I'm wondering if anyone else has suffered with joint pain following chemo? My knees, shoulders and hands are are really bad, I struggle to get up from a seated position, have to do stairs one at a time gripping the hand rail for dear life! Generally I'm feeling like I've aged 20 years, I had no issues with this prior to chemo, was fit and healthy (apart from sneaky OC.
Lisa x
Hi Lisa, like you i was fit and healthy yoga every day, now I can just about think of it 😁 , I have a new pain every day, sometimes I feel I do nothing else but moan about a new ache, I'm thinking of buying my poor hubby some ear plugs..... Lol , Hope you are not suffering too much, this seems to be our new norm 😢
Take care
L x
Yep! Another joint pain sufferer here!! Bloody annoying at 39 😂 If I sit still for too long my legs seize up and if I walk too much they seize up - can't win! I need oiling 😆
Hi Lisa yes me too.. I finished 6 rounds of chemo with Avastin in June then another 12 Avastin until March. It's intermittent at times with stabbing pains in one of my toes, in my left hand, my right hip just aches and my shoulders feel like I have a ton weight.. it's all strange and constantly I'm tired.. Sneaky OC wished it go away! Love Michelle x
I didnt have chemo but did have joint pain, muscle fatigue and crashing fatigue. They are also symptoms of menopause.
It's possible that it's chemo or menopause or both.
Certainly the menopausal symptoms have graduallly reduced over time.
Yes what you describe is definitely me I used to walk into town and back no issues but now I struggled had to go to drs other day and I was in tears because I could not manage... oc robs us of so much .... worse for me are my wrist and elbows but have neuropathy in my feet too which is awful it's worse at night wakes me up sometimes that's if I can get to sleep with this damned insomnia lol in a right pickle aren't we 😊
Hey Lisa!
I finished Chemo at the end of March 2016 and felt the exactly the same as you! There were times when it took me ages to get up off the couch as I was so sore! Some mornings I couldn't put weight on my ankles they were that sore! It was still like that 5 months later and I thought it was never going to get better! I was 46 and felt 80!
I also broke my wrist and was diagnosed with osteopenia which I blame the Chemo for! I did a lot of research regarding bones and muscles and Tumeric was coming up all the time so I made the decision to try a supplement! I started that in Sept 2016 and began to get back into exercise and walking again! I now have little or no pain/soreness and can get up off the couch quick smart! I began to feel the benefits of the Tumeric about 2 weeks after I started taking it! I am not advocating this course of action for you just letting you know that it really has worked for me and I was feeling just as you described!
It may be that it would have gotten better over time on its own but regardless I am just glad to be able to move better without the soreness and I continue to take the Tumeric!
I hope it gets better for you soon too!
Dx
Hi D I'm going to give turmeric a try too! Let's see what happens! Love Michelle x
Hi Michelle, I am taking turmeric too. I put it into my cooking and drinks. Also I have heard raw garlic is good for you, but will have to get plenty of mouth washes. 😏xx
Hi Juliette ok thanks for the info.. I love garlic too.. in the circumstances others will have to put up with it 😂 xx
Hi I really related to your experience and at times have been hardly able to walk in the house let alone outside. Could you tell me where you get the tumeric and in what form and dosage ? Thanks
Hello, I was recommended Seventh Wave Supplements online-they use vegecaps with no additives. I've been taking them for a week now. The website was quick and easy to use. I'm not sure of the dosage they just come in one type, it says to take one or two a day with food. I also got some multi-vitamins and cod liver oil plus capsules from Aldi.. so much cheaper than the ones you buy in boots etc, I think they were only £1.50 per jar.
I will post in a week or so and let you know how I'm getting on with the Turmeric.
Lisa x
Although I wouldn't wish this on anyone it is good to know I'm not alone and this is very 'new' normal.
I will definitely try turmeric HogwartsDK, nothing to loose and anything that offers even a small % of improvement is worth a go. I'm so pleased that you have seen improvement as it really gives me hope.
I was going to try and get back to work around Easter but at the moment I just don't see how it could happen. I'll post back after I've tried the turmeric, let you know how it's going.
Thanks and best wishes,
Lisa x
I started with joint pain and stiffness in my lower back and hips after chemo. I mentioned it to the oncologist and she sent me for a X-ray . She also requested for a blood test for vitamin D deffincey.
