anyone else with roving pains a year after hysterectomy and 6 months post chemo?

maggie_wilson

i'm not clear re: how to start a new thread, but i may have already done so with a previous post. if so, i apologize for being redundant. i did get one response to my query, and am wondering if anyone else has or had pains that come and go in the pelvic/abdominal regions and elsewhere, and feel like they've been bruised almost a year after surgery? i haven't had radiation. if so, please let me know your experience.

thanx,
maggie

shortmarge

pains
Hi Maggie,

Yes... it's been over a year since my chemo and radiation treatment. As a matter of fact, I just had an three month check-up today and told my oncologist that I have pain near my hip. I told her I felt it was bone pain but she did not like where I was pointing and sending me for a CT scan. We both feel it's nothing because everything else looked good but she is just doing the scan for precaution... I also sometimes can feel where my lymph nodes have been removed, especially when I am lifting things.

MIND, BODY AND SOUL

Hugs,

Marge

Cecile Louise

Pelvic pains, yep
Yes, I am experiencing pelvic pain - feels like menstrual cramps, (how's that for a kick in the head!?!) and intermittent sharp pains on one side of my pelvic region or the other). I had a total hysterectomy, etc., in Feb of 2008, 6 rounds of carbo/taxol, no radiation. The cramps started last November and since then I've talked to my oncologist, seen a urologist & a gastroenterologist, had a CT scan & a colonoscopy, and no one can figure out why I'm still having pain. My oncologist even went so far as to give me Lidocaine shots into my abdominal wall - they didn't help. I've found that Aleve works pretty well in dulling the crampy feeling as well as the occassional sharp pain. It's weird, but I'm learning to live with it - all tests have come back normal and I'm thankful for that - at least it seems that there's nothing terribly wrong.
Thanks for posting...please let me know how you fare!

Hugs,
Cecile

maggie_wilson

Cecile Louise said:

Pelvic pains, yep
Yes, I am experiencing pelvic pain - feels like menstrual cramps, (how's that for a kick in the head!?!) and intermittent sharp pains on one side of my pelvic region or the other). I had a total hysterectomy, etc., in Feb of 2008, 6 rounds of carbo/taxol, no radiation. The cramps started last November and since then I've talked to my oncologist, seen a urologist & a gastroenterologist, had a CT scan & a colonoscopy, and no one can figure out why I'm still having pain. My oncologist even went so far as to give me Lidocaine shots into my abdominal wall - they didn't help. I've found that Aleve works pretty well in dulling the crampy feeling as well as the occassional sharp pain. It's weird, but I'm learning to live with it - all tests have come back normal and I'm thankful for that - at least it seems that there's nothing terribly wrong.
Thanks for posting...please let me know how you fare!

Hugs,
Cecile

roving pains

marge and cecile,

thanx so much for telling me about your experience. yes, i have that aching feeling too, though after almost a year, it's finally seeming to subside. it's often accompanied by indigestion. weird, indeed. also, have pains near my hip bone, too. sometimes they stay awhile, then go away. can't keep up with all the different places the pain shows up. latest is in the groin area, both sides. one thought is that i've been reducing my pain meds, so that i actually am feeling more pain than i'm used to. also, possibly adhesions, or both. i am having my first ct scan post treatment next month, which makes me very nervous, but have to face it.

marge, hope your scan is fine, which it's most likely to be, and cecile, glad that everything looks so good. it's a blessing and comfort to learn of others' experience, especially when they're so hopeful.

best to you,
maggie

Northwoodsgirl

Pains
Sounds like if everything else is ruled out you maybe have a combination of adhesion pain or if you had lymph nodes removed it could be related to that as well. Do you get exercise every day to help your lymph system flush the toxins from your body?
It sure is hard to figure out what is the new normal and what to be concerned or alarmed about. There is such a thing as "referred pain" where there is pain in one part of your body caused by something that is going on in another part of your body. Our nervous systems are funny things.
I go in for my 3 month post chemo check up on Friday. I will be having a biopsy of vagina (routine) so needless to say am also feeling the anxiety and irratibility others have experience just prior to having the 3 month checks.
I sure hope you find out what is causing your pain.
PS I love your silver hair. I use to have blonde hair and now it is silver and wavy.
Lori

lindaprocopio

Northwoodsgirl said:

