Pain

jdillon

My daughter (31yr old) was diagnosed with ovarian cancer July last year. She had a total hysterectomy and treated with chemo. The surgeon has given her great prognosis. We were all trilled when chemo was over in Dec. We all thought that once chemo was over life might get back to some what normal...... wrong. My daughter has extreme pain joint and neuro. The doctor says he has not seen someone have so much pain and thinks it might not go away. Has anyone ever seen or heard of anything like this?

Thank you
jd

msfanciful

Hello jd,
Sorry about your
Hello jd,

Sorry about your daughter's ovarian cancer diagnosis.

Also 31 seems to be a very young age for the particular type of cancer, but it seems to be rapidly changing these days. There are a group of younger women with ovarian cancer who posted on this board from time to time.

The pain does seem unusual to me, but remember; everyone's experience will be different but I am not familiar with this type of pain. Can you be more specific perhaps as to the origin of the pain, the frequency and/or intensity?

In the meantime, there are many women who have yet to reply so hopefully, you'll find some answers soon.

Much love,


sharon

jdillon

msfanciful said:

Hello jd,
Sorry about your
Hello jd,

Sorry about your daughter's ovarian cancer diagnosis.

Also 31 seems to be a very young age for the particular type of cancer, but it seems to be rapidly changing these days. There are a group of younger women with ovarian cancer who posted on this board from time to time.

The pain does seem unusual to me, but remember; everyone's experience will be different but I am not familiar with this type of pain. Can you be more specific perhaps as to the origin of the pain, the frequency and/or intensity?

In the meantime, there are many women who have yet to reply so hopefully, you'll find some answers soon.

Much love,


sharon

Thank you for responding
Thank you for responding Sharon,
I too hope we find answers soon. My daughter is in pain constantly, joint pain is ache, her arms and legs are pins and needles (like when your arm goes to sleep but much worse, she says). She takes a lot of narcotics to dull the pain, but she has returned to work part time and is unable to take any while working.
I was hoping that I would hear that this was normal and that it would slowly go away.

jd

Hissy_Fitz

jdillon said:

Thank you for responding
Thank you for responding Sharon,
I too hope we find answers soon. My daughter is in pain constantly, joint pain is ache, her arms and legs are pins and needles (like when your arm goes to sleep but much worse, she says). She takes a lot of narcotics to dull the pain, but she has returned to work part time and is unable to take any while working.
I was hoping that I would hear that this was normal and that it would slowly go away.

jd

I don't know about "normal",
I don't know about "normal", but it's certainly not unusual. The "pins and needles" pain is most likely neuropathy - nerve damage caused by the chemo. It is rarely permanent and will gradually get better.

The bone and joint pain may also be a lingering side effect of her treatment. You can Google the individual drugs she was given and find out what the possible side effects are.

Everyone has a different threshold for pain, but I would go easy on the narcotics, if I were her. They cause really bad constipation - something that people with ovarian cancer are already prone to and that can become very painful, in and of itself.

Here is something I cut and pasted for you....

Overview of Nerve and Muscle Problems During Chemotherapy

Sometimes chemotherapy drugs can cause problems with your body's nerves. One example of a condition affecting the nervous system is peripheral neuropathy. Someone with this condition feels tingling, burning, weakness, numbness, or pain in the hands and/or feet. Some drugs can also affect the muscles, making them weak, tired, or sore.

Sometimes, these nerve and muscle side effects, though annoying, may not be serious. In other cases, nerve and muscle symptoms may be serious and will require medical attention. Be sure to report any nerve or muscle symptoms to your healthcare provider. Most of the time, these symptoms will get better; however, it may take up to a year after your cancer treatment ends.

Possible Nerve and Muscle Symptoms
Some nerve and muscle-related symptoms include:

•Tingling
•Burning
•Weakness or numbness in the hands and/or feet
•Pain when walking
•Weak, sore, tired, or achy muscles
•Loss of balance
•Clumsiness
•Difficulty picking up objects and buttoning clothing
•Shaking or trembling
•Walking problems
•Jaw pain
•Hearing loss
•Abdominal pain (or stomach pain)

jdillon

Hissy_Fitz said:

I don't know about "normal",
I don't know about "normal", but it's certainly not unusual. The "pins and needles" pain is most likely neuropathy - nerve damage caused by the chemo. It is rarely permanent and will gradually get better.

The bone and joint pain may also be a lingering side effect of her treatment. You can Google the individual drugs she was given and find out what the possible side effects are.

Everyone has a different threshold for pain, but I would go easy on the narcotics, if I were her. They cause really bad constipation - something that people with ovarian cancer are already prone to and that can become very painful, in and of itself.

