Post induction pain, stiffness and fatigue

Todd_Whitmarsh
Todd_Whitmarsh Member Posts: 8
in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
Hi Folks, hope everyone is well.

I had my last R-FND treatment first week of August. My Oncologist tells me I am in remission based on PET scan in September. I start Rituxan maintenance first week in December and every three months thereafter for a long, long time.

My major malfunction at the moment is the pain and stiffness I experience daily in my lower extremities after sitting for more than 20 minutes. When I am up moving around, the pain is not there and I function normally. And after 8 hours at the office I am unusually fatigued when I get home.

The unusual part of this is that the first month after my last chemo cycle I felt great.

My last bood/lab results showed low WBC counts at 3.5k, low lymphocytes at 0.5k, slightly low HCT and elevated AST and ALT. IgA and IgG were low too.

Any thoughts on what is causing this pain and tiredness? When will I feel better? Thanks in advance for your response.

Comments

  • allmost60
    allmost60 Member Posts: 3,178 Member
    #2
    Pain and tiredness....
    Hi Todd,
    I finished my chemo on Dec 14th 2011 and felt pretty good the first month. I started my Rituxan maint Feb 14th and go in every other month and it's to be continued for 2 years. The one thing I am having problems with is lack of energy and stiffness in my joints..knees and hips especially feel stiff and achey. I had my Rituxan yesterday and addressed these problems with my Onc, and he said achey joints and stiffness is not un-common. My blood counts were excellent so he couldn't explain why I am not as energetic as I'd like to be. He did say that sometimes it takes upwards of a year for energy to perk up after the chemo, So...maybe we just have to be patient and wait things out. If your blood counts are low, your energy will be down, so be sure to let your doctor know how you are feeling. My chemo was CVP-R which is less harsh than some of the other cocktails used. My cancer is Follicular NHL-stage3-grade2-typeA, and my age is 61. Keep us informed on how you are doing, and welcome to our group. Best wishes...Sue
  • Todd_Whitmarsh
    Todd_Whitmarsh Member Posts: 8
    #3
    allmost60 said:

    Pain and tiredness....
    Hi Todd,
    I finished my chemo on Dec 14th 2011 and felt pretty good the first month. I started my Rituxan maint Feb 14th and go in every other month and it's to be continued for 2 years. The one thing I am having problems with is lack of energy and stiffness in my joints..knees and hips especially feel stiff and achey. I had my Rituxan yesterday and addressed these problems with my Onc, and he said achey joints and stiffness is not un-common. My blood counts were excellent so he couldn't explain why I am not as energetic as I'd like to be. He did say that sometimes it takes upwards of a year for energy to perk up after the chemo, So...maybe we just have to be patient and wait things out. If your blood counts are low, your energy will be down, so be sure to let your doctor know how you are feeling. My chemo was CVP-R which is less harsh than some of the other cocktails used. My cancer is Follicular NHL-stage3-grade2-typeA, and my age is 61. Keep us informed on how you are doing, and welcome to our group. Best wishes...Sue

    Comment
    Thanks for the comments. I am unwilling to wait a year for my energy to return. Makes my life miserable.
  • jimwins
    jimwins Member Posts: 2,107
    #4
    Post Chemo Pain/Fatigue
    Hi Todd,

    I think you should discuss it with your doctor/oncologist.
    You can probably give them a call on this.

    I don't know alot about the R-FND and I did do a little research
    but maybe you are trying to do too much too soon?
    In your office work, can you stand more? For example if you're on
    the phone alot, maybe you can use a headset/wireless so you can
    move around while on the phone.

    One thing I did read offered a suggestion of keeping a diary of
    your pain (and I guess fatigue too) so maybe you can see some
    patterns. Is it as bad on your days off for example?

    Honestly, for me I can't imagine working right now. I just finished
    my chemo (R-EPOCH) on 10/10/2011 and I get fatigued very easily and
    as a result, sleep or lie down a lot.

    I do hope you feel better :).

    Jim
  • catwink22
    catwink22 Member Posts: 281
    #5
    Todd_Whitmarsh said:

    Comment
    Thanks for the comments. I am unwilling to wait a year for my energy to return. Makes my life miserable.

    Pace yourself
    Hey Todd,
    The year is a guide line that applies to some, not all. We all evolve at our own pace. Use your impatience to push yourself, but be careful that you don't push too hard, it may result in the opposite of what you want to accomplish. Wear your body down and you could become weak resulting in complications and then you have a longer recuperation. Will as you may, your body might not be able to cooperate with your mind and sometimes you just have to let the healing take its course. I'm not trying to discourage you, just saying listen to your body because if you have a setback you will be more miserable and frustrated.
    Best of luck to you!
    Cat
  • Todd_Whitmarsh
    Todd_Whitmarsh Member Posts: 8
    #6
    jimwins said:

    Post Chemo Pain/Fatigue
    Hi Todd,

    I think you should discuss it with your doctor/oncologist.
    You can probably give them a call on this.

