Well it has been 4 months including 6 weeks of physio and daily stretching exercises and my tennis elbow is still dreadful.I can’t recall any significant event that initiated it but am starting to think hormone therapy may be the culprit as have read members on her discussing carpal tunnel , trigger thumb and other tendon related issues.Anyway I found this newish article on the subject and thought may be of interest.Just curious is anyone else out there experiencing similar ?I am weighing up revisiting my GP who probably will suggest cortisone injection for pain relief or visiting my oncologist and suggesting a MRI.Btw I take Sandoz brand Letrozole .I include the brand as I still believe fillers and coatings impact on our well being .I have been on Letrozole since 8/17 and I would have said managing ok until now.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6120376/

Interesting article. And read with interest because my elbows are increasingly sore and tender. It almost feels like they're bruised.This bit made me snort:"In every case of a female patient with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer under treatment with AIs and arthralgia, an MRI should be performed in order to exclude the presence of tendinopathy or muscle tendon rupture."Yeah, right, like that's gonna happen!

And fatigue forgetfulness and poor 'sleep hygiene' are RARE. Yep I'm yelling. WFT with the hygiene thing? Yeh, I know it's a medical term, but it implies if we (the rare affected) could just clean up our act we'd be all better!

Does anyone ever get the feeling that the medicos are so excited about AIs that the persistent buzzing of patients with side effects is an annoyance?I have stiffness in my joints and in the soft tissue around the long bones - I have no idea whether muscular, tendons or ligaments since taking Letrozole. I also have a long existing ACL injury to my left knee which I have successfully managed since it became more of an issue for me about 10 years ago. All of a sudden, without any incident occurring, it has become painful when I move it. And yes, @kmakm I also have elbows that feel constantly bruised and the backs of my hands and wrists are sore.I had a bath last night and the contortions I had to go into to get in and out were ridiculous - I was actually thinking that the rails they put on the side would be in order... I'm 55 and was quite able before the meds.I'm not game to discontinue the Letrozole but I do wish there was more acceptance that it doesn't come easily.

Thanks Kate! I am so looking forward to it. I'll be able to prune the roses and do lots of other things with litlle or no discomfort...i hope! My biggest problem might be to not over do it.@arpie have a good time at Thredbo. We're hoping for another ripper of a season here at Falls Creek.

@arpie my right thumb was doing exactly what you describe (gets stuck in straight position, bends with pain and then gets stuck in bent position) and my left ring finger and thumb were heading in that direction too. I have been off Letrozole since 1 Feb (taken off it by my oncologist who confirmed that tendon issues are a side effect). Started Tamoxifen again in March as advised by my onc. The thumb is a lot better but still triggering at times. The pain is hugely better and I have strength back in my thumb. Can even open ring pull cans again etc. I had acupuncture (4 treatments) which helped I believe. The other thumb and ring finger are fine now but it remains to be seen if the right thumb will ever fully fix itself. But I have little pain and much improved functionality and strength. It was so bad on Letrozole that I could not even sign my name.These issues developed suddenly after 3 years on Letrozole.

Hormone therapy and tendon issues

44 Replies

Justtoomuch
Member
7 years ago
Guys I've had tennis elbow a couple of time while being on Tamoxifen. I have a great physio who treated it very successfully with dry needling. I am now on Arimidex and my feet and hips really suck. Hope the physio can help with those issues too.
kmakm
Member
7 years ago
77 AD/CE??

Yeah, it's a predominantly female thing estrogen, let's not worry about researching that...
Summer_Prevails
Member
7 years ago
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960076017301590
kmakm
Member
7 years ago
Bon voyage @mum2jj! Have a wonderful trip and travel safe. K xox
mum2jj
Member
7 years ago
I read this with interest. I am triple negative so no hormone treatment. However was pushed into menopause by first lot of chemo and never came out as second lot of chemo only 18mths later. I have really bad hands now and have no end of trouble with one hip, bursitis, and also tendonosis down my ITB. Hamstring problems as well. My GP Thinks the chemo didn’t help. I took a very strong curcumen as recommended by a naturopath but it was really expensive and whilst it gave me some relief in my hands I could not justify the cost. I am at my wits end re my hip as it’s stopping me doing the very exercises I am trying to do to keep weight down and strengthen my back. Anyway off for a holiday to USA tomorrow to visit my daughter who is working at Disneywotld for a year. Hopefully the rest (not sure you rest at Disney) will be good for me.
kmakm
Member
7 years ago
@kitkatb Yep, agree. Nothing for it but to plod on as we are able.
kitkatb
Member
7 years ago
Thanks @kmakm , I guess there is no quick fix or else we would all be on the bandwagon for sure. I'm like you and have never been a pill popper and having taken the panadol osteo when needed I did get a comment from my onc not to take them all the time I think because of my ongoing digestion issues. I've got to the stage I don't really think anything is going to work with the joint pain but we just have to keep moving forward even if it is little steps or slow steps in our case but it seems a whole lot better than the alternative. xx
kmakm
Member
7 years ago
Thank you @arpie, I am aware. Sadly my stomach is seldom empty... :D K xox
arpie
Member
7 years ago
Just be very careful with the Diclofenac (aka Voltaren), @kmakm - always make sure you take it (and ibuprofen) with food - or you can have BIG stomach problems. (The Ibuprofen doesn't always tell you that on the label!)
kmakm
Member
7 years ago
@kitkatb I tried Krill Oil first. It didn't make a difference. Then I tried Magnesium. It didn't make a difference. Then I tried Curcumin. I think it made a tiny bit of difference. I was advised to take the Bioceuticals one because it was the most bio-available. It's also very expensive. I'm not sure my results warrant the price when panadol osteo is so cheap.

I don't live on the panadol osteo but my usage is increasing as my pain worsens. When it's particularly bad I take it with diclofenac (an anti-inflammatory), also cheap and over the counter. @kezmusc put me onto that and I've found it very effective.

I checked with my GP and she said there was no issue taking parecetemol on a long term basis as long as you don't exceed the dosage guidelines. I have never been a pill popper, turning to a painkiller reluctantly, after trying other remedies. Those days are gone! As someone's nurse told them, there's no clinical benefit to pain... K xox