Recently I’ve been experiencing leg pain, heavy feeling legs, and loss of endurance/easily tiring when walking a distances. Legs are painful to the touch in interior side. It started in right calf and worked it’s way up to thigh. Is this a sign of deep vein thrombosis caused by hormone therapy?
Could it be caused by switching to estradiol patches?
Bob
How long have you been on the patches??? What is your dose?
Started patches in January after trelstar vacation ( see profile). Started with four .1 mg patches per week and dropped down to three per week after first blood test showed T of 10 and declining Psa . E2 is definitely above “ normal “ range as I expected. Latest blood test (5/31) shows T at 7 and Psa at .1 so still declining. I had blood tests for protein related to blood clotting and it was in normal range but started wearing compression stockings , which provide pain relief and help facilitate walking.
This is all new to me as I work out 4-5 x per week . I’m on a trip overseas which required a lot of walking which is new to me. My workouts don’t involve much walking. Mostly stationary cycling and weight work. It’s a bit scary thinking I might get blood clots in legs.
Bob
Tap on his name and read his profile. He answers your “patches” questions there.
It may be lymphedema, or a DVT, or just weak valves or skeletal muscle weakness (which is needed to pump blood back to the heart). They can check for a DVT with an ultrasound, but if it's in both legs, it's probably not that.
TA
I’m in France, this occurred on Sunday and the ER I went to didn’t have ultrasound on weekends.
They did a blood test looking for a protein which is an indicator of blood clot and it was normal. So they didn’t ask me to stay over til Monday, but recommended constriction stockings.
The problem is in right leg. I don’t have weakness in my muscles which they tested for.
Why would this develop suddenly? I read that all cancers and HT specifically increase risk of DVT. By valves you mean heart valves I assume?
I also had an EKG at the ER which was normal.
Bob
No, I mean valves in veins that don't close off completely.
TA and Nal
Well I’ll be! Who knew! ( you guys of course but not us mortals).
So how does one determine that valves are a problem? And what does one do about it?
You need to have an ultrasound study of the venous system of your legs. If there are thrombi they could treat you with anticoagulants, if this is only a problem with the venous valves there is not too much that can be done. Your symptons may be caused by insuficience of the valves in the deep venous system.
my.clevelandclinic.org/heal...
If there were thrombi they could travel to the lungs a cause an acute pulmonary embolism which could be fatal, depending on the size of the embolus.
I have a similar problem, especially the week after Chemo. I had a pulmonary embolism about a year ago. I found out when you are getting ChemoTherapy you are at a greater risk of getting blood clots. My doctor now has me on Eloquist which is a blood thinner. When my legs are weak I also use "Plasma Flow" which I put on my legs. This massages my legs, keeps the blood flowing and helps get rid of the soreness. Don't put off getting help with this, it could be a serious problem.
Thanks I definitely am on it!
Thank you for posting this, Break60 because it's helpful for others on this board. My husband an I are planning a trip overseas in September. I'll make sure he wears compression stockings. Let us know what happens. It's scary having medical issues overseas. Hoping this clears up with totally.
Glad to help! I never thought it would be an issue because I’ve never had this kind of problem before. The calf pain actually started a couple weeks before my trip and I had physical therapy for it. I thought it was a muscle injury caused by doing leg curls with too much weight. Vein problems weren’t even on the radar.
Too much golf 😉😉😉😉
Feel better and please keep us posted on your progress
Gotcha! 🤕
How are you feeling today
I’m well thanks!
I've had something like that, not pain, but more like discomfort, always accompanied by hot flashes. I was on 18 month Lupron/Casodex.
Back to your original Q, I was on patches for 3 1/2 years and on occasion, my lower right leg would swell, never the left. In short order of about a month, it would revert back to normal. I did have ultrasound tests but they always came back normal. I believe that for me, the patches might have had something to do with the swelling however and so I always took the blood thinner Eliquis along with natto. The problem then was that every time my dog would jump on me, he would scratch me and I started bleeding. A good trade off,
Middle:
So why did you stop using the estradiol patches?
Bob
For 3 1/2 years they did their job keeping me at castrate levels and PSA below 1.0, but then in November 2018, even though I remained at castrate levels (below 50) but a bit higher than I had been getting, Psa increased and then continued to increase the next three times we tested it so we felt it was time to switch to Lupron in March. I was using 4 patches changed twice weekly and they worked great with no side effects.
Nalakrats, Tango65, Tall Allen, etc., have sounded the alarm and you should follow through on an ultrasound immediately. You must rule out DVTs. Have you changed blood pressure medications recently? If so, do you take amlodipine? A calcium channel blocker? Good luck.
Cal
Thanks.
I’ve never taken BP meds. I’ve been on Crestor ( rosuvastatin) for 20 years. I also have taken celecoxib for over ten years. My BP and lipids are excellent . I’ve scheduled a Doppler ultrasound for early next week at my home hospital. I’m wearing compression Stockings during the day. I’ve been walking daily on tours around the Bordeaux region so legs are getting a work out.
Bob
Given that you are on Crestor, have you been taking co-q-10 with it to lessen the potential for muscles cramping, etc. ? Rhabdomyolysis is always a concern for we who take statins. Here is what WebMD says about Crestor side effects, which may reflect an interaction effect with estradiol patches, thus a new issue that came after many uneventful years on Crestor.:
"Side Effects
Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because he or she has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.
A very small number of people taking rosuvastatin may have mild memory problems or confusion. If these rare effects occur, talk to your doctor.
Rarely, statins may cause or worsen diabetes. Talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks.
Tell your doctor right away if this unlikely but serious side effect occurs: foamy urine.
This drug may rarely cause muscle problems (which can rarely lead to very serious conditions called rhabdomyolysis and autoimmune myopathy). Tell your doctor right away if you develop any of these symptoms during treatment and if these symptoms persist after your doctor stops this drug: muscle pain/tenderness/weakness (especially with fever or unusual tiredness), signs of kidney problems (such as change in the amount of urine)."
Cal
No I haven’t used co q 10. Since I’ve been on this statin so long it’s seems unlikely that it caused my current issue, but I’ll mention it to my urologist after the scan. Thanks.
Bob
Bob,
I was hoping to point out clearly but apparently I failed: when you started taking the patches as medication you were altering your hormonal system and perhaps thereby creating A drug interaction resulting in leg problems.
Co-Q 10 has long been used as a supplement with Statin drugs.
Statins improve survival <==== your post
Break60
Break60•
2 months ago•20 Replies
Are you taking any statins now? They cause leg pain....sometimes...
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n Wednesday 06/12/2019 6:20 PM DST
My husband has had the same symptoms ... both legs/feet/thighs. He had the ultrasound to rule out DVT, but ... like Tall Allen said, when it's on both sides, it's rarely DVT. He was on 2 diuretics for Edema that barely helped. Was put on Gabapentin. Didn't due much for the pain, but helped him sleep better. Starting Lymphatic massage next week. Hope you find something that helps you. We'll be following you closely. We'll also share with you what we find out.
Cal
Yes I didn’t see that connection at all . Thanks.
Bob
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