Avistan

[Dratsab]

Hi to all, I've had ovarian cancer which also infected part of my colon, rectum and spleen big opp plus more chemo and then given the all clear, less than a year from being in the clear I became ill again and the cancer is in the wall of the stomach which is inoperable I've had chemo again and I'm now having Avistan every third week fingers crossed it seems to be keeping the cancer at bay. Has anyone else been given Avistan and if so have you had side affects where as your joints and muscles become so painful, some days it's not to bad but others can be really bad. Carol

[Seasun36-uk]

Hi Carol,

Yes definitely! You will see many ladies have had these side effects if you look up ‘Avastin’ in the related posts or search bar on the right hand side of the screen.

Most people have some side effects, some worse than others.

(Nasal problems, headaches, raised blood pressure, aching muscles & joints & occasionally bowel problems). Do tell you Oncologist. I was advised to take regular Paracetamol. I still have aches now (finished in Aug ‘18) but who knows what it’s due to??

It’s a good drug & worth it if you can manage it.

Linda

[Lyndy]

Hello... I was quite lucky that Avastin didn’t have this effect but I do also have RA which does! I would suggest warming up your joints while still lying in bed, lots of warming pads or hot water bottles ( some people use ice too but I hate cold). Keep moving joints gently through the day if you can.

I use naproxen rather than ibuprofen but you have to get it from the doctor xx

[MostlyHarmless]

Hi. I also have inoperable cancer. I finished chemo in April and started on 3-week Avastin. As far as I can tell, it took about four months for the chemo effects to wear off. When did you finish chemo? I do get joint pains and stiffness from the Avastin but now I'm not so tired from the chemo it is bearable. I was taking paracetamol four times a day which really helped but have been able to reduce it over the last month. I try not to sit for too long as I seize up. I would suggest paracetamol and see Lyndy's advice about joint mobilisation.

[Dratsab in reply to MostlyHarmless]

Thanks for your reply, my chemo finished around the same time as yours, the joint and muscle pains have been with me since finishing the chemo. The only other possible contributing factor could be that I had a blood infection in August with a stay of two weeks in hospital. As it doesn't seem to be getting any better i have now made another appointment with my doctor in the hope they might this time be able to help me other than pain killers.

[Superkim]

Hey there, Carol.

My biggest problems with Avastin were high blood pressure and the mouth sores (I fixed that with oil pulling). I had some muscle soreness, but it wasn't anything overwhelming, Light yoga kept me going. However, everyone is a little different. Some have no side effects, others have all of them and then some.

As long as your doctor is on board, I would say to make sure you're doing some sort of exercise, staying hydrated, and eating well. Good luck!

-Kim