I am new here. 2 months ago my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer stage 4. Our lives have changed since then. She had her first chemotherapy 4 days ago, and she is having very bad side effects, body ache, fatigue, nausea, headaches, anxiety. We have given her all the medications as doctor indicated, but she is complaining on the body ache and fatigue more than anything. Does anyone know how to alleviate this symptoms?. We don't know what else to do. Have done everything we can, but does not seem to help her. She is 69 and has hypothyroidism and brain angioma. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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When I had these same side effects, believe it or not, I took Claritin (not D) and an aleve every day and it did help with the body aches. It didn't get rid of them completely but helped. It is worth a shot. What chemo is your mom on? I am stage 111a squamous cell and had surgery and then chemotherapy and then will start radiation therapy on July 26th. The chemo is rough. I pray that your mom can get through the rest of her chemo. Jane
Plenty of rest. My husband had the same thing and we thought those aches and pains would never let up but they did. He would be so drained to where he slept a lot. He worked 12-14 hours a day then all of a sudden he could barley go. Sending prayers up for your mum right now.
I also had body aches and was told to take Claritin to help relieve them, it really helped. I also had really bad fatigue, for that I rested when I needed to, but once I could I walked a couple of times each day for as long as I could. Also be aware that the side effects get worse after each round of chemo, and it takes a number of weeks following chemo before she will get her strength back. I would also suggest that you get some Imodium in case she delevelops diarrhea after another one of her chemo treatments. I am sure it is difficult to watch, but just give her time to rest and allow her body to adjust. Sending you you a big hug.
Does your mom's cancer clinic have a Palliative Care team? If so, they are the best ones to call if she is struggling with side effects. Palliative Care is NOT hospice. They are specialized doctors, nurses and psychologists with expert advice on how to deal with all stages of disease symptoms and treatment side effects. Wishing you and your mom the best.
First, let me say my heart goes out to you all -- I am also battling Stage IV Lung Cancer and have been for almost two and a half years now. It's a tough battle, but thankfully I am now doing better and have been stable for many months!!
I also had a lot of fatigue while on Chemo and like your Mom I am also Hypothyroid. You may want to have them run a new "thyroid" profile just to be certain, it's not worse and that she doesn't need to increase her thyroid meds. I found I needed extra rest and took naps or slept later, whatever I could. I also drank a lot of water (fluids) to help flush out the chemo and keep myself well hydrated. I also have Fibromyalgia, so I am used to aches and pains, but there were a bit worse on Chemo. I did have pain meds to take if there became bad and did have to take them from time to time.
Side effects can be different for each of us and may depend on the "specific" chemo drugs she is on. I started with Carboplatin and Pemetrexed and eventually went onto Maintenance (Pemetrexed only).
The only plus for me is that the fatigue and nausea etc. generally only lasted a few days and would not start until day 3 or 4 after each Chemo infusion. At the time I had my treaments every 2-3 weeks, and would have some time in between where I did feel somewhat better. Chemo's side effects do tend to be cumulative, so sadly, they are most likely to get worse, as time goes on.
I agree with Peg, and think working with a Palliative Care Team may be helpful. You can consult with her Oncologist too, for further assistance and if needed her Oncology Unit should be able to help get her set up with a Palliative provider...
My oncologist prescribed ABHR gel. It has to be done at a compounding pharmacy. It was for nausea. You apply it to your wrist. He was an older doctor and has since retired, but seemed to be very wise and highly respected. My first treatment was by far the hardest, so I pray it gets easier!
Lots of good advice so far. My experience was that the pain lessened after a week or so. The fatigue is her body's way of dealing with the healing. She needs that rest to fight and to heal.
Stay on top of her hydration. Have her walk a little bit every day, if only around the interior if her home. Get that Claritin!
So far I have escaped chemo for NSCLC, but had breast ca twice and went through very similar reactions. For the nausea I just stayed as still as possible and it would back off slowly, ginger ale and soda crackers helped, but it would come back the next chemo. Is your Mum getting Neulasta? That caused bad body aches, especially in my bones, and they just had me be quiet and it would back off in a day or two. The other suggestion they gave me for the body aches was naproxene, but I had liver ca and couldn't take it. Hope this helps; sometimes we have to go through some pretty awful stuff to get to healthier. It is important to talk to your docs and let them know what is happening so they can give you the proper response for your Mum's chemo type.
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