is getting she actually told me that she thought that I need to see a phsyciatrist for depression! My oncologist thinks I'm inventing ailments because she thinks I'm suffering from depression.  I told her, " I'm not depressed, I'm in constant pain!" My oncologist told me to stop taking the Tamoxifen for the next 21 days to see if that helps. I don't think it's the Tamoxifen causing joint pain though, I've only been on it for a little over a month & I've had this joint pain & swelling for a little over 3 months. I'm a cake decorator at Walmart & I've had to extend my leave of absence because I can't even open a bottle of water, much less squeeze an icing bag for 8 hours a day! So, I know how you feel about the joint pain. I wish I knew something to tell you that would help, but I myself am at my wits end with it. :-)

  • macb04
    macb04 Member Posts: 1,433
    edited December 2015

    Hello,

    I used to get very bad cramps in my feet/toes and entire legs sometimes, especially when I was sleeping. I would be awoken out of sleep by my toes dorsiflexing toward my knee, I would actually have to stand on my foot with my other foot until the cramp passed. Happened a lot after chemo, and then again on tamoxifen. For me Magnesium deficiency was the culprit. I now take a Magnesium Taurate or Magnesium Malate supplement a few times per week and all the cramping stopped. I switch back and forth, depending on price and availability. I have also used a Magnesium Chloride Brine Spray .It seems to work just as well if I am having loose stools and can't take the oral form of of Magnesium.

    Many drugs they have given us deplete our Magnesium stores, only 2 % of Magnesium is present in blood serum, so unless you get a Serum RBC magnesium, it is easy for Magnesium deficiency to be missed. Most doc's have very little nutritional knowledge and don't even realize the numerous Vitamin and Mineral deficiencies they cause with the drugs they give causing damage or pain.

    http://www.jigsawhealth.com/blog/drug-muggers-suzy-cohen-magnesium

    Have you thought about Curcumin for joint pains? I take that, and while it doesn't always completely eradicate my pain, I definitely notice when I don't take it. It is also an antinflammatory. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2637808/

    I have heard a lot about the effects of estrogen depletion causing joint pain, AI's and tamoxifen are especially bad that way which is why I won't take them. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2826784/

  • cbradberry
    cbradberry Member Posts: 1
    edited January 2016
  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited January 2016

    Howdy! I have similar joint pa in from chemo. I have been taking turmeric, white willow, and ginger (trying to cut back on pills) and those herbs seem to be making me more mobile.

  • kimberly44
    kimberly44 Member Posts: 1
    edited January 2016

    Hi, thank you for your post. I will be going for treatment #4 next week and I have been suffering with unbearable left elbow and arm pain. I can't straighten it or flex it. I cry most of the time and all my MO says is to take pain meds. I really can't live like this, it's not any better and I can't do any of my daily routines. I honestly don't know what to do.

  • rleepac
    rleepac Member Posts: 755
    edited January 2016

    I'm experiencing pain too. In my hands/fingers, feet, knees, elbows, back, neck, and to a lesser extent my shoulders. It seemed to start around the same time I started Tamoxifen. I was on Tamox about 8 weeks when I made the correlation and decided to stop the Tamox and see if it helped. I've been off the Tamox for about 10 days and my pain is worse! What the heck?!?

    I finished chemo 6 months ago but I'm still doing Herceptin every 3 weeks until the end of March. My MO assures me that the Herceptin is not causing my pain.

    I've consulted a chiropractor and he doesn't want to do manual manipulations unless I present him with a scan that says I don't have bone mets (mostly because of some focal pain in my thoracic spine) but my MO doesn't want to do a scan for another two months. Arggghhh!!!

    I think the pain in my t-spine and the rest of my pains are two different things. At least they feel different if that makes sense.

    I'm just tired of the achiness. If the pain doesn't go away after another 10 days I will restart the Tamoxifen but I want to give it a good 3 weeks to get out of my system to be sure that's not causing the achiness.

    I guess I just needed to vent...

  • Lj061197
    Lj061197 Member Posts: 47
    edited March 2016

    I finished chemo Dec 2015, I noticed the bone pain worse with the last treatment. Finished 30 rounds radiation including 5 boost. My knees are the worse, when I get up from bed or a chair I walk like a 90 year old woman. Once I get going pain subsides, still very tired.

    I was so active before, I am getting impatient on my recovery. I get Lupron injections, will be having ovary removed in about 6 weeks. I heard the lupron causes bone pain as well. Oncologist had me on amederix after 4 days so dizzy and nausea I had to stop. I am so great full to be cancer free.

  • Lj061197
    Lj061197 Member Posts: 47
    edited March 2016

    anyone having tooth sensitively? ?

  • notmyfavcocktail
    notmyfavcocktail Member Posts: 2
    edited March 2016

    Lj061197, have you researched Lupron at all? I too was becoming frustrated with trying to figure out the cause of my lingering chronic pain and mush-brain, along with other annoying ailments, when I started researching Lupron and discovered surprising things. After 2.5 years of doing tests and scans, etc., with my PCP (after my oncologist pretty much washed their hands of me), she has recently attributed these side effects to Lupron. Not sure what the next step will be but thought I'd pass along.

    Good luck--not having answers is understandably annoying.

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