    I don't know alot about the R-FND and I did do a little research
    but maybe you are trying to do too much too soon?
    In your office work, can you stand more? For example if you're on
    the phone alot, maybe you can use a headset/wireless so you can
    move around while on the phone.

    One thing I did read offered a suggestion of keeping a diary of
    your pain (and I guess fatigue too) so maybe you can see some
    patterns. Is it as bad on your days off for example?

    Honestly, for me I can't imagine working right now. I just finished
    my chemo (R-EPOCH) on 10/10/2011 and I get fatigued very easily and
    as a result, sleep or lie down a lot.

    I do hope you feel better :).

    Jim

    Thanks
    Thanks to everyone for their thoughful comments. I see my oncologist on 7 Nov. He's got some splaining to do.
  • toledotom
    toledotom Member Posts: 11 Member
    #7
    Todd_Whitmarsh said:

    Thanks
    Thanks to everyone for their thoughful comments. I see my oncologist on 7 Nov. He's got some splaining to do.

    Pain, Fatique and Join Aches
    Todd, After 8 sessions of R-Chop with my last on May 2, 2011. I was diagnosed with Large Type-B Stage II Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma back in Sept. 2010. I was fine with hardly and discomfort till July of 2011. My muscles ache and my joins after any kind of exercise or type of work(lifting,mowing,raking,&bending over)I have to resort to taking Vicodin to sleep and tolerate the pain! I was feeling about 95% in June and NOW about 85%!I just had my 6-month PET Scan and will get the results friday. I guess the H in R-Chop is what retains in your muscles for I have read up to 2 years or longer. I sleep now almost 12 hours a night when I finally fall asleep due to muscle neuropathy. I guess it takes time & I will too discuss this with my Doctor on Friday morning. I will also find the results of my 6 month PET Scan. Numbness and tingling in your hands and feet is a condition called peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy can be a side effect associated with certain chemotherapy drugs. It is caused by damage to the nerves that transmit signals between the extremities and the central nervous system
  • allmost60
    allmost60 Member Posts: 3,178 Member
    #8
    toledotom said:

    Pain, Fatique and Join Aches
    Todd, After 8 sessions of R-Chop with my last on May 2, 2011. I was diagnosed with Large Type-B Stage II Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma back in Sept. 2010. I was fine with hardly and discomfort till July of 2011. My muscles ache and my joins after any kind of exercise or type of work(lifting,mowing,raking,&bending over)I have to resort to taking Vicodin to sleep and tolerate the pain! I was feeling about 95% in June and NOW about 85%!I just had my 6-month PET Scan and will get the results friday. I guess the H in R-Chop is what retains in your muscles for I have read up to 2 years or longer. I sleep now almost 12 hours a night when I finally fall asleep due to muscle neuropathy. I guess it takes time & I will too discuss this with my Doctor on Friday morning. I will also find the results of my 6 month PET Scan. Numbness and tingling in your hands and feet is a condition called peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy can be a side effect associated with certain chemotherapy drugs. It is caused by damage to the nerves that transmit signals between the extremities and the central nervous system

    Good luck..
    Hi toledotom,
    Good luck tomorrow. I hope your 6 month scan comes back clean and all is good.
    Best wishes..Sue (FNHL-stage3-typeA-grade2-diagnosed June 2010) age 61
  • jimwins
    jimwins Member Posts: 2,107
    #9
    toledotom said:

    Pain, Fatique and Join Aches
    Todd, After 8 sessions of R-Chop with my last on May 2, 2011. I was diagnosed with Large Type-B Stage II Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma back in Sept. 2010. I was fine with hardly and discomfort till July of 2011. My muscles ache and my joins after any kind of exercise or type of work(lifting,mowing,raking,&bending over)I have to resort to taking Vicodin to sleep and tolerate the pain! I was feeling about 95% in June and NOW about 85%!I just had my 6-month PET Scan and will get the results friday. I guess the H in R-Chop is what retains in your muscles for I have read up to 2 years or longer. I sleep now almost 12 hours a night when I finally fall asleep due to muscle neuropathy. I guess it takes time & I will too discuss this with my Doctor on Friday morning. I will also find the results of my 6 month PET Scan. Numbness and tingling in your hands and feet is a condition called peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy can be a side effect associated with certain chemotherapy drugs. It is caused by damage to the nerves that transmit signals between the extremities and the central nervous system

    Good luck
    Hi Tom,

    Good luck on the scans!

    Jim
  • COBRA666
    COBRA666 Member Posts: 2,401 Member
    #10
    jimwins said:

    Good luck
    Hi Tom,

    Good luck on the scans!

    Jim

    scan results
    We will all be waiting on the scan results. Good Luck. John(FNHL-4A-1-5/10)

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