Forum Discussion

mmcc3's avatar
mmcc3
Member
9 years ago

Back Pain

Hi all,

I have had on and off mild pain in my mid-lower back throughout chemo.  Sometimes I am very aware of it, other times I feel little to no pain. Feels like there is a muscular component to it as I get twinges to the side of my back also.  Its a very general soreness - doesn't feel like bone pain as such but hard to describe (I have been terrible at describing how I feel each week to my oncologist, she always looks puzzled!)

I had a mastectomy and 1 sentinal node removed.  Final pathology showed a small trace of cancer in the sentinal node but no further nodes were removed and I am doing 6 months AC & Taxol chemo (almost finished) followed by 6 weeks radiation.  I am finding it really difficult to stop myself from worrying constantly whether there is spread further than my lymph node with every twinge of pain I feel - I am suffering from a reasonable amount of anxiety also so wondering how much that is playing a part in my back pain also. 

Just wondering whether many others have experienced any back pain through chemo?  I will discuss with my oncologist re whether it is worth doing another bone scan, so far she seems to think its not necessary (scans were clear in February prior to starting treatment)...just thought knowing others had experienced this might ease my mind...and in turn perhaps my back!

Thanks ladies - lovely to have people to reach out to...

pain

6 Replies

  • mmcc3's avatar
    mmcc3
    Member
    9 years ago

    Thanks everyone, it really is helpful to hear other peoples stories.  It is so easy to feel like you should have a text book response to the treatment and to worry if it is not quite as you expected.  I will keep on keeping on and hope to get some sense of normality to my body back soon....

    Cheers

    Meg

  • jd48's avatar
    jd48
    Member
    9 years ago

    I was pretty wiped out after my kast chemo and could mot walk much more than 20 steps without collapsing for about good 2 weeks but then slowly started to improve.

    I am now 1 month post laat chemo session (well 2 days short of 1 month) and today for the first time felt energetic and funny how it took me.good 10-15min to reguster that the weird sensation I was having was me in fact having energy and wanting to move about... Happy to say most of the Chemo and Neulasta related pain is finaly gone.

    I would definitely, in your place, try some massage or even accupuncture (Maybe your Oncologist could refer you to someone) to see if you can ease the pain a bit...

    Hospital I was having Chemo at was not very great at encouraging these treatments or referring but where I have just been transferred to for radiation are great and have given me details of a centre nearby that specialises in dealing with women dealong with BC therapies so I plan to go for it full on during my 9 weeks of undergoing radiation...

    Wishing you all the best

    Jel.

  • Autore's avatar
    Autore
    Member
    9 years ago

    Yes, I had muscular aches and back pain whilst on chemo (esp w neulasta injection, I felt a bit puffed like mashmellow man!). My joints did get a bit of inflammation.

    Think my back pain was because i was sitting on the couch a lot by the end of A/C (felt pretty sick).

    I had (and still have) weekly acupuncture and see an oesteopath , which really helps. i definetly recommend trying that and some basic yoga stretches.

    Hope you feel better soon xo

  • Christel's avatar
    Christel
    Member
    9 years ago

    Hi,

    i am almost at the end of my taxol and have had pain in my legs since AC, they get cold and ache constantly and I have to use heat and panadol to take the edge off. I also got funny looks for my oncology team as the bone pain should have only been during my AC with the neulasta needles. Not in my case!

    exercises does help a little, but with the weather being cold the minute I feel cold that's it, I'm in pain. My hubby purchased an electric heated throw rug that helps too.

    hope the pain eases once your chemo is all done.

    Christel

  • mmcc3's avatar
    mmcc3
    Member
    9 years ago

    Thanks Jel, I appreciate your support.  I am very achy this week in general so I think the tail end of the treatment has hit me a bit harder than I was expecting - getting very weary now and will be pleased to have my last dose.  Hope you are doing well now after your treatment.

  • jd48's avatar
    jd48
    Member
    9 years ago

    I can definitely understand you worrying as ir is all.so frustrating and full of uncertainty but honestly if the scans were clear ore Chemo no way was cancer slreading during chemo...

    It is possible that it is just muscular or nerve type pain.  I did notnhave back pain as such that I can attribute to chemo as I suffered from back pain before chemo somon that account hard to distinguish.

    But I definitely did develop pain in the shoulderblade as well as base of the neck I did not have prior to chemo (but then I attribute that to being housebound and in bed or on the sofa way too long so in weirdly uncomfortable.positions too long with lack of decent movement).

    With all the therapies and tortures we have been through with chemo it is not impossible to have some unusual pain but please do not worry too much. If it persists after chemo has ended by a fair few weeks I would invertigate but witj chemo and lack of activity I trully would suspect it to be more muscular than anything else....

    I too developed weird pains related to chemo and neulasta injections that Oncologist had never heard off or seen in any literature and some ocassionaly still.oresent themselves now 3.5 weeks post end of chemo but not as intense and not as frequent...  

    Just hang in there and keep on monitoring it but until active treatmwnt is well and trully.over do not fret as it is a hard toxic process so if the body rebels and a weird or unusual twinge or pain happens it could just be body's way of.coping with this whole.unnatural mess we have to get through

    Hugs

    Jel.