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