Pains
Sounds like if everything else is ruled out you maybe have a combination of adhesion pain or if you had lymph nodes removed it could be related to that as well. Do you get exercise every day to help your lymph system flush the toxins from your body?
It sure is hard to figure out what is the new normal and what to be concerned or alarmed about. There is such a thing as "referred pain" where there is pain in one part of your body caused by something that is going on in another part of your body. Our nervous systems are funny things.
I go in for my 3 month post chemo check up on Friday. I will be having a biopsy of vagina (routine) so needless to say am also feeling the anxiety and irratibility others have experience just prior to having the 3 month checks.
I sure hope you find out what is causing your pain.
PS I love your silver hair. I use to have blonde hair and now it is silver and wavy.
Lori

As long as the pain 'roves', I wouldn't worry!
I had a lot of that crazy 'roving' pain when I was in treatment initially and even afterwards for awhile. Just when I thought I'd better call my oncology nurse, the pain would go away and show up somewhere else. I mentioned to her that I almost called her a half-dozen times and she said "If the pain stays consistently in one spot, call me. As long as it 'roves' it is more likely a lingering side effect of treatment and not disease progression." I, too, hope they find out what it is, but will be surprised if they do. ((((Hugs))))

jazzy1

lindaprocopio said:

As long as the pain 'roves', I wouldn't worry!
I had a lot of that crazy 'roving' pain when I was in treatment initially and even afterwards for awhile. Just when I thought I'd better call my oncology nurse, the pain would go away and show up somewhere else. I mentioned to her that I almost called her a half-dozen times and she said "If the pain stays consistently in one spot, call me. As long as it 'roves' it is more likely a lingering side effect of treatment and not disease progression." I, too, hope they find out what it is, but will be surprised if they do. ((((Hugs))))

Pain
Lori, I agree we can seem to have pain in one area, but really it started in another. I'm 14 mos post hysterectomy and 10 months post chemo and radiation, with not much pain except in hip or sacroilliac area (per my chiropractor). I had the pain started last Dec and had my 3 month CAT and physical...all okay. Then in March I had the pain a bit more intense and my oncologist said no not cancer as just had a scan and probably we're getting older....dah thanks doc! Also, my chiropractor mentioned it could be arthritis...well didn't dawn on me. My pain in hip will come and go. Might be great for 1 week to 2 and then starts up a bit.

Anyone have bone density scans showing any thinning? I had my first ever before I had my treatments last February and it showed thinning at head of hip...not classified as anything outside of thin. Doc told me we'd check end of this year. Wonder if that's part of the issue?

One thing I will say, I'm an avid work out person. Walk or do gym elliptical machines 5 days per week and weights twice per week. Thinking from what I've been hearing the movement does help pull the blood throught our bodies and toxins forced out...any thoughts?

My next doc visit for 3-month in June we'll possibly do testing on this area to see why the pain.

Great topic ladies...
Jan

Cecile Louise

one more thing
I just remembered that I, too, had pain near my hip for quite some time following my hysterectomy. My oncologist said it was from the retractors used during surgery. The pain near my hip is completely gone now - hadn't even thought of it in awhile

PS My hair used to be blonde with just a bit of wave to it...it came back brown and curly as all get-out!!

Hugs,
Cecile

maggie_wilson

Northwoodsgirl said:

Pains
Sounds like if everything else is ruled out you maybe have a combination of adhesion pain or if you had lymph nodes removed it could be related to that as well. Do you get exercise every day to help your lymph system flush the toxins from your body?
It sure is hard to figure out what is the new normal and what to be concerned or alarmed about. There is such a thing as "referred pain" where there is pain in one part of your body caused by something that is going on in another part of your body. Our nervous systems are funny things.
I go in for my 3 month post chemo check up on Friday. I will be having a biopsy of vagina (routine) so needless to say am also feeling the anxiety and irratibility others have experience just prior to having the 3 month checks.
I sure hope you find out what is causing your pain.
PS I love your silver hair. I use to have blonde hair and now it is silver and wavy.
Lori

roving pains

dear sisters,

thanx so much for your responses; all very reassuring and helpful. ( btw, my hair was kinda long and salt and pepper and very curly--wild really before, now it's coming in much more silver, but looks like will be curly,but so far it's quite sedate. who knows how it will end up looking, but i never thought i'd like my hair this short, and actually i do--it's so easy.)

one thing i've really understood from so many posts is the importance of exercise, even if it's walking every day. i'm definitely going to make that a priority. sounds like most of you do this already.

