Long term (5 yr) side effects

rvrkids

I am a survivor of Stage 2 Hodgkins. I was diagnosed in 1998 and finished 6 cycles of chemo (ABVD- Adriamyacin, Bleomyacin, Vinblastin, D??? and MOPP-M??, O??, Prednisone, Procarbazine) and 4 weeks of daily radiation in May 1999. Since then I have been experiencing weird things and am looking for input. Most recently (past few months) I have started getting night sweats again and hotflashes during day -- oncologist does not feel it is cancer coming back. Has anyone had this happen?? I'm 34 years old - could it be early menopause?? I've also experienced numb fingertips and a sore neck (which goes away with Ibuprofen) where I received radiation.

Appreciate all input.

AlloMan

The night sweats would scare the ____ out of me...

I would suggest doing some research at http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/ to see if there's anything in the medical journals. I think ABVD and radiation have been around long enough for there have been studies on long term side effects.

dpomroy

I went through early menopause due to all the treatments; hot flashes and night sweats were symptoms of mine also. I'd go see your OB/GYN doctor and ask to have a blood test to determine your hormone levels. There are 3 things to have checked...FSH, LH, and ESTRADIOL.

I also have the numb fingertips at times. They look like they belong on a dead person when they turn that eerie whitish color. My oncologist said that I have Raynaud's which sometimes happens with the chemo that we had.

I don't know about the neck pain. I have been seeing a chiropractor regularly and that has helped me with my neck and shoulder pain (but I had that even before chemo and rads, I just never went routinely only as needed before).

Good luck with all your "stuff", you can e-mail me if you like.

rvrkids

dpomroy said:

I went through early menopause due to all the treatments; hot flashes and night sweats were symptoms of mine also. I'd go see your OB/GYN doctor and ask to have a blood test to determine your hormone levels. There are 3 things to have checked...FSH, LH, and ESTRADIOL.

I also have the numb fingertips at times. They look like they belong on a dead person when they turn that eerie whitish color. My oncologist said that I have Raynaud's which sometimes happens with the chemo that we had.

I don't know about the neck pain. I have been seeing a chiropractor regularly and that has helped me with my neck and shoulder pain (but I had that even before chemo and rads, I just never went routinely only as needed before).

Good luck with all your "stuff", you can e-mail me if you like.

How old were you when the menopause started??? It's so weird that I went 5 years really with very little effects and now things are starting to show up. It makes me wonder what else is in the future for me.

AlloMan

rvrkids said:

How old were you when the menopause started??? It's so weird that I went 5 years really with very little effects and now things are starting to show up. It makes me wonder what else is in the future for me.

What else is in your future? If you haven't relapsed by now, whatever it is, it's probably not Hodgkin's. I wish I could say that.

dpomroy

rvrkids said:

How old were you when the menopause started??? It's so weird that I went 5 years really with very little effects and now things are starting to show up. It makes me wonder what else is in the future for me.

I think your mind would rest much easier if you made an appointment with an OB/GYN and ruled the menopause thing either in or out once and for all. They say that you can start to have symptoms of menopause even in your 30s and that these symptoms can last for many years (and this is for people who haven't even been through what we have). My oncologist told me that women who get chemo in their 20s will probably maintain their fertility. Women in their 30s will have stops and starts, and that women in their 40s will most probably stop. That proved to be the case for me. I started having a few symptoms in my late 30s (before cancer), but the chemo kicked me into high gear with it when I was 41.

olivia

Congrats on your 5 yr survival!!! I am a 20 yr survivor of HD, I was 22 when diagnoised and while taking tratments they kept me on the pill, mainly because I was pregnant when the HD was found. They took the fetus when they did my staging opeeration. A year or so after the treatments we wanted to try for a family again, so they took me off the pill and my body went straight into menapause, night sweets, hot flashes, low (or no) sex drvie. I've been on hormone replacement since then. It is one of the nasty side effects they either don't tell you about or you don't hear it when they are telling you all of the info. Other side effects I've had over the yrs., which don't mean you will have too are low energy, thyroid problems, melenoma in the area the radiation was given and heart valve repair as well as a pace maker due to problems cause by the treatments. I don't want to scare you but I want you to be aware of your body and what it is trying to tell you. I would suggest you see an OB/GYN soon so you can hopefully get relief from what is going on now. After that, see a good Dr. regularly and don't hesitate to go when something just doesn't feel right! Don't let people tell you it is nothing and miss having something done for you that can make your life better. Take care of yourself!!!!! Good luck.
Your friend, Olivia