Thanks @melclarity for your expertise! No wonder my calf muscles felt so awful and tight...like I'd run a marathon. And I wonder why I was never given an explanation by the chemo oncs despite constantly complaining when we went through our 'side effects meetings'. Well, actually, I have dedicated my energy divested in wondering about why I wasn't told certain things during the 'chemo process' to finding answers elsewhere, otherwise I get 'irritated' and that doesn't help me. I will certainly try the magnesium and Bs now that the chemo is on it's way out of my system post Xmas. C too. I am seeing my rad onc this week and will ask if I can start on these vitamins with rad or do I have to wait. I also want to go back on my turmeric...from Doug English Turmeric Life in Qld. I like the turmeric bars with ginger.
@poodlejules - hmmm, you have had everything I have. Not to be a scaremonger, but I had the deep cramping in my left leg after my first chemo. I was woken with it every morning. I told the chemo oncs and they said it was from chemo. I also told them I had dull chest pain and a dry cough. This continued for 9 weeks. Every meeting I was told it was part of chemo. When hospitalised with febrile neutropenia, at a different hospital that was closer to my home, the young reg. didn't like the feel of my leg and pain in chest. She ordered tests and the next day they said I had a DVT in the cramping leg and a PE in my right lung. They said that part of the clot breaks off from the leg and travels to the lung. If it is small enough it goes through you "Y" bend lol to either side. If it's too big, it gets stuck and you have a bigger problem! Thank you young Dr! I was put on fragmin, an injectable anticoagulant for 6 months. I do it myself, am. and pm. Apparently it doesn't dissolve the PE but it stops it from getting bigger. I still have questions about the PE. Apparently it leaves scarring. I was lucky the young Dr found it, as it is potentially life threatening. I could have been complaining till the cows came home - or didn't! The scan for the DVT is called a doppler ultrasound and very easy...just lubricant on leg and scanner moved from top of leg to bottom. You can hear your veins ☺I did start getting cramping in the other leg but the doppler utrasound showed no DVT. Maybe just needed magnesium. So it's good to take side effects seriously and this has taught me to be more assertive.xxx
Herceptin and pain in the legs, especially at night.
Hi, I finished my chemo last Monday (3 rounds of FEC and 3 of Docetaxol 3 weeks apart) and my Herceptin injections were started with the Docetaxol, so I am now awaiting my 4th sub cut injection (I need 17 all up and they are 3 weeks apart too). With chemo 5 I took panadol, 2 tabs 4x a day for pain relief mostly for scar tissue pain from my total axillary clearance and a bit of bone pain in my legs in the first week after chemo. Since my last chemo I had some really sore bone pain in my legs at night, keeping me awake as I thrashed around. I tried the panadol, magnesium salts in the bath at 11pm, and codeine 30mg. I also have a couple of temgesic tabs in case the pain worsens. They seem to work best but I'm scared of running out as I only was prescribed 7. Apart from that I have a sore throat, and everything tastes awful. Even icy poles! My left eye won't stop twitching. Do you think that once the chemo is out of my system I will have a better idea as to whether it is docetaxol causing the leg pain or herceptin? I was wondering if it is the herceptin, is the pain cumulative or should it wear off? Seems weird that it is largely at night when trying to sleep even tho I have been in bed in the day sometimes, just resting. Maybe I should stick to panadol in the day and temgesic at night if it gets too sore? I could literally get out of bed and pace in pain with this aches in my leg bones...is that anyone's experience? Ta xx
