Muscle pain and weakness
 

Hi All,

Well its been a while since I have posted on the site but I peek in every now and then. I have had my last scheduled chemo treatment about 2 weeks ago and am about to start the Herceptin treatment every three weeks. I do have a questions that I am hoping someone could help me with. Like I said its been about 2 weeks post chemo and I am having a lot of muscle weakness and pain. I work on the second floor and have always taken the stairs but lately I feel like my legs are on fire after just the first 8 steps. Has anyone else had this issue? I force myself to continue to walk the treadmill for at least 15 minutes a day but its very difficult. I used to be able to do 30 mins or more. My legs feel heavy like I have worked out for hours. I see my Onc next week and am going to talk to her about this but wanted to see if anyone else had this issue.
I also feel this slight flutter under my eye that is driving me nuts! I have read that this is a common issue but boy does it drive me crazy. Any suggestions on how to get this to stop?

Thank you in advance to all!

Re: Muscle pain and weakness
 

Hi,

I get the eye thing from time to time and was told its stress related so could be that, regarding the leg weakness, it took me many months to recover all my energy and stamina after chemo finished. I was told it can take the same amount of time as having the chemo did, we've put our bodies through a lot and they need time to recover so do cut yourself some slack and accept it will take time and rushing it won't help.

Re: Muscle pain and weakness
 

Hi,

Have you been getting the white blood cell booster shots lately?

I remember heavy legs (like there's lead in my calves) after the shots. Perhaps that's the cause? It will go away after a while.

Re: Muscle pain and weakness
 

Oh yes, Taxotere and legs of lead. I shuffled when I walked. Couldn't lift my legs. Kept stumbling. Couldn't lift my feet, so the toe of the shoe would get caught. Also my arms had deep muscle pain.

L-CARNITINE 500 mg -- on an empty stomach -- 2 x a day
CO-ENZYME Q10 -- 150 mg w/a meal 2 x a day
ALPHA LIPOIC ACID -- 300 mg w/a meal 2 x a day

This helps a lot.

It took a long while for that to subside with me, but these supplements surely helped!

I had major tearing of the eyes. Forever clutching a tissue. Kept a ziploc in my bag full of wet tissues. After 5 ophthalmologists I was told I had really really dry eyes. Meaning -- take eye drops (without preservatives) and use HOURLY! Annoying but most effective! Relief. No more burning (like there are slivers of glass in my eye), itching, tearing...

I use Bausch & Lomb's individual vials (28 to a box) of SOOTHE. After a few wks, I could move to every 2 hours and on and on. I STILL after all these years use the drops first thing in the A.M. and last thing at night. If I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I have to use drops. I keep the vials everywhere!

Maybe the little tics will stop.

Of course B12 concentrated METHYL COBALAMINE is excellent for nerve repair.

I sure hope you soon feel better and better Love! It'll definitely get better.

Re: Muscle pain and weakness
 

Hi Lovemyboys3,

I had sore burning legs. I started to think it would never improve. My anemia and platelets got better over a few weeks. I took Nurofen twice a day (I had only been allowed panadol/ tylenol before that). The Nurofen helped, as did hot showers, and regular exercise - mainly walking. I didn't push myself hard. I couldn't walk up a hill. I had to let myself regenerate.

About two months after the last infusion I felt much better. I was still quite bad at about 6 weeks, but 2 weeks later I was much better. Now there is only a bit of stiffness if I sit still too long. I still get tired and the herceptin infusion makes me tired the next day.

Hope you feel better soon.

Aussie Girl

Re: Muscle pain and weakness
 

Well, I guess I'm just realizing that in 1998 the Taxotere protocol was different. Brutal really. I was on T for 9 mnths...

I couldn't handle it anymore. My onc saw the difference in me as I burst into tears in the chemo room after oddly having to wait (in pain) for nearly 2 hrs for my many hrs of tx. I am tough. I don't complain. He happened into the chemo room which he normally didn't do came to say hello to me and asked how I was. He immediately said, Okay, no more Taxotere for you. In fact you can leave today if you want. You don't have to have it. I took one more tx. As my multiple tumors throughout my liver had shrunken but still appeared to be present. (I later learned from two independent radiologists associated w/2 entirely independent oncs I sought additional input from) that each believed what they were looking at was necrotic tissue. Cyst-like, filled with fluid. One pronounced me in "cautious remission". And I've remained there ever since.

My fav onc who gave me a pass said, There's no reason to believe that Herceptin alone can keep you there. And so I remained on H. For 10 yrs.

After that final T tx I went home, got into bed, or fell into bed, and didn't move but for my H tx's which were weekly back then. I could barely speak. Not even to my then 2 yr old granddaughter. But I persevered, and am truly grateful for each day.

I am seeing that the newer protocol for Taxotere, the freight train drug one sister calls Terrortere, is a bit gentler.

So many offer support and great advice for dealing with the side effects in this thread and Adriana's thread dealing w/her first time on H! As always super suggestions, my Sisters!

I wish you, and Addie well, as you make your way through the myriad side effects that are quite painful and disabling, but in my humble opinion all worth it -- cause it did the job! It killed all that cancer in me! With the help of Herceptin (thank you Dennis Slamon) and all my supplements, meditation, guided imagery, positive mantras and persistently optimistic attitude despite it all.

You can do this!

With Love and Light,

Re: Muscle pain and weakness
 

Lovemyboys3, I had the leg fatigue just as you describe along with tightness of my quads , I would go to sit on the couch and tuck my legs under me and would feel pulling and stretching. I guess that lasted about 6 weeks after my last chemo. I'm four months post chemo now and feeling an awful lot like my old self! You will too...hang in there