Has anyone experienced leg swelling?

[ImGrammy]

Hi I've been on imbruvica for 3 1/2 months and am experiencing a swollen left foot ankle and leg. My GP, oncologist and ID doctors are not sure what is causing this (past 1 1/2 months) They said the last resort is a lymphedema specialist Has anyone else experienced this? I'm getting desperate.

[BeckyLUSA]

Cannot help you out, but to say it must be a pretty commomside effect because at my monthly trial check ups, they always check my feet and legs. Have not had the issue thank goodness. Hope they can figure out what to do about it.

BeckyL. USA

[ImGrammy in reply to BeckyLUSA]

Thanks for the reply. I have an appointment with a lymphedema specialist on Tuesday but I don't hold out much hope The Imbruvica itself hasn't given me problems other than dry skin, nails and hair which I can live with. I go back to the oncologist on Wednesday and he will have all the reports from GP, ID and vascular scans so we will see what he has to say. As an aside I contracted Lyme disease for the second time and am taking doxicycline for that.

[BeckyLUSA in reply to ImGrammy]

Good luck with your appointment! Hope they get the answer!

[Deta1961 in reply to ImGrammy]

Hello... Just a question, what kind of problems have you got with your hair? I'm on ibrutinib for 4 months and my hair is falling down.... My doctor said that it wouldn't happen.

[ImGrammy in reply to Deta1961]

Hi My hair is dull and dry. It was wavy to loose curl and has gotten a little straighter I've been drinking a lot more water in the hopes that will help Don't seem to be loosing any It seems everyone reacts differently

[PaulaS Volunteer]

Hi Grammyx4,

A short time after starting Ibrutinib, my left foot, ankle and lower leg went swollen and puffy. Later the right foot did the same (though not so bad). It was hard to put on certain shoes, hard to bend my ankle. I had a similar problem in one hand, then the other hand.

I wrote about some of my Ibrutinib reactions in the following post

healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...

The doctors couldn’t find any reason for my swellings and assumed it was due to Ibrutinib.

A few weeks later, the swelling all went down, taking just a few days to go back to normal size. Such a relief. I hadn’t done anything special to reduce the fluid, it just went by itself.

The weight I’d put on (about 2 kg) during those early weeks, also faded away at that time.

You seem to have had your foot/leg swellings for longer than I did, but it’s still possible that your swellings are due to Ibrutinib,. And you might find that like me, the swelling suddenly subsides. Ibrutinib is a very unpredictable drug.…

There are many different reasons for swollen feet and ankles though. As your doctors are not sure what’s causing yours and have suggested you see a lymphoedema specialist, then it seems a good idea to do this - just in case there’s something else going on, that they could help you with.

Wishing you well,

Paula

[ImGrammy in reply to PaulaS]

Hi Paula

Your response was very helpful. My situation seems similar to yours white count between 500K and 600K and slightly low hemoglobin I was beginning to worry because most people on this sight have much lower white counts. I too have been experiencing leg and hand cramping, shortness of breath walking up a slight grade or a flight of stairs. but no terrible side effects. You made me feel more hopeful. Thanks again

Grammy

[PaulaS Volunteer in reply to ImGrammy]

Hi Grammy, I'm glad my response made you feel more hopeful.

Sorry that you're also getting cramps though. SO painful... For me, these have NOT gone away like the other Ibrutinib side effects did. They did ease off for a while but over the last few weeks, they've been getting worse again.

When I mentioned it to a haematologist today, she suggested I try drinking a glass of Indian tonic water before I go to bed, as it has quinine in it. However, I've read a lot of stuff about quinine that says it is NOT a good idea, due to the effect it can have on our platelets.

There have been many posts about cramps on this site, and people have shared their experiences.

healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...

healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...

The late Prof Terry Hamblin - a very experienced CLL specialist, was open to using quinine for cramps

mutated-unmuated.blogspot.c...

Let us know how you get on at your appointment next week.

Best wishes,

Paula

[ImGrammy in reply to PaulaS]

Hi Katht,

Thank you for the encouragement. It's reassuring to hear others are experiencing the same symptoms. I was told this was not a side effect of Imbruvica. I'm hoping I can get some definitive answers at my next appointment

Grammy

[ImGrammy in reply to PaulaS]

Hi Paula,

I will let everyone how I make out with the lymphedema specialist and my appointment with my oncologist. Thanks for the informative websites.

Grammy

[Kjag]

I had swelling in my right foot and ankle. My left is also swollen but not as much. When I buy shoes I have to buy a larger size to accommodate my right foot. I have not had any pain. I have been advised to put my feet up as often as possible. At the time I read that foot swelling was one of the most common side effects. No one seemed to be very worried.

I hope you get encouraging news at your appointment.

Katht

[onu1tadi2 in reply to Kjag]

Foot swelling is a commonly linked to blood circulation. Imbruciva has caused my blood pressure to go up. I have to eat and live very carefully to bring it down and avoid arrhythmia I have had. I believe the swollen feet I get are obviously related to blood circulation and hear.

[Robgump]

Leg, hand, individual fingers or toes, soles of my feet or the whole foot usually taken care of with turmeric or curcumin whichever is at hand. The only relief I've found, potent anti inflammatory and analgesic.

[ImGrammy in reply to Robgump]

Thanks for the info Just started turmeric and I'll let you know if any improvement

[Robgump in reply to ImGrammy]

Just don't drink green tea or take EGCG within two hours of curcumin as they cancel each other. Is your cell count trending down? Effects like this are worse on me as the White blood cells go down (excess imbruvica to WBC ratio).