Got the results back and I have thinning of the bones (osteoporosis)and a diffincey in vitamin D. I have been given two capsules to take once a month and I feel so much better. So I'd mention it at the hospital when you go. Hope you get it sorted soon as it's awful and painful xx
Ooh thanks for that, I will. My sister in law mentioned vitamin D as I was put on a mega low fat diet for 2 months after my op and she thought this may have effected my vitamin D uptake. I will mention it. Lx
I had knee and ankle trouble for about 8 months after chemo, not as bad as poor you. My oncologist said probably due to menopause. I had a test for vitamin b but results came back ok. I take turmeric and magnesium supplements and the stiffness and aches have almost disappeared. Very active now on our farm and weekly hiking. Hope you find something to increase your mobility.
Cheers Dawn
Hi. What is the brand of the turmeric tablets few of you seem to take? Thanks
I get them from Seventh Wave Supplements online-they use vegecaps with no additives.
Lisa
I had myalgia during chemo and nearly 4 months on I have the same symptoms as you. I am taking Naproxen prescribed by GP, some days better than others.
Ellsey xx
I hope you start feeling some relief from the symptoms soon too Ellsey xxx
5.5 months past chemo and no joint pain. Did have plenty of exhaustion and joint pain during chemo. Taking 500 mg magnesium daily which has greatly reduced neuropathy and possibly also improved joint function as well!
Hi Lise, my sister makes up her own tumeric ( golden paste) she went on the turmeric website. She uses it on her 10 year old dog that suffers with joint pain but now he is walking & running well. If you do decide to make it your self be very careful because it strains bright yellow on anything it touches. I am going to make some up to day I freeze it in little coffee bean ice cubes & take a few frozen tablets a day. You can buy the coffee bean ice cubes on line. It is a lot of fussing around & very messy maybe buying the turmeric tablets on line would be easier. Good luck wishing all the best at solving this problem.
Take care Cindyxx
Thank you that sounds like a great thing to try, I'll at least know how to do it if I run out or just find it too expensive to keep buying them. x
Hi Lias, it's very cheap to make & you know what's in it but it's messy. If you do buy some let us know if it works for you & I might buy some. Cindyxx
Hi Lisa! Yes......the joint pain showed up somewhere between round 4-6 of carbo/taxol. I am now on Avastin/Doxil and they have seemed to increase. I notice it mostly in my hands, hips and shoulders. I'm 49 and in good physical shape (besides the OC). So frustrating on top of everything else.
I've been taking B6 since the start of chemo. It was supposed to help joint pain. I have heard acupuncture has helped some and I am currently looking into that. I also like all of the suggestions here on tumeric.
Thanks for posting! It's always nice to see what others are trying for the list of side effects that we now all have to deal with.
Hugs!
Jodi
Hi Jodi,
Sounds very similar, I'm 50 but feeling 70 at present! 😂
All the best,
Lisa x
Avastin made my joints ache more than anything else. I finished it over a year ago and happy it worked for me but yes, I have had hip pain and shoulder pain, I only have a shower so use foot baths with epsom salts which are great. Today bought some in a garden centre as cheaper as just as pure as chemist. They use it in spas so it has to be got in bulk. I got a box of 1.5kg for 6euro and might look into ordering it on line. I must try the tumeric tabs. I do use tumeric powder on my food but find it irritates the tummy a little so stop again capsules might be a better bet.
That's a top tip Suzuki, thanks for that. X
I never thought of Epsom salt. Makes perfect sense! I think I'll give that a try today!! We are having an ice storm so the city is shut down and we are stuck at home so it's a perfect day for a 'soak'! 
And I agree on the tumeric....a pill form might be easier for those of us who have additional tummy trouble.
I had awful knee and hip pain after chemo-couldn't get up out of a dining chair without pain, let alone the sofa! I gave up the Avastin and that helped and then my oncologist suggested I use anti-inflammatories for a while. I did and that reduced the pain enough for me to exercise and improve the muscle tone in my legs. I just aimed to walk a bit further every week. Remember that we lose a lot of muscle mass during surgery and chemo and I think our bodies need to be 'rebuilt' . I am now free of pain and able to get up off the sofa easily and take the dog for a 3 mile walk before breakfast!
