Shoulder and neck pain

Julie 44
Julie 44 Member Posts: 476 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I am doing my last treatment..YIPEEEE but this time I had bad pain in my shoulders and neck to the point where I was crying..The doc said its a normal side effect and put heat on it..I did but doesn't help much..Has anyone had this problem and what have you done for it????? Thanks Julie

Comments

  • maglets
    maglets Member Posts: 2,576 Member
    #2
    pain
    Julie I too have severe neck pain....I can't tell if it starts in the shoulder but it goes up to the base of my skull. I find heat does not help either....a tylenol does but because I`ve had 2 liver re-sections I try to avoid these. Sorry not much help but I do have pain there too.

    Congrats on finishing...maybe the pain will get better.

    Hugs
    Mags
  • NWGirl
    NWGirl Member Posts: 122 Member
    #3
    Pain in Shoulder
    I started having pain underneath my collar bone on the side where my port was located at treatment #8 I think. The pain got worse with every treatment thereafter until after treatment #10 I was in tears. I told my oncologist about it and he had a test done on the port - said it was okay. When I called up in tears they had me come in immediately for a CT scan to make sure the cancer hadn't spread to that area - it was clear. My oncologist was stumped - he said he'd never had anything like this before. It felt like someone was stabbing me with an ice pick and was beginning to spread to my back and shoulder area. The pain lasted longer after each subsequent treatment. He sent me home on a Friday guessing it was the Oxi that was doing it. On Monday I saw him again and he said after much thought, his gut feeling was it was the port - despite all tests showing the port was working fine. He had the port surgically removed and the pain immediately subsided and cleared up. For my last 2 treatments I just had Xeloda. He still can't explain why the port was doing this - but it was definitely the port.
  • jsabol
    jsabol Member Posts: 1,145 Member
    #4
    shoulder pain
    Hi Julie,
    Hope the pain has subsided, but, if not, has anyone ruled out a blood clot? My onc team was pretty clear that with a port, neck or shoulder pain could indicate a clot. My pain started as shoulder discomfort, drove myself to the ER, but felt like I was having a heart attack by the time I got there 20 minutes later.
    Ultrasound revealed a clot in my neck (I actually felt it, and could guide the tech to the site.) A scan also revealed small "buckshot" clots to my lungs, that caused the major shortness of breath I had, but they were just absorbed without further complications. I went on coumadin for a few months, clot dissolved and no further isssues.
    Hope this all subsides for you,
    Judy
  • NWGirl
    NWGirl Member Posts: 122 Member
    #5
    Blood Clots
    Funny the things we forget as time goes by eh? Blood clots - really good point! Yes, they checked me for blood clots too - so be sure you are checked to make sure it's not a blood clot causing the pain. For me it wasn't - but as I said, I was checked. Completely forgot about it until I saw the other post.
  • Julie 44
    Julie 44 Member Posts: 476 Member
    #6
    NWGirl said:

    Blood Clots
    Funny the things we forget as time goes by eh? Blood clots - really good point! Yes, they checked me for blood clots too - so be sure you are checked to make sure it's not a blood clot causing the pain. For me it wasn't - but as I said, I was checked. Completely forgot about it until I saw the other post.

    Thanks
    Thanks everyone for the posts..The pain has subsided somewhat but is still there...They could never draw blood from my port so they said if the pain is lasting they will test the port...As far as blood clots my doctor didn't seem to concered about that... but I will stay on top of it..

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