Joint aches ... is this common after chemo?

ever since doing my second type of chemo.  I hate to say it, but that was in early 2011, and I'm still dealing with it.  That's what I take the pain meds for.  One theory for the cause of this kind of pain that my naturopath suggested is "leaky gut syndrome".  Basically the idea is that chemo damages the lining of the gut so much that tiny particles of food escape into your system, into parts of the body where they are not supposed to be.  She felt that they tended to "pool" in the extremities, which is why many cancer folk complain about pain in the hands and feet.

She had me do food allergy testing, and I have to admit that certain things that I'm allergic to (like eggs...sob.  I love a good egg salad) do seem to up the pain for a few days after eating.  Other things that I didn't get tested for also seem to trigger the pain, including aspartame (good-bye, Diet Coke) and red dye #40 (I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT HOT TAMALES AND CINNAMON BEARS).

I have a feeling that a radical dietary change might really help, and I may get up the will power to do it one of these days.  I also tested as allergic to wheat, whey, and a bunch of other stuff, so life as I know it would essentiallly be over.*

*Overly dramatic, but I do love to cook and eat, and the idea of living off vegetables and meat alone doesn't thrill me.

Have you talked to your doc about the pain?  Any suggestion?

Trubrit said:

Very much so

My joint pain came on weeks after I had finished chemo.  When I first wake up I can't bend my fingers, and my hips, shoulders and knees are so stiff. Same when I've been sitting down, even for a short period of time. 

I confess I hate this worse than the neuropathy. I'm an active person, well I was, and to be hobbled by joint pain is tough. 

I am hoping that it is temporary, just like I am hopng that the neuropathy is temporary. 

Still, if I was given a choice, joint pain or cancer, you know what it would be.

 

year since Robert has had any "chemo". He was treated with FOLFRI and Erbitux. both with and without avastin for 3 and a half years.  He is currently under tx with avastin and a trial drug, which is in the same class as avastin, but works in a different way.

Joint pain, neuropathy, and muscle pain are a given every day.  It had become so bad;  his PCP  Rx'd him gabapentin and MS contin daily and oxycodone for break-thru pain. He also takes a muscle relaxer and dilaudid at times.  It's a wonder he even functions as well as he does. (he does sleep A LOT, though).

But, as trubit said....given the choice...

Hope you can find relief!

Angela

hippiechicks said:

Well THANK YOU all ... I love

Well THANK YOU all ... I love reading this forum.  I  don't post much about myself .. I usually think I am being overly sensitive ... and a little impatient.  It is so reassuring to hear I am not the only one out there with this.  As stated ... given the choices ... certainly we will take this .. but to know it is something that goes with the territory is a relief. 

Ann .. I have mentioned this to my Doc .. ummm... every other week to be exact ... lol, and he just types it in the computer and doesn't say anything about it. I will be seeking some more natural diet/herb remedies real soon. 

I must say ... I was getting a bit nervous with the not being able to stand up after sitting for some time .. not being able to drive my standard car from the continued hip pain .. and of course ... the biggie "Recurrence".  Also, I have been working with PT and after my last appointment I have not even been able to raise my arms .. urrrggghhh... heating pads and message I guess!

((((HUGS)))) to you guys!!

Will they be checking things soon?  For what it's worth, it sounds like what I have, super stiff, hard to do basic tasks, etc, and I've been scanned to pieces...no mets.  I'm betting your pains are something similar...seems like this is a common problem.

Have to say I don't care for doctors who just nod their heads and put something in the computer when you talk about having major pain!  My onc suggested that I move to Hawaii when I mentioned that my pains got a lot better when the weather was hot.  Felt like asking him if he was willing to cough up some of the 500K he makes a year to help finance my move (he hates me-he might have been happy to pay to get rid of me).

Has he at least given you pain meds?

Well I kinda glad to read all this...not really because I'm sorry you all have to suffer.  But my husband has been having horrible hip pain for about 3 weeks now.  Actually since his last dilation procedure.  His 3rd dilation, hopefully leading up to a successful ileostomy reversal...    He's been taking leftover vicodin from back pain several years ago - pills are expired but said they were somewhat working.   It's been a bit nervewracking wondering about all those bone spots that came back negative after biopsy..but what if.  Or what if it's a lymph node pressing on something...  Ugh.   Went to the onc's thursday and the APRN thought it was probably just a back issue - maybe the positioning at the last procedure threw something out of whack.   Or maybe just an "old age" type of thing.   I know it was horrible to see him with his 80 something dad yesterday, not sure which of them looked worse trying to get around. 

Oh the aprn gave him a prescription for tramadol - which I believe is non-narcotic??  and he says it's helping and not making him loopy...

I have a friend who has RA.  We sat next to each other at a meeting yesterday and when we both got up to leave, Rita, a young  70's and me a young 50's both looked like we were as old as the hills. 

I do so hope that this goes away for me, though I know my dear friend will live with hers forever, and if she can, well, if I have to then I can too. 

Life sure deals us all some lousy cards at times. 

jen2012 said:

Thanks AA & HC!  Actually the

Thanks AA & HC!  Actually the tramadol didn't help for long, so now he's been using the vicodin and they gave him a prescription for percocet but we haven't filled it yet.  I may try to get him to do acupuncture again as it has seemed to help in the past.  

The pain moves - it was both hips, but now it's more the left knee.  Strange that it really started up after the dilation procedure the beginning of Sept - following a fever and chills right after the procedure.  He mentioned it to the anesthesiologist, surgeon, nurses..anyone who would listen yesterday, but they dont' think it's related to the procedure.  He had another dilation yesterday and ended up with a fever and chills again - they say from the anesthesia.  He has had disc issues in the past, so he's thinking that is what this is again, but I don't know. 

Same as you HC - he has a hard time getting up off of a chair or out of the car and looks like a 90 yr old.  

Hoping for pain relief for all...

I don't know what dosage he's at, but for me, I didn't get much pain relief with vicodin until I started taking one and a half 7.5/325 mg pills, 3x per day.  This isn't exactly a low dose, but it just wasn't very effective prior to that.

I also took percocet/oxycodone a couple of years ago, when the growing cancer was causing pretty intense pain...got physically dependent in about two minutes. so I'm very leery of that stuff now.   However, if that's what it takes to help the pain, then I think he should take it.  It is stronger than vicodin.  There's always time to get off the stuff later, once he's in better health.  I'll give him tips!