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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Breast Cancer / December 2004Pain after chemo...
Hi all, Thanks once again for all your earlier advice. My mom was given radiation on Friday to the lower back; and took her first dosage of chemo (Taxotere and xeloda) on Wednesday. Since Friday night, she has been complaining of severe stomach pain; and a burning sensation and pain in her legs. Our doctor prescribed some pain medication; but it dosent seem to have had much effect. Is this kind of pain normal? Does she just need stronger medication for it? or is this kind of unusual? In my paranoid state, I even feel scared if its not the chemo, but cancer which is causing this pain. Should we approach our doc for stronger medication? When we told him it hasnt helped much; he said that it would take effect slowly only. Im not very satisfied with that answer of his; but Im clueless on what to do.. Jayu > Hi all, > Thanks once again for all your earlier advice. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > to do.. > Jayu Could be inflammation from radiation overspill. If so it should wear off fairly soon. Is her digestion working OK? Was the radiation before the chemo (I'm not clear which Wednesday and Friday we are talking about) or could these be chemo side effects? If the pain meds continue not to work, go back to the doctor, and keep on going back. Keep him informed. The radiation should take several weeks to reduce the back pain, but pain medications should act within hours. Tim Jackson. Thanks for the prompt reply. I think the doc thinks its all related to the chemo; he said pretty much what Ann said, that the pain would fade away after some time and would start again in the next cycle. that explains the leg pain, but not sure about the stomach pain. I'll ask mom to follow your advice and take the medication early on to avoid this. She had chemo two days before the radiation; and the pain started almost immediately after the radiation. I dont think she has any digestion problems. I did read up that constipation is a common side effect; but I dont know if thats whats causing the pain. the way she described it; it became pretty much unbearable after some time. Would it be OK to take painkillers from any other doctor? I kinda feel our oncologist is of the "fight it out" category and dosent want to prescribe stronger meds. ohhh....i just hate this awful disease!!! jayu. > > Hi all, > > Thanks once again for all your earlier advice. [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > Tim Jackson. > Thanks for the prompt reply. I think the doc thinks its all related to > the chemo; he said pretty much what Ann said, that the pain would fade [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] >> >>Tim Jackson. Given that timing, it's hard to discriminate between causes. As Ann says, the leg pain sounds like a taxane effect. One wouldn't expect constipation to be that painful so soon, but it could happen. I wouldn't feel too happy about mix-and-match prescribing. I'd rather you persuaded the existing doctor to give what you need, else he gets the wrong idea about what is going on. If you do get medication elsewhere, he at least needs to know about it. For example if you got a prescription from a local GP because the situation became an emergency and you needed something quickly, that would be a reasonable basis for getting a prescription that he wouldn't have written, without overtly contradicting his judgement. Tim Jackson > Thanks for the prompt reply. I think the doc thinks its all related to > the chemo; he said pretty much what Ann said, that the pain would fade [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] >> >> Tim Jackson. I had that - it was an ulcer at the entrance to the stomach from all the pills - couldn't even drink water. > My mom was given radiation on Friday to the lower back; and took her > first dosage of chemo (Taxotere and xeloda) on Wednesday. Since Friday > night, she has been complaining of severe stomach pain; and a burning > sensation and pain in her legs. Our doctor prescribed some pain > medication; but it dosent seem to have had much effect. Is this kind > of pain normal? Does she just need stronger medication for it? Bone pain a few days after a taxane like Taxotere would be normal, which could explain the leg pain. It's usually worst in large bones, like the thigh bones, for example. If the pain meds don't help, she should talk to the doc. Stronger meds may be needed, but (now that she knows this will happen) she should take the pain meds before the pain starts. Sometimes people try to "tough it out" without taking the meds, until it's very painful. It's easier to keep the pain from starting than it is to beat it back once it's fully present. If it is bone pain, it should start to gradually fade until the next chemo cycle increases it again. I'm not sure about stomach pain. Any chance that she is seriously constipated, which can happen during chemo, and can cause abdominal pain? Ann T. Remove 'dontsendspam' from address to reply by email |
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