[ImGrammy in reply to Robgump]

My white cells are SLOWLY trending down My lymph nodes and spleen have decreased in size Thanks for the tip about green tea with Turmeric. What is EGCG?

[Robgump in reply to ImGrammy]

Green tea polyphenols extracted from the tea and concentrated.

Epigallocatechin gallate (is the main one) or EGCG for short.

[ImGrammy in reply to Robgump]

Thanks

[MsLockYourPosts Passed Volunteer]

It sounds like your doctors are being thorough. Venous insufficiency (leaky valves) cardiac issues, and kidney issues should be ruled out with or without Imbruvica.

[ImGrammy in reply to MsLockYourPosts]

I've had venous scan echo cardiogram and all is well

[duffymcgrif]

Hi. I've been in Imbruvica for 2 years now. Lots of different side affects, but thankfully, they went away in a week or so. The leg swelling started with one leg and Oncologist had me checked for blood clots. Wasn't any. Did not discuss my problem any more. I think it may be a condition called Lymphoedema, but there is no "cure". Legs (especially the upper thighs on both legs now) is getting worse. Hope someone comes up with a solution.

[ImGrammy]

Hi Duffy

They've narrowed it down to lymphoedema for me but not necessarily due to CLL or Imbruvica. I after 4 months of therapy (leg wraps and massage) 3 times a week, I was released and advised to wear support hose (20/30 compression) during the day and special wraps at night I massage it myself every day. This seems to be controlling it. I just have it in my left calf, ankle and foot with redness that will not go away (9 months now) I guess I just have to tolerate it forever from what they tell me. On the bright side, my CLL counts have been improving.

[onu1tadi2 in reply to ImGrammy]

Hi. I find the only thing that brings swelling down to almost normal in feet and ankles is resting, vegging etc. all day long, with a break for a walk.

[Lisa-1959]

I have been on Imbruvica for 28 days, and 5 days after starting it, my left knee started swelling and hurting...first the back and then the front. Two days later, the base of my right thumb, then 2 days later the bottom of my right foot. As each would start to wane, the swelling and pain would pop up somewhere else...the back of my left hand, my left middle finger, the base of my left hand, the top of my right foot, and then the outside of my right knee. All of the above happened in an 11 day time span. My oncologist was baffled...had never seen this before in any of her Imbruvica patients, and since I had no history of injury, joint paint/swelling, or lymphoedema, she consulted with another cancer doctor and confirmed it was a side effect of the med. (Taking Allopurinal (300 mg daily), and uric acid was in normal range.) She put me on a 12 day regimen of prednisone (40 mg down to 10 mg), and the improvement was almost immediate. My left knee was still a little puffy, but unless I squatted, it didn't hurt. I finished the prednisone last Friday, and that evening, my left knee started getting stiff. Five days later, I am not seeing the migrating problem I had previously, but my knee is very swollen, warm to the touch, and painful. Other than this crazy swelling/pain, initial tummy distress, and mouth sores/gum tenderness, I am feeling okay, but too early to tell on bloodword except that WCC has jumped to 401,000. My oncologist doesn't want me on prednisone long term, so not sure how she will want to address this. A friend suggested tart cherry juice to combat inflammation so started that last night. A couple of comments in this thread mentioned curcumin...anyone have success with it or anything else?

[ImGrammy in reply to Lisa-1959]

My husband suffers from gouty arthritis and we tried the bitter cherry juice for at least 6 months (he didn't want to take drugs) but it didn't work for him. His rheumatologist put him on allopurinol and colchine and that was the perfect solution for him. It keeps the uric acid in a normal range. Everyone reacts differently. I hope the cherry juice works for you.

[Lisa-1959 in reply to ImGrammy]

I am going to give the cherry juice a try, plus my oncologist is talking about putting me back on the prednisone at a lower dosage and see if that will help. My uric acid is in the normal range, so she feels sure this swelling and pain is not gout. I know I am on hyper alert since all of this is so new...

[ImGrammy in reply to Lisa-1959]

My prayers are with you

[Moma64 in reply to Lisa-1959]

Within the first few weeks of being on Imbruvica, I had the same issue with joint pain. I'd wake up with a sore knee one day, then a sore wrist the next, and on and on. Each pain would only last for about a day, then it would be in another joint. Only lasted a couple of weeks and the pain wasn't severe.

[Lisa-1959 in reply to Moma64]

The worst pain was when it landed in my knees. Mine would last 2-3 days in one place then move somewhere else. My oncologist had a number of patients on Imbruvica, but none had the joint pain. I also developed hematomas every time I bumped anything. After accidentally popping the back of my hand and not being able to use it for 3 weeks because of the swelling, my oncologist decided to take me off the Imbruvica. I have been on Venetoclax since January, and it is working much better for me.

[tlcladygiraffe]

Are you on blood pressure pills and are you watching your sodium intake?

[thezman360]

I am experiencing the same swelling of feet,ankles and lower legs. Because of the water retention I developed a large blister the size of an apple on my lower right leg. Now I am treating that plus wearing support compression stockings, I hope this is a short time problem. I have been on imbuvica since Oct 10,2019 {about 2 1/2 months) My numbers on my blood draws are improving.

[onu1tadi2]

I have found, in my second year of Ibrutinib, that all the symptoms, like cramping, do go away, and whole new set of symptoms appear.

[PHI1234]

Hello my husband is having leg and pain, he is currently getting treatment