Here is something I cut and pasted for you....

Overview of Nerve and Muscle Problems During Chemotherapy

Sometimes chemotherapy drugs can cause problems with your body's nerves. One example of a condition affecting the nervous system is peripheral neuropathy. Someone with this condition feels tingling, burning, weakness, numbness, or pain in the hands and/or feet. Some drugs can also affect the muscles, making them weak, tired, or sore.

Sometimes, these nerve and muscle side effects, though annoying, may not be serious. In other cases, nerve and muscle symptoms may be serious and will require medical attention. Be sure to report any nerve or muscle symptoms to your healthcare provider. Most of the time, these symptoms will get better; however, it may take up to a year after your cancer treatment ends.

Possible Nerve and Muscle Symptoms
Some nerve and muscle-related symptoms include:

•Tingling
•Burning
•Weakness or numbness in the hands and/or feet
•Pain when walking
•Weak, sore, tired, or achy muscles
•Loss of balance
•Clumsiness
•Difficulty picking up objects and buttoning clothing
•Shaking or trembling
•Walking problems
•Jaw pain
•Hearing loss
•Abdominal pain (or stomach pain)

thank you for your
thank you for your information.

leesag

jdillon said:

thank you for your
thank you for your information.

My husband's cousin had
My husband's cousin had chemo for breast cancer (not sure of the drugs she was given). One of her complications was Fibromyalgia. You may want to discuss this possibility with your daughter and her doctor.

I'm sorry she's in so much pain!


HUGS

Leesa

mopar

WOULDN'T HURT TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT
I am also familiar with neuropathy. It's terrible. But I did take B-6 and L-Glutamine and within about 3 months after chemo it faded. I would say I am now totally free of the neuropathy.

But the 'joint pain' may be worth checking into. When you say 'extreme', it sets off some bells in my opinion. My daughter, 28, was just diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis. She has not had cancer or chemo, and this seems to have come out of no where. It is excruciating and we are currently working with her and the doctor on a treatment program which will take a long, long time. Since RA is an autoimmune disease, it wouldn't be unusual to get some form of arthritis after a trauma, chemo, etc., as our immune system is terribly compromised in these and other situations. She did have a baby last year, and she has had an enormous amount of stress since her pregnancy regarding work. But I will also say that her diet has not been the greatest. All of these things could have contributed.

Anyway, they can do a blood test for RA. Might be worth mentionig to the doctor. Please let us know what your daugther decides to do and what she finds out. In the meantime, I wish her continued NED. Sending prayers and hugs to both of you!




Monika

MK_4Dani

I have some pain
I finished chemo in Jan of this year. I still have neuropathy in my feet: the balls of the foot and the toes. I also have joint stiffness and aches in my knees and hips. I can manage and do not take pain meds. It is very annoying because I like to wear heels and I have a hard time wearing my pre-cancer shoes. Oh Well...I had to go shopping. My doc says it will get better with time. I haven't seen improvement yet but it isn't that bad either.

What chemo drugs did she take: Carbo/Taxol? Perhaps another visit to the doctor...push the issue to seek more help. God Bless them, ONC save our lives from cancer, I am not certain they focus on the after effects of the drugs.
Mary

Chemo_Princess

Pain
Sorry to hear about your daughter. I'm 31, it's been a year since my diagnosis and I still have cancer. I'm glad your daughters chemo worked. I am still in treatment and I have joint/muscle pain. The only thing that helps me is pain meds. I hope that your daughters pain goes away.
Blessings to you and your family.
Natalie

jdillon

MK_4Dani said:

I have some pain
I finished chemo in Jan of this year. I still have neuropathy in my feet: the balls of the foot and the toes. I also have joint stiffness and aches in my knees and hips. I can manage and do not take pain meds. It is very annoying because I like to wear heels and I have a hard time wearing my pre-cancer shoes. Oh Well...I had to go shopping. My doc says it will get better with time. I haven't seen improvement yet but it isn't that bad either.

What chemo drugs did she take: Carbo/Taxol? Perhaps another visit to the doctor...push the issue to seek more help. God Bless them, ONC save our lives from cancer, I am not certain they focus on the after effects of the drugs.
Mary

I appreciate all of your
I appreciate all of your comments. It helps knowing people understand what we are going through.
My daughter has made an appointment with a neurologist.
She had both Carbo and Taxol.
She is also going to see a doctor that specialis in neuro, muscular, and skeletal problems. I know nerves take a long time to heal, she just needs someone that will give her hope that the pain will become less or go away.