I really hope your pain improves.
love, Lou xxx
Thank you so much for that, just what I needed. X
Hi there, sorry to hear about your pain. My mom is exactly the same, she has had 2 sessions of chemo and both times excruciating pain in joints. Things we have tried; epsom salt baths seem to help temporarily, magnesium spray - helped a bit but she thinks her skin is now too sensitive and it stings a bit, acupuncture with moxy - she has only had two sessions of this too but thinks that it has helped a bit, an electric blanket to wrap around her, and a pad that you put in the microwave and then put on where it hurts. Hope this is of some help. Good luck on your journey. G X
Thanks for the tips G, Epsom salts seems to crop up a bit so I'm definitely going to give that a try. Have you told your moms oncologist about the joint pain, mine upped my steroids by a couple of days and it sorted it right out whilst I was having chemo?
Lisa x
IHi Lisa,
I'm off to get turmeric,magnesium and vitamin d tomorow! Already do the Epsom salts,find them great,but not a long term solution.
Anything has to be worth a try since,I feel about 90 and if I could do more excercise, I could shift the weight.
I too was told we lose about 40% muscle during chemo,no wonder we are all struggling
Carole xx
I love exercise Carole and miss it a lot, I'm going to gradually up my walking and then start to cycle again in March when the nights are a bit brighter. I have put a lot of weight on since the middle of chemo which is maybe not helping. I'm 51 in May and had an awful 50th as it was the week after diagnosis, so I'm thinking 51 is the new 50 and I want to be in the mood for a party!!
Good luck with your exercise and supplements, let me know how you get on. xxx
I totally agree love,I've just reached 60,but am not old with it, apart from the body!
I have forced myself over the weekend to do a lot of swimming,have always been active,never ill and I agree it comes as a shock to the system,
I can assure you I am not going down without a fight!
Let's keep each other updated,good luck with your quest😀😳😂
Cxx
Hi Lisa.... sorry about this but 9 years down the line I have back ache, bad knees, neck pain, sometimes elbows and wrists and finger joints, oh and ankles. Geez take me out and shoot me now! Turns out the chemo, way back when I had my first cycles of chemo, triggered arthritis. Soooooo lumpy fingers etc but hey ho! And as my oncologist says 'Your fit and healthy'! Having said all that the pains that you have at the moment will subside though so it's not all doom and gloom! Best wishes, Kathy xxx
Hi Kathy,
I just took out of that the nine years down the line!!! 😁😁😁 How amazing is that? This does feel arthritic but hopefully will calm down. Have you got your pain under control now, hope so!
You have just made my day!
Thank you,
Lisa x
Right there with you on the 50 and feel 80. The bone-crushing pain started about 3 months after my last chemo. So frustrating because I went from celebrating each day to super-crabby about everything. The pain can really wear you out.
There's a wonderful golden milk - Tumeric, ginger, etc. that helps. I also cut out nightshades and saw the rheumatologist. Low-dose prednisone is keeping me up and going relatively pain-free.
Best exercise I found is Pilates - lots of stretching and core work.
Hope you find the right combo to get you thru this!
Hello ChuyB,
Sorry to hear about your pain too!
I'll look up the golden milk, was nightshades a typo if not what is it?
Will also give Pilates a try!
Best, Lisa x
Hi lisa . I too am finding it hard i an fifty and feel eighty years old. Six rounds of chemo and I had wrist and joint pain. On letrozole and ankles hurt to so I get out of bed and have to shuffle for 10 mins to get everything going. Feel almost normal but after doing my job which I am on a return to work and reduced hours when I get home everything is aching. If I take a break at work I seize up and have to shuffle for awhile. I get comments like u have come back to early. But 10 minutes later and I can walk as well as anyone. Can't explain it but I can do things but there is always constant pain. Have tried all the neuropathy drugs like gabapentin and pregrablin just want to be me again and like u no one hasgiven me a solution. Am seeing my oncologist in February as all seem to say it's the letrozole. But I had most of issues u are describing after last chemo. Are u on hormone therapy?
Hello Gweni1
gosh you just hit the nail totally on the head, shuffling is exactly what I do and yes I seize us after sitting down for a really short time. Once I'm moving I'm ok although yesterday I went to bed at 3 for a couple of hours after shopping in town, i was shattered.
I'm not on hormone therapy.
I'm only taking boscopan for tummy spasms, now started multi vitamin, cod liver oil and turmeric.
Let me know how you get on please, I'll do the same. Would love to find a solution.
Best, Lisa x
Yes, It has been a year since my last chemo treatment and it has gotten a little better. Some days I feel great others not so much. My hands and shoulders feel better, the problem is still in my hips, knees, and feet. I didn't have a problem before chemo. 
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