Sore Joints

Taxol and Docetaxel are notoriously hard on joints and ligaments, mine are still troublesome two years after I finished my second round of chemo. My first treatment 12 years ago (AC) didn't have the same effect, so I was a bit surprised at how crippling the damage can be.

 I find getting out of the car after even shortish trips particularly challenging. And embarrassing--the staggering and hobbling is unavoidable. Once I get going I loosen up and can walk for kms or do a serious exercise session without too much pain, but once I stop I seize up again. It's very frustrating. I've got the added joy of hormone treatment now, but even after a break from those delightful drugs, the joint pain lingered. Mind you, I wasn't in mint condition before the shit hit the fan again, so perhaps my expectations of total recovery are a bit ambitious.

Follow up care varies from person to person. My beast and plastic surgeons have told me there is no reason for them to see me unless something else goes wrong. I see my oncologist intermittently, mainly if I need to talk to him about my medications. He hasn't recommended any scans and has told me I'm likely to know if anything is turning nasty. My extremely experienced and sensible GP is my go-to person and I see her every three months so we can keep a good record of how I'm coping. She has ordered a bone scan for me when I had trouble with my back and hip (panic stations!) and the occasional blood test to monitor liver function etc with the view that if we find anything sinister the oncologist will take over again.

The advice to listen to your body is probably the best anyone can give you, the main thing is to watch for changes which don't vary--pain that is constant and doesn't move around, for example. Repeated scans are costly and are not generally very good for you. I understand your concerns, but you have to think about when you would stop having them. Two years? Three? Five? Many of those decisions are personal and related to how stressful you find either the lack of knowledge or the test themselves. Good luck,  Mxx