thanx everyone. best to you all.

maggie

clscurnutt

Pains
About a month ago, I began having a terrific ache in my right hip. When I went for my 3 month post radiation Onc/Gyn visit earlier this month, he didn't think too much of it and said if it continued, I should see an orthopedic doc. Didn't seem to think it was cancer treatment related but said maybe arthritis. My recent bone scan was clear, but I've read other posts outside of our area and believe that there is something to the effects of chemo/radiation that affects our joints. Just a gut feeling. Stopped the exercising for about a 2 weeks and hip ache went away, but now have some aching in the upper inner thighs. Decided to get back to the exercising because it was silly to stop...just needed to ease up and get through it.

Last week experienced a sharp pain in my right lower abdomen---knew it wasn't appendix (gone); knew it wasn't gynecological (all parts gone). Seems I had a minor bowel obstruction for a couple of days. Air and waste were getting through, but probably not as fast as my innards would have liked. You know, it's always something. Focused on getting additional fiber and it seemed to help.

So, dear Maggie, in the words of the Galaxy Quest crew...Never give up! Never surrender!
Lynn

maggie_wilson

clscurnutt said:

Pains
About a month ago, I began having a terrific ache in my right hip. When I went for my 3 month post radiation Onc/Gyn visit earlier this month, he didn't think too much of it and said if it continued, I should see an orthopedic doc. Didn't seem to think it was cancer treatment related but said maybe arthritis. My recent bone scan was clear, but I've read other posts outside of our area and believe that there is something to the effects of chemo/radiation that affects our joints. Just a gut feeling. Stopped the exercising for about a 2 weeks and hip ache went away, but now have some aching in the upper inner thighs. Decided to get back to the exercising because it was silly to stop...just needed to ease up and get through it.

Last week experienced a sharp pain in my right lower abdomen---knew it wasn't appendix (gone); knew it wasn't gynecological (all parts gone). Seems I had a minor bowel obstruction for a couple of days. Air and waste were getting through, but probably not as fast as my innards would have liked. You know, it's always something. Focused on getting additional fiber and it seemed to help.

So, dear Maggie, in the words of the Galaxy Quest crew...Never give up! Never surrender!
Lynn

pains

thanx so much lynn. really appreciated your response. it is always something. do like that galaxy quest crew!
take good care,
maggie

kathybd

maggie_wilson said:

pains

thanx so much lynn. really appreciated your response. it is always something. do like that galaxy quest crew!
take good care,
maggie

Roving pains
Maggie I also have had the roving pains that just seem to pop out of nowhere and disappear. My Doc doesn't seem to think it's anything with neg CT and low Ca-125. I try to ignore it and move on. My surgery was almost a year ago and I had 6 rounds of Taxol/Carboplatin.

Best to you!
Kathy

maggie_wilson

kathybd said:

Roving pains
Maggie I also have had the roving pains that just seem to pop out of nowhere and disappear. My Doc doesn't seem to think it's anything with neg CT and low Ca-125. I try to ignore it and move on. My surgery was almost a year ago and I had 6 rounds of Taxol/Carboplatin.

Best to you!
Kathy

roving pains

kathy,

thanx for your response. enough women have said they've experienced these pains that come and go, that i'm also trying to now ignore them. besides, i'm having a ct scan next month and will know more, so no use worrying now.
best back to you.
maggie

phyllisj

Roving pains
I have had the exact same thing at the exact same time lapse. I was thinking it was new tumors because I did have a recurrence about a few months later, but now my Dr. thinks it could be scar tissue or adhesions or just left overs from tumors that have been cleared away by the chemo I'm on. Keep an eye on things.

maggie_wilson

phyllisj said:

Roving pains
I have had the exact same thing at the exact same time lapse. I was thinking it was new tumors because I did have a recurrence about a few months later, but now my Dr. thinks it could be scar tissue or adhesions or just left overs from tumors that have been cleared away by the chemo I'm on. Keep an eye on things.

roving pains and questions for phyllis


hi sisters,

i did see my chemo doc monday, and she thought the pains were nerves reconnecting after the major surgery, in addition to possible adhesions, scar tissue, etc. she said she wasn't worried about them, so i'm trying not to. phyllis, when exactly and where did you have your recurrence, and are you in chemo now? how are you doing? and what kind of chemo are you having/did you have, if you don't mind saying.

thanx and very best to you,
maggie