Pain in my feet
 

Has anyone had really bad pain in their feet when the get up from sitting or laying down? I thought it was Plantar Fasciatis(sp) but went to the PCP yesterday and she said it was not. Had xray's taken of them and waiting to hear.
Also, my shoulder on the side of my MRM is not impinged and will probably need PT and cortisone.
Has anyone else had these problems. I feel like I am 100 years old with all my aches and pains.
I try to walk 30 minutes everyday, I take all the supplements and I am living on Advil.
Guess I am just frustrated to have so many "minor" ailments that I am not back to where I was before.
Any ideas greatly appreciated.
Emelie

Emilie,

I've had two frozen shoulders, which had nothing to do with BC. An overly enthusiastic surgeon operated on first: very painful and took months to recover, with constant PT. The second, on left, was treated by my primary care doctor, who is also a Rheumatologist, with a shot of cortisone and some PT (total of three sessions). It's been great, full mobility, and I'm so happy I didn't return to the surgeon. If you can fix it with cortisone and PT, I suggest you try that first. It worked for me. Can't help you on the feet problem, but I hope they get better soon.

I have pain in my left foot, too. I do think it is plantar fasciitis and I am currently wearing my orthotics and doing different kinds of exercises for my foot. My friend had it so bad that they had to cast her all the way to the knee.

If you think you have it, I would go for a 2nd opinion because once it gets bad, it's hard to manage.

Karen

EMELIE

I have pain in my legs and feet but I attribute it to the taxol I'm on....as far as the shoulder goes, I ended up with shoulder problems on my MRM side...PT and cortisone took care of it....no more pain. The funny thing was, I got it about 1 year later!

Emelie
I would consider acupuncture and message before leaping into other therapies. I think I have read good things about it for frozen shoulders.
I have a lot of almost whole body pain when I exercise. Feet, shoulders, legs, arms and hands. I think I will take my own advice :-) and consider more message and acupuncture! Acupuncture did away with almost all pain in my stomach that was thought to be adhesions from hysterectomy.

Thanks ladies
 

Thank you to all who responded to my post. I guess that BC treatments and age are catching up with me Big Time. The hardest part for me, is that I was so healthy and athletic before BC. Now it takes all my effort to exercise and take care of day to day stuff.
I will probably get cortisone and PT, and hopefully my PCP can figure what is up with my feet.
Hope all is going well with everyone,
Emelie

Emelie, As far as the shoulder problem...I had alot of pain on my MRM side. I felt like my entire shoulder was dislocated. It really hurt! I could hardly move it at one time without coming close to tears. I complained to any doctor that would listen and all they said is its not normal and I could see a orthopedic doctor for it. I couldn't help but believe it had to be caused some how from the MRM. Long story short it took quite a while but it did QUIT hurting all on its own. I did my own exercise with it...walking it up walls and making sure I moved it. But it was probably a good 6 months and its GREAT now thank goodness. After the all the time I've spent on the boards it sure seems this is a more common problem then our oncologist seem to know about.

Chelee

Emelie,

When I get up after sitting or laying down my feet literally feel like they are going crack into a million pieces. I originally thought it was from the Taxatore but it continued after I stopped it. I started Herceptin and the pain started up again. I went off Herceptin -- no pain. I'm no on Taxol/Carboplatin and Herceptin and the pain is back. At this point I don't know what it's from. I've found that if I wiggle my feet -- sort of make turns with the feet using the ankles for a little while before getting up that the pain isn't near as bad.

Emelie,
I know exactly how you feel. I don't have pain in my feet but my hips and neck just ache. I just had a bone scan and CT and nothing showed up in those areas. I am attributing it to bone pain from Herceptin.

I am not complaining. Herceptin is our answer to prayer. I just hate feeling like I am 100 years old.

Will be eager to see if things clear up after Herceptin is over. I finish Dec. 27. You are close behind.

Good luck to you.
Donna

YES!!!! My onc says it is nerve damage from chemo..not much they can do. I have the pain in both my feet especially in the morning getting out of bed. I find that my left foot hurts more than my right. My onc didn't mention cortizone shots..do you think I should ask about it?

pilates helps me
 

I used to live on Advil. I started Pilates about 3 years ago and it changed my life. On the reformer. With a teacher who is also a Physical Therapist.

In general, I'll say that it takes a year to get back to "normal" and you've just finished treatment.

Feel better,
Flori

Oh Yes
 

Oh Emelie -

I am having exactly the same problems. My feet are awful. I did get orthotics but that has only helped some. When I get up from a sitting position, it takes me a good minute or two before I feel like I can walk normal.
In addition, I just started physical therapy for my shoulder. Not a clue what is wrong there. I just have a constant achey, heavy feeling. I can't even really describe it. I am not limited as to what I can do with my shoulder, it just hurts all the time. I did have a bilat. mastectomy but had no nodes removed from that side. I think I even have the physical therapist stumped with that one!
I believe this all started just after I finished herceptin. I really truly do feel like I am 60 yrs old.
I was given some exercises to do for the shoulder so we will see how that goes.

In addition, I wear shoes in the house ALL THE TIME. Even when I step out of the shower I step into my shoes! I will say this has helped some.

I will let you know if I find a magical answer and you do the same. This truly has been frustrating. It is hard at times to be positive when you hurt all the time and of course I wonder, "could it be the cancer coming back". But, I shove that thought out of my head as fast as it comes in!

In addition, I am going to start lifting weights next week so I will see if that helps my shoulder issue. I was also told weekly reflexology is good for the feet problems but that could get a little pricey.

I am hoping to see other replies with some remedies!

My personal theory about the aches and pains associated with Herceptin use is that Herceptin, being an antibody, basically "fires up" the immune system and what we are experiencing are mild to moderate autoimmune disorders. I think it's telling what Kate reports, that when she stops Herceptin the pain goes away, and when she's back on H. the pain is back.
Anyway, just my personal theory. Emelie, I hope as time goes by that your body will recover and you'll be your old self again; in the meantime, anti-inflammatories will help, and ask your doc if you should be on a low dose of aspirin(81)mg as there have been some reports that even at that low dose one gets the benefit of the Cox2 inhibiting effect. Cox2 is one of the bad guys in the inflammatory process.

<3 Lolly

<3 Lolly

Em, I suffered from heal spur syndrome for two full years (before breast cancer). I know of some special exercies and things you can purchase to help eliminate the pain. Ladies, Read the following and if you feel you have heal spur syndrome, let me know and I can share the things that helped me.

Heal Spur Syndrome aka Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Spurs.
Plantar fasciitis is a common foot problem that accounts for 1 million office visits per year. Plantar fasciitis occurs from small tears and inflammation in the wide band of tendons and ligaments that stretches from the heel to the ball of the foot. This band, much like the tensed string in a bow, forms the arch of the foot and helps to serve as a shock absorber for the body. The term plantar means the sole of the foot, and fascia refers to any fibrous connective tissue in the body. Most people with plantar fasciitis experience pain in the heel with their first steps in the morning. The pain also often spreads to the arch. The condition can be temporary or may become chronic if the problem is ignored. In such cases, resting provides relief, but only temporarily.
Heel spurs are calcium deposits that can develop under the heel bone as result of the inflammation that occurs with plantar fasciitis. Heel spurs and plantar fasciitis are sometimes blamed interchangeably for pain, but plantar fasciitis (heal spur syndrome)can occur without heel spurs, and spurs commonly develop without causing any symptoms at all.
Causes of Plantar Fasciitis. The cause of plantar fasciitis is often unknown. It is usually associated with overuse during high-impact exercise and sports and accounts for up to 9% of all running injuries. Because the condition often occurs in only one foot, however, factors other than overuse are likely to responsible in many cases. Other causes of this injury include poorly-fitting shoes, lack of calf flexibility, or an uneven stride that causes an abnormal and stressful impact on the foot.

The above came from:
http://health.nytimes.com/health/gui...heel-pain.html

OMG I have been suffering with my shoulder, armpit and chest pain problems. It started 2 months after my mastectomy and have gone the several different doctors and PT. I have been suffering for months. I've posted messages on this site requesting help a few times. Harrie provided some very good information approximately one month ago if anyone wants to check it out.

Calcification in shoulder
 

My PCP called yesterday and left this message on my answering machine,"Your feet look fine. We can try anti-inflammitory drugs or send you to a podiatrist. As for your shoulder, there is an area of calcification and they are recommending an MRI. Call me back if you have any questions." Well, of course I have questions. Was she kidding? So I called the office back, they said they would give the message to her, but she never called back.
So, to make a long story short, I am worried sick that this is cancer in my shoulder bones. It is the same side that the BC was on and where they took out the lymph nodes.
I am going to call my onc. this morning and tell her what is going on.
I am hopeful this is nothing, but it is a real surprise to me.
Will let you all know what is decided.
Em

Emilie,

I can understand your worry, but calcification is what defines many types of frozen shoulder, of which I've had two. In surgery, they remove the calcification (won't say how) and then manipulate your arm to unfreeze the shoulder. I would think if they say it's calcification then it's not mets. But that's pure guess on my part.

Emeile,

My quick response is...yes there are alot of aches and pains after treatment. I found 33 rads of radiation made me feel like an old woman. Took me a long time to get my strength back. Herceptin gives me aches and pains too. That all being said....please be on alert.....

My oncologist tells me to listen to my body. If something is not right, he wants to know. I am done with Hercepting Dec 19 and then I go to follow up appointments. That is really when my oncologist wants me to pay attention and report anthing out of the ordinary. I am hoping that your oncologist picks up on what is really going on. And hopefully it is nothing serious. You know your body, be wise, patient, and persistent to get the right answer. We are all behind you.

Catherine

Emelie
I think the calcifications in the shoulder lends to be more arthritic changes...unlike calcifications in the breast which are more frequently cancer. You are in my prayers Emelie.

Emelie,

The calcifications in the shoulder are most likely what they call bone spurs. When I had my rotator cuff repaired a few years ago (torn cartledege) they found bone spurs that they also removed.