Osteoarthritis after ovarian cancer chemotherapy

[kadabra12]

Hi i was wondering if anyone else had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis after having carboplatin and placitaxil combination. I fimished my course 3 months ago and since then ive had really bad aching in my back and thought it was due to a fatty tissue lump in my lower back (lipoma) lieing on a nerve and it was affecting my hips and feet and ankles. They assured me it wasnt so i left it at that. My knees and ankles hurt and crack when getting up from sitting possition etc and also my ahoulders and lower arms ache. Now im suspecting osteoarthritis and awaiting see whwt my consultant says. Anyone else had this lind of aching and it was osteoartheritis after chemo?thanks

[Katmal-UK]

Hi

I have been diagnosed with arthritis which seems to have flared up following initial diagnosis/chemo in 2007. To be honest now sure which it is but I know have nodules on a few of my finger joints, hips that hurt if I walk too far and take Celebrex to combat the pain. xx Kathy xx

[kadabra12 in reply to Katmal-UK]

Mines more tenderness and can hear clicking and felt like my shoulder had buckled when tried straighten it. Already had slight issue woth my knees but now its all of my joints and getting worse week by week

[bamboo89]

I already had osteo arthritis of the spine prior to chemo - I did a lot of research on chemo and ended up refusing it two years ago,, but have had carboplatin recently. One of the reasons I refused it (especially paclitaxol) was the research mentions osteo arthritis as a possible consequence, along with aggravation of any existing osteo arthritis, because chemo can affect the bones. I remember saying to my sister on that subject that if you didn't have arthritis already, you probably would afterwards. So yea, likely your condition is a result of chemotherapy, although to be fair, it usually affects most people as they get older at some point anyway, whether they notice it or not. I don't know how old you are, but its possible you already had a bit of osteo arthritis but were unaware of it, and the chemo has just exacerbated it. Chemotherapy might give us more time, even a lot more time, but there's always a price for any drug we take, and I don't mean financial... its a balancing act between survival and ongoing health really - what we need is the extra time but without serious damaging effects, so its always a gamble.

Miriam

[kadabra12 in reply to bamboo89]

Hi thank you for your reply yea im 50 and had slight issue for years on and off with my knees but was managimg work full time with no probs till daiagnosed with OC in january . It was more of walking upstairs they hurt but like u said in ur reply its possible its exelerated it but now ive got it im areas i had no problems with before. My Consultants booked me in for a bone scan on friday so at least i will know. I thought surgery and chemo id start feeling more myself but feel my body has aged 20 years since chemo. I was hoping be back at work by now on reduced hours but my body wont let me.

[bamboo89 in reply to kadabra12]

I know, though I am sorry to hear that you don;t feel good enough to work again. It does sound like osteo arthritis had started from what you say about your knees - the first thing I noticed when I was about 51 was a lot of cracking in my knees, especially going up and downstairs, as well as stiffness in my feet first thing in the morning. I used to scuttle up the hall to the bathroom on getting up like a crab, till my feet started working again within a few minutes!

I don't feel the same either since I had carboplatin (finished in mid July) - it does change us, but I either had some chemo or died within a few months - lockdown had started as I started chemo, and palliative care was thin on the ground at the time because of Covid, so I agreed to the chemo, although I still refused the paclitaxel. Shame it didn't have a lasting effect on the cancer, despite me having a good response while on the chemo - am on Niraparib now, hoping that holds it back a bit, otherwise they'll suggest paclitaxel... not sure I want that, I've got more body pain since carboplatin anyway. I 'm at the stage where quality of life matters more than the length of it... The niraparib makes me feel even less like the person I was only 6 months ago too, got less energy, seem to have lost my mojo... but then I'm stage 4b, and I think if chemo works and you're at an earlier stage, you probably have enough time to get past the after effects and lead a more normal life, closer to how you were before, so take heart!

You sort of get used to osteo arthritis and learn to manage it, which is likely something you would have had to do anyway as you got older. I'm 70 now and have always used magnets, covered in the things stuck on with bits of leukoplast plaster, and its not attractive, but I find them very effective for the pain, much more so than painkillers. I swear there are days where I wouldn't be walking properly without them and if I've got them in the right places on my lower back, they stop the cramp down the legs and into the feet at night. The trouble with arthritis in the spine is it affects everywhere... unusually, I don't have it in my big joints like hips, which is more common. Also got a PainGone pen, that is useful for areas where I might not want magnets (like my jaw or neck for instance). One other thing - you might find some foods aggravate the arthritis - I can only eat an orange about once a fortnight, and clementines one every 4 days, otherwise my fingers swell up and get really stiff and painful, and that's nothing to do with the chemo. Some people find tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines and peppers aggravate it, but I don't have a problem with those. High dose rosehip supplements are known to reduce or kill the pain, though they don't have any curative effect on the condition.

You will improve as the weeks go by, so try not to get too down about it... its a matter of time I'm afraid.

Miriam

[kadabra12 in reply to bamboo89]

Oh i know the stiffness of feet after waking and sitting for long periods..i walk likea penguin.

So sorry to hear your that ur reaponse to the treatment hasnt been good hasnt been good and i agree with what u stated regarding quality of life is over quantity.

I was diagnosed stage 3c and surgery removed all but a small tumour. My cancer was high grade fast growing hormone fed cancer but got good ct scan results and ca125 markers were low so they say all is good.

Feel bad moaning about my aches and pains now as they are quite mild compared to yours but i will look into your magnets and the paingone pen. Hopefully once i know for sure they will advise me what helps and what agrivates it

Anyway thank you for you advice and i Hope everything goes well for you

[bamboo89 in reply to kadabra12]

I only mentioned the magnets and paingone pen because any help you're offered might just be pain relief drugs - you might find the medicines help enormously, but if not, acupuncture/acupressure is good, as well as regular movement and gentle exercise. Physio or osteopathy are good too.

