Painful joints

[Cynthgob]

Husband has been on docetaxel and ADT. His knees have been bothering him for the past four weeks. Does anyone have an effective glucosamine to recommend ? Or some other approach to this problem? Thank you!

[Cynthgob]

I realize it could be the bone mets but his dr said knee pain is probably not cancer. I did read that the adt damages the joints.

[Dan59]

Is he doing nuelasta for a white blood cell booster while on docetaxol? If so that is a likely culprit to joint and bone pain. It can be somewhat helped by taking 1 claratin day before nuelasta day of and day after along with aleve. If not Nuelasta I have heard good things about Glucosamine in joint pain, not sure just what formulation.

[Cynthgob in reply to Dan59]

No he is finished with chemo and is in clinical trial so we don’t know if he is on trial drug or not. I thought the lupron might be the culprit.

[dlestercarlson]

From my experience with docetaxel, Lupron and Nuelasta, probably the Nuelasta could be causing the pain that you mentioned. I use Arthritus strength tylenol when I get pain after the Nuelasta. Also the Lupron can cause some Arthritus pain, I get it mainly in my hands. I also exercise every day to help with the side effects such as Arthritus pain, to strengthen my bones and to help with the fatigue that I get after a ChemoTherapy treatment.

[Cynthgob in reply to dlestercarlson]

Yes he is able to work out most days. I know that helps too

[Patrick-Turner]

I began chemo with Docetaxel 7 days ago. I'm 71, on Lucrin ADT. Nothing hurt for 2 days, but then I began to ache at many places where bone mets happen to be plus my knees hurt and I had a double TKR some 18 months ago. Maybe as the bone mended around the titanium inserts, it also became full of Pca mets, and I have no idea at all what real status is.

But I was able to sleep despite some discomfort. Real Pain is where you cannot sleep and you need serious medication for pain. An orthopedic surgeon looked at my knee scans at age 68 and said, "Mr Turner, you must have a high pain threshold..... " There were a whole lot of problems only surgery could fix. I'd had pain any time I walked but I could ride a bike OK.

I tried all sort of things including glucosamine, and NOTHING worked, the cartlidges had worn through to the bones, and nothing could make it re-grow.

But a year before my knee op I gave up ALL MEAT, and that kept the pain down, so it seems meat causes inflamation and pain. I inherited bad knees from my mother, they were doomed from a young age, but I spent 30 years as a working building contractor where I worked hard, so the knees conked out by 55.

I had a knee arthrosopy at 58, and that alleviated pain immediately, so between 2006 and now I cycled 130,000km. I gave up the building to do sit-down work of electronics, and at 62 was diagnosed Pca, and now have bones riddled with countless small mets.

Docetaxel causes all sorts of irritation to many parts of body; it goes everywhere in bloodstream. No two cases of Pca are the same, and patient outcomes are different for the same treatments. Side effects vary. Ask yourself to keep an open mind, and it is marvellous that you are your husband's caring angel, and yet you need to be strong because chemo is not a walk in the park for anyone.

Keep in contact with the hospital about the aches and pains.

I have been alone in life for countless years, so I don't complain too much; there is nobody listening. But so far, so good, and I have not lost a night's sleep, but if I did, it would mean I would not have dreampt about a caring wife.......

Patrick T.

[larry_dammit]

Osteo Bi-Flex. Works for me, had a lot of pain in shoulders due to meds, it took a couple of months but has been working pretty good for me, have to add that I have started to get out and do more stuff . Sitting hurts me bad . Stage 4 here 24 months ago Fight the good fight

[Break60]

How about celecoxib? Exercise definitely helps as well. Riding a stationary bike works the knees.

[BartonKen]

I completed #3 of 6 Docetaxel treatment with ADT, last week. I was switched from OxyContin to Hydromorphone with two Tylenol “Arthritis” every 12 hours, after the second treatment. I have been getting very dizzy, with hot flashes and wondered if the two Tylenol were the cause, so in the past week cut back the Tylenol to one every 12 hours. Now I notice daily pain in my knees and some fingers on both hands. My dizziness reduced roughly 4 hours after taking the pills. Hot flashes carry on. This is a constant with Docetaxel. I see the Oncologist on Friday and will ask him about the Tylenol dosage. The knee and finger pain is not too hard to take on one pill every 12 hours.

[Stegosaurus37]

I had pain in the right scapular from the cancer; radiation cured that. Pain and stiffness in the left hip; X-ray showed that was osteoarthritis - nothing to do with the cancer. I'm 76 and it's tough to know what's cancer/cancer therapy-related and what's just aging. Exercise definitely helps. A couple of ibuprofin tablets also helps. I went through two bottles of naproxin - my usual for arthritis and got some improvement but not complete. I haven't tried glucosamine; that's next.

[Cynthgob in reply to Stegosaurus37]

Thank you! It does drive you crazy when you don’t know if it’s cancer or arthritis .

[dmt1121]

My joint pain was worst from neulasta and Lupron also caused pain as well. The pain would recur after I stopped Lupron but only in the evenings after going to bed. I did not try glucosamine. I opted for Extra strength Tylenol PM and Ibuprofen if the pain persisted. I now take Celibrex and Gabapentin for nerve sensitivity and pain. I no longer have the joint pain....for now.

[Bobkar]

Cynthgob, good to see his numbers are good. My brother who is also on the trial has the same problem with right shoulder. Did not want to take anything because of trial. Also thinking it’s the bone cancer vs arthritis. Had a X-ray and radiologist said it is the osteoarthritis not the bone cancer causing pain. Gave him meloxacan which only sl.helps but he did get the ok to get it injected with cortisone shot. H e is deciding if he wants to do that. Did your husband have his follow up scans after last chemo? My brother last chemo is in 3 wks then F/U scan 3 wks from then. PSA is down to 0.5. PRAY that they are getting that drug!!!!