OK..I just hurt..dammit!

[Sherryg683]

I've been on only Herceptin now since April and I was hoping my good days would out number my bad ones. I suffer with sinus infections that last for weeks at a time, feels like ice picks in my head. And just recently the good old, ribs and stomach burning symptoms have come back (hadn't had them since I finished chemo). Its a terrible hurting feeling in my ribs, and stomach, liver area. I can sometimes hear it gurgle so I figure it must be some sort of trapped gas or something but it hurts terribly and for days on end. My Oncologist assured me it was "nothing" when it was happening while I was on chemo. Well it hurts like hell, it has to be something. As of today my right breast and under the lymph node area which was operated on has started hurting terribly also ( I have been playing a lot of tennis lately, so I am telling myself it's muscular). I am tired of taking pain pills, and tired of trying to self diagnose myself. I had all my scans done last month and they were clean so I feel stupid calling the doctor over this stuff. I figure I'll get the "go to the ER if it gets too bad" speach. I just HURT and don't know what to do...my hubby says "take another pain pill", big help. Does anyone else go through this and what do you do when you feel this way. I'm really beginning to think it's the Herceptin causing these flareups. I know about the 2 week rule but I hate waiting. I have taken 3 hot showers today....guess I will take that pain pill after all...sherryg683

[mamacze]

Sherry,
Ouch, I hurt just reading your post! It sounds like you are experiencing a lot of unresolved pain and frankly, it doesn't sound right. If you are having questions that are not adequately addressed by your onc, it sounds like you need to talk with another doc, ie, it could be unrelated to your cancer..do you have a good primary doc you can use as a sounding board? If so, I would make an appointment pdq!
Love Kim from CT

[heblaj01]

sherryg683,
I don't know if the following info is going to be useful to you since the circumstances are not exactly the same.
In the case of an elderly lady in my family, on Herceptin since may 2006, she developed temporary epigastric & chest pains followed by back pain (1 to 3h long) when Navelbine was added to Herceptin. This was happening during the first 3 or 4 days after each treatment session .
Since this type of side effects were not listed in documents I consulted including those supplied by the hospital,I was fearing one of these possibilities:
=heart problem
=gallstone problem (Front & back pain symptoms. Gargling sounds can
sometimes be heard when the gallbladder ejects bile in spurts)
=compression fracture
=constipation side effects

All of the above concerns were eliminated for one reason or an other.
Back pain was suppressed in about 10 minutes by resting on a bed with an electric heating pad under the back with knees up. It could also be less quickly suppressed with a Tylenol.

The final explanation for the unexpected chest & back pain came about when I resumed a search for side effects of Navelbine on internet & found one site which did list chest & back pain for this drug.

What to conclude about the above info which may apply in your case?
May be heat can help relieve pain without pills.
Maybe you have a side effect of Herceptin not listed in most documents but could be mentioned in one to be discovered.

I have found in the past that it pays to consult more than one compendium or web site to get a complete picture of a drug.

[Sandy H]

Another thing to think about is lymphedema??? It can occur in the chest area and go into the abdomen. It happens with me. If so it can be very painful!! You need to get it checked out. Playing tennis maybe too much at this time or you may need to pace yourself. Hope this helps, hugs, Sandy

Sherry-

I'm sorry you still have the pain. You mentioned you've seen your oncologist, but if you haven't seen your regular doctor, you should do so...They have a perspective outside of the side effects of the chemo world, and may be able to deal with the issue better.

I remember when I had the worst stomach ache in the world while on chemo - I called my onc and said i was throwing up and had high levels of pain - he responded that that wasn't a typical chemo side efffect!! I said I didn't care what it was from - I wanted it fixed - my regular doctor was also in the loop, though, and quickly, and correctly, diagnosed appendicitis...

Hope you feel better,
Shell

[janet/FL]

Sherry
So sorry you hurt so. The stabbing head pains are a sypmtom of Temporal Artertis. It would be unusual but not unheard of for someone so young to have it, but my oncologoly nurse had it and she was young. I try to tell everyone about this as my Mother was diagnosed too late for them to help. So, please, consider this. It is very treatable when caught early.
Janet

[Lauriemn]

Hi sherry, I also suffered with sinus problems ever since doing AC. I went to an ENT who gave me two different prescription sprays. The pain was gone within a few weeks. I don't even take the sprays anymore.

I also have pain in my underarm area and I think it is related to my lymphadema. When I wear my compression garment and do the exercises, it seems to get a little better. It doesn't go away completely though and I think I will just have to live with it. I also had scans done and they came back clear.

Good luck

Laurie

[sarah]

Sherry