Im new here any help appreciated for osteoarthritis and breast cancer treatment

[mythmagic]

Was diagnosed with both last october severe athritis in hips with cysts grown into the joints and some dead bone thrown in for good measure!!was refered to a consultant in October but still not been seen but had op for the cancer within 4 weeks of diagnosis all removed had radiotherapy and am now on hormone supressants am now on 3rd tablet due to reactions to first 2 which caused joint and muscle pain which dont help the hips,3rd tablet not much better for causing muscle pain.Am now on crutches as cannot walk unaided the breast care team were amazing with treatment but are not interested in the hip issues and the pain the tablets are causing.Was on cocodemol but Drs now put me onto Gabapentin but thats not having much effect I know excersise is essential and have a manual treadmill that I use but am now struggling to walk.Am getting to the point of stopping the cancer tablets so at least I can keep mobile.Anyone out there had similar experience or would appreciate any hints or tips to try to keep out of a wheelchair

[Batty1]

Sorry no one responded to your question and I have no experience with BC but definitely have experience in horrible joint and tendon pains (psoriatic arthritis). You should look up a product call Australian Dream cream for arthritis pain and they make one for back, I swear it helps take the edge off my joint and tendon pains which can leave me bed bound because of how horrible when they act up.

Only bad thing is this product is not cheap.

[mythmagic in reply to Batty1]

Thank you for your reply and for the suggestion will definately have a look at this,willing to try anything that might give some relief from the constant pain

[Batty1 in reply to mythmagic]

Your welcome and hope this works for you…. My 81yr old mother has arthritis bad in her hip and she uses it and says it definitely gives her relief.

[texigal]

Hi mythmagic.. so sorry to hear of your painful situation. I’m in the US so I don’t know how your healthcare system works , but can you not contact the orthopedic consultant to whom you were referred to see if you can be worked in? Your hip pain/ dysfunction has obviously worsened since last October . If that is not possible under your system perhaps you can go to an urgent care clinic to get assistance with pain management and getting an appointment with an orthopedist.

[HeronNS]

There is really no excuse for your health care team to be ignoring the pain you are in. First of all they should not assume they know what is causing the pain. You need a proper in-person visit with a specialist who will look at all possibilities. It's all very well for people like us to recommend certain things which have worked for us but you have a complicated medical situation. I mean, I could blithely recommend Flexiseq which has worked brilliantly for my painful knees, but you really do need to find out exactly why you have so much pain and not settle for doctors dismissing you only with medicine to mask it.

I and my doctor at the time thought increasing pain I experienced was "only" my osteoarthritis getting worse. In the end with a new doctor I found out I had polymyalgia rheumatica, which requires corticosteroids to treat. Without that correct medication I am hardly able to move, and I don't have the additional problem of dealing with a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

You deserve better. I hope you can get the help you need.

[mythmagic in reply to HeronNS]

Thanks for your reply,In some ways I have been lucky because for several years I have had back issues had MRI scan last June which confirmed 2 bulging discs so took myself to a Chiropractor who immediately suggested I had arthritis in the hips and wrote a letter to my Doctor who arranged Xray and MRI scans which have confirmed osteoarthritis in both hips with subcondral cysts and avacular narcrosis(dead bone) in both joints and was refered to orthopaedics had an orthopaedic triage back last october when he referred to me a Consultant with view to having double hip replacement but unfortunately the waiting list to see the Consultant is anything between 52 and 62 weeks due to Covid.Unfortunately the breast cancer reared its head in the october,had operation 3 weeks after diagnosis which was so quick had radiotherapy in January but as it was an agressive estrogen fed cancer they have prescribed these hormone supressants which cause joint and muscle pain,they only have 4 tablets available have tried 2 which gave me horrendous joint and muscle pain plus other side effects the 3rd one that I am on is still giving me joint pain but not as many other side effects and am having to take it for few more weeks to see if side effects improve I have been taking Gabapentin for 6 days and must admit the muscle pain in the legs has eased slightly just need to sort out hip pain and hopefully get to see consultant in the not to distant future.

Thanks to everyone who has replied

[HeronNS in reply to mythmagic]

I hope things continue to improve. It seems so slow, doesn't it, when you are in pain, but I'm relieved to hear you do seem to be in good hands, if only covid hadn't slowed down your opportunity for the hip operation(s). 💐

[sdds]

Hi! Welcome to the group. First, I'm so sorry to hear about your troubles. You're a brave woman. It is unfortunate that chemo can wreak such havoc on the body while working towards treating the cancer. I don't think that you said how long you had been on the gabapentin. I do know that gabapentin can take some time to get into the system and begin to show benefits. It takes longer in some people than others (months for some) so please do keep that in mind while deciding whether to discontinue it. Some people have had success with Lyrica if the gabapentin doesn't work. Also, I don't know what the legalities are in the UK, but medical marijuana is showing to be effective treatment here in the states. Have you tried aquatic exercise? It is much easier on arthritic conditions than conventional exercise. I pray that a successful treatment can be found for you(and maybe some compassion from the prescribers).

Don't give up and try to stay positive! I know it can't be easy, going through all of this. I would enjoy hearing back from you and updates on your condition, if you care to communicate. Either way you will be in my prayers. Stay safe and take care!

Sharon

[sam-sam]

Hi, mythmagic, I about 30 years ago, like you developed severe pains, phoned the specialist, stopped the pills, totally. It was worth the risk. Have osteoarthritis in various places, scoliosis, physio helps, but keep doing the excercises. Good luck , Sam-sam.