Swelling calves and pain/ache question

[Bluebird11]

Because of PCa my husband had lost a lot of muscle. He had very muscular legs. Using Zolodex some years ago for about 6 months (no longer taking it) It lowered the tumor load by about 50% though the side effect was more serious muscle loss than on Lupron.

Fast forward. We are not on either of those drugs and his muscle is returning, not to the point it was though now his calves are quite large (he always had large calves).

It isn't edema that I can see or feel, in fact they've grown large and get hard. If I press there is no sign of ordinary fluid. I'm thinking it's within the cells and not leaking out.

(just my guess).

In August his legs were pretty stick thin, and now he has these large painful calves. His shin bones hurt but much more to the outer sides of his calves. I'm been doing light lymphatic massage that does help though it comes back. He shows no swelling in his ankles at all. His knees also ache at times.

I read that radiation and surgery can affect the lymph where people get this fluid build up though it's usually distorted with fluid and if pressed on one could see the finger impression. I read that lymph can be destroyed by things like radiation, he had spot radiation last summer without this showing up until about 2 months ago. Last visit to his oncologist, he said maybe shin splints though this doesn't make any sense.

Do any of these symptoms point to anything anyone here may know about? He has mets to L4 and T11? Then possibly some in his right hip, though both legs are equally the same size and usually his left side calf hurts a little moreso.

With all this virus we are isolated. He has pain meds. He can take an advil with 1/2 tylenol during the day. At night he takes 1/2 oxy and 3 1/2 hours later another 1/2 so he's not on a lot of pain meds for a survivor diagnosed 13 years ago this May with Stage IV. We are grateful. We've jumped obstacles, though and have worked through many things. He's never done chemo with the only radiation which was twice to his pelvic area and L4. It was spot radiation.

Thanks very much. I can't reread this, sorry, so I'm just going to hit send. Exhausted by the virus threat, isolated, living in the inner city in an apartment building with 10 other apartments, so it's a trying time for us and everyone.

(After more looking through muscles etc.. the Tibialis anterior muscle where the most ache/pain is then up from that I can follow it to the outer knee and up to the tendons tight along the outer leg. We can't go near a doctor's office right now in the midst of this epidemic. I'm trying to get a fix on what it may be.)

[TNCanuck]

Sorry he's having this pain. Maybe a telehealth visit with his doctor would give you some answers.

[j-o-h-n]

"tendons tight along the outer leg". Mine hurt like hell.... left side, that's where I was nuked many year ago.......... Hope he finds some relief.....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good humor.

j-o-h-n Tuesday 03/24/2020 4:47 PM DST

[timotur]

After radiation, while on Lupron, my right calf would swell up in the morning, notably larger than the left calf, and worse if I was sitting for over an hour. I suppose it was edema building up from the by-products of the radiation. That was six months ago, now it's not as bad, still on Lupron for six more months. I never had swelling issues until PCa tx.