neck pain, headaches?

ian1511
ian1511 Member Posts: 42
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Anyone else here ever experience neck and head pain following treatment? I'm about ten weeks out of radiation and chemo.

In the past week, I've been having neck and head pain mainly in the posterior neck (occipital neuralgia) and up the back of my head. My head and hair are super sensitive to touch. It is painful to initially sleep on the back of my head. The intensity fluctuates.

Occipital neuralgia can be caused by the inflammation in the muscles of the neck squeezing on the nerves that run through them.

I'm wondering whether anyone here has ever experienced or heard of this as a side effect of radiation? Given that the muscles in our neck can become fibrotic secondary to radiation.

Thanks,

Darren

Comments

  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #2
    Yep. My neck pain is
    Yep.

    My neck pain is constant. Fibrotic? Like if that means hard as a piece of wood, then yep on that too.

    I do try to do some massage every day, and try to stretch my neck as well, it hasn't gotten any better, but at least it's not getting worse. At least not at this point anyway.
  • adventurebob
    adventurebob Member Posts: 691
    #3
    Yes
    Stiff and sore/tender constantly. Lots of tension in my neck and shoulder muscles. Yoga, massage, acupuncture, exercise and heat help. There is a roll-on analgesic called Biofreeze that works really well as does DMSO. I try to stretch a few times daily too. ENT says it's normal. New normal right?

    AB
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #4
    Hi Darren
    I was told my neck pain is here to stay because of my treatment and damage nerves in the neck. Also in my old line of work I damaged a few disk in the neck & back that are also give problems now and then. Hell a few pain pills each day and almost forget I am hurting till night time. Just a new normal we learn to live with I guess.

    Take care
    Hondo

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