Good luck with it, hope the scan isn't too bad...

Miriam

[Sw21]

Yes, I have stiff achy joints in 18 joints now. Had none, and was 53 at start of chemo. I had carbo/taxol and avastin. I blamed the avastin, but maybe was the taxol. I felt like I was 80 during chemo. Now I feel like I’m 70. I can’t take nsaids because the chemo also caused kidney disease. I find moist heat, like warm showers help. And I found some arthritis mitts that you warm up in the microwave that really help my sore hands. Still, I’m glad to be here. So many of us aren’t.

[kadabra12 in reply to Sw21]

Yea i totally agree we are the lucky ones and if we have to suffer abit more than we were then its all worth it

[SASSY196]

Hi - Im 54 and have just been sent for a bone scan and also am having a ultrasound on shoulder. Im still on avastin . Very achy/stiff - apparantly an escalted menopause happens if you havent fully gone through this already which combined with chemo/avastin causes pain - still as you say so much better than the alternative. I am having almost daily hot epsom salt bath, yoga (free online sessions at Triyoga- Vicky is wonderful) , got a neck stretcher, treated myself to comfy pillows, exercise helps .Good luck - Im back at work now and find it really helps structure my days in these COVID times

[kadabra12 in reply to SASSY196]

Due to health and safety ive been advised to stay off longer as im a handling hot food trays straight from high speed oven and drinks all day.

I also bought memory foam mattress topper and memory foam pillows to see if it helps and whilst i am sleeping better the symptoms are still there.

I hadnt gone throu menopause prior to my surgery so yea its full blown menopause and chemo on top. My chemo finished in july so 3 months ago and the pajn is getting worse not better. Started back, knees and feet but now affecting my shoulder arms and wrists. My nurse definatly thinks its osteoarthritis due to chemo and ive read about going into menopause can cause it too.

I will try the epsom salts thanks for that.

[SASSY196 in reply to kadabra12]

I would also really recommend the free online yoga at triyoga for cancer patients and survivors - just Google. Vicky is just brilliant, she explains the exercises, gives options and really understands how to support. She talks through the processes in body etc. I started so so gently, use props and it has helped. I will be online Thursday morning so if you can go imagine I am there with you for company. My friend also goes to online class at Target Ovarian cancer which is also very good and just oc people. Xxx

[kadabra12 in reply to SASSY196]

Brilliant i will definatly look into those.. thank you x

[MarleyZ]

Hi kadabra12

Interesting what you mentioned, part of side effects I had during chemo was tingly fingers and toes, since I finished chemo in July of this year have now lost the tingling in the fingers but have almost dare I say it a rigor mortis feeling in fingers about few minutes after I start to go asleep haven't told the chemo team yet and the toes still tingle just wondering now what other ailments will be still be there ...wish you well

[kadabra12 in reply to MarleyZ]

I also had tingling in fingers and feet during chemo and then it was like a phone vibrating in my foot aftee chemo had stopped but thst seems to have gone now and they are achy. My arms feel like ive got heavy arms alot of the time. Mention any issues you are having to ur cancer nurse as they pretty much got moving with this and booked in for my scan within days and also the same when i mentioned my lipoma lump . Hope all goes well and u feel better soon

[MarleyZ in reply to kadabra12]

I had an epidural which caused a feeling of a lump on my spine area mentioned that they did CT scan but couldn't find anything it still feels there is something there so sometimes cannot lay on back as it gets uncomfortable ..I will mention the fingers issue as it's in both hands just feels odd as if it's a joint issue minute I move fingers it feels ok maybe circulation problem will mention to them at chemo clinic.

[kadabra12 in reply to MarleyZ]

Chemo can cause nerve damage which sometimes can go by itself or stays. I lnow what u mean but its our bodies and we know when something is wrong. I have hiatus hernia and acid reflux which had got worse and then i got a groin hernia. I knew something wasnt right amd kwpt saying it wasnt just thst n the added hernia amd from that i founf out i t had OC. The linpoma lump appeared then and they thought saw leakage of fluid but was still there after drainage amd surgery. 3 visits to docs and nothing. Took for me to tell my cancer nirse during routine call post chemo for them to actually check it out amd diagnose lipoma. So make sure u tell them

[MarleyZ in reply to kadabra12]

I will let them know dunno if I wish I had done some research into stuff when I had the diagnose in December 2019 then underwent the op to remove tumour and had full hysterectomy at the time I decided to take one appt at a time then underwent the chemo only joined this forum after had done chemo half way through..absolutely agree tho we do know body and selves better than anyone.

[Dubai18]

Hi kadabra12,

I have osteoarthritis in my knees, and after my Chemotherapy finished in Feb 2021, in March my knees flared up and the pain was excruciating,.both knees were swollen, never had this happen before although I had pain going up and downstairs but walking was good,.After chemo I couldn't stand up or get around, even get to the toilet 😢, it was really bad....the knee consultant told me that this can happen after chemo,.it can make it worse or it can cause it to start, and I would have flareups in the future, I am still not 100%, and use a walking stick to get around. Hope your results are positive and it's not osteoarthritis. X

[JanCan15]

I had chemo for OC at age 42. That was 6 years ago. I felt old and stiff during the whole process as well. After I was done with chemo I thought I could jump right back into working out like I had before. Well my ankles couldn’t handle it. I had stiff ankles for a year after chemo. I couldn’t run or go on my tippy toes. I wondered if I would ever get back to normal. Good news is that my ankles finally recovered! I have learned that I have to be careful when I exercise and increase little by little and listen to my body. I just can’t work out as hard as I did before OC, hysterectomy and chemo. I hope with time you will feel better!