Joint pain?

grace2017
grace2017 Member Posts: 28
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Just a quick question here.  My husband is nearly three months out from completing his treatment, which I can hardly believe.  It has truly been a roller coaster of physcial symptoms and emotions, but we are thankful each day to get further and further in the healing process.  He has developed a pesky hip joint pain the past couple of weeks which causing a lot of discomfort in sleeping and in sitting.  He saw his GP and was prescribed ibuprofen for the inflammation.  It is kind of helping, but not much.  Due to not getting much good rest, or the position he is sleeping in, he is getting more swelling in his jaw/neck area and is getting discouraged.  He feels he is moving back in time rather than forward.  This seems to be the nature of recovery from cancer treatment, not like healing from the flu or something similar, which many folks don't understand. 

Has anyone else experienced joint pain and did it resolve?  It seems to sometimes be a side effect of chemo (he had 7 doses of Cisplatin), but he also could have injured himself in some way.  He will have his first scan and follow up with the cancer center in a couple of weeks.   

Thanks. 

Comments

  • christine2080
    christine2080 Member Posts: 71
    edited April 2018 #2
    Similar issues

    Grace2017, You don’t say exactly what type of cancer/ treatments your husband had. You can see mine in my profile to see whether what my husband is going through is relevant to your situation or not. My husband finished treatment on November 21. Since then he has been dealing with lymphedema & gets therapy twice a week. He also wears a compression garment on his face/chin an hour or two a day & does two sets of exercises: one for the lymphedema and the other for the rotator cuff pain. My husband had had pain in his shoulders for some time before his cancer, but didn’t address the problem until recently. He thought it was related to his cancer, but it was probably caused by overuse. He also goes for acupuncture and sports body massage alternating weeks. It’s a long process- think baby steps. His taste and saliva are s l o w l y coming back.

  • SuzJ
    SuzJ Member Posts: 446 Member
    edited April 2018 #3
    Question

    Did he lose much weight, and if he lost any, where from?

     

    This will be the realm of wayyy too much information, BUT i figure we could all use a giggle occasionally.

     

    I was overweight - im still over by about 30, but I'm working on it!

     

    So I lost a bunch, and MAN does it hurt to SIT! and Lie! I seriously have no cushioning, or padding anymore (why am I complaining???)

     

    But man, my **** hurts most the time... and lying down to sleep? not on my right side anymore..

    Oh and my right hip hurts - Dr said she thinks its bursitus - gave me steroids... woohoo house clean in under 3 hrs! (steroids do that to me)

    threatened me with a good time (steroid shot in the hip joint) if tablets didnt work - I don't need that much of a good time yet!

     

    As to his neck - a compression garment would help (google Jobst)

  • grace2017
    grace2017 Member Posts: 28
    edited April 2018 #4
    Thanks for your replies

    I didn't write too many details, but he finished up treatment for SCC HPV+ tonsil cancer in the middle of January, 35 radiation and 7 Cisplatin treatments and had been recovering amazingly well until recently.  The joint pain is in his hip started which makes it painful to sleep or sit in certain positions, bursitus could be it.  Good tip on the compression garments too.  Thank you for the insight.   

    The joint pain has faded to a less important issue as his mouth in the area of the tonsil that he had removed has become extremely sore and makes it very painful to eat or drink in the past couple of days.  It seems to be getting worse, so I'm waiting to hear back from the doctor if he needs to be seen.  It is affecting his sleep and hydration, so obviously a big issue.  He doesn't have a fever, but maybe it could still be an infection?  Now the joint pain doesn't seem so bad.  The roller coaster of side effects is an ongoing challenge!   

    SuzJ - thanks for the humor, maybe the pants with the butt padding are worth a try? :)  Hang in there! 

     

  • Hygienist97
    Hygienist97 Member Posts: 13
    #5
    Sore throat

    Hi , I was wondering how your husbands throat is today, was he able to get any where with the doctor as to why his throat is bothering him more now than before? I’m asking because as you know my husband is now 4 weeks post treatment and he was saying so how long did it take for others on the boards who had tonsil cancer to not have pain in throat and tonsil area post radiation? He has recently added a lozenge made of slippery elm bark that he feels is helping him with the burning pain when he tries to eat. I hope he is feeling better today!

  • SuzJ
    SuzJ Member Posts: 446 Member
    #6
    The weeks after

    Are actually worse than the actual treatment, no lie.

     

    That was when I actually had pain meds, and gargled with lidocaine, anything to stop the pain.

     

    But one day, he'll wake up and think "yesterday wasn't so bad" then the next.. and the next..

  • mehblues
    mehblues Member Posts: 3
    #7
    Joint pain

    I was cancer free for 18 months then last Dec out of no where I lit up the pet-scan. I was told it was a small spot that must have been either so small or hiding somewhere,  So hi-ho hi-ho off to treatment again.  I finished in Feb with radiation and chemo a different chemo that I had a reaction too landed me in the hospital and my throught was so sore again I couldn't eat...again but this time it was different I was failing nutrutionaly and as a result I now am the proud owner of a feeding tube, unitl I cn begin to eat again which has been a slow process but I am eating a bit but no where near the 2000-2500 calories I'm getting throught he tube.  I will go for my 1st pet scan soe=me time in may my Radiation ongologist tells me we got it all I am optimistic but ave been told if it hits a thrid time it''s surgery.  Now I have a lot of pain in hte shoulder joint area didn't have last time and it's bad some times.  I'm told each person is different when it comes to the lowering if not pain free.  I believe this is the standard answer has anyone else experience this paiin in the shoulder area? and if so how long did it last or does it never go away. 

  • Klingels
    Klingels Member Posts: 78
    #8
    Hygienist97 said:

    Sore throat

    Hi , I was wondering how your husbands throat is today, was he able to get any where with the doctor as to why his throat is bothering him more now than before? I’m asking because as you know my husband is now 4 weeks post treatment and he was saying so how long did it take for others on the boards who had tonsil cancer to not have pain in throat and tonsil area post radiation? He has recently added a lozenge made of slippery elm bark that he feels is helping him with the burning pain when he tries to eat. I hope he is feeling better today!

    a long time

    My husband had throat pain for 7-8 weeks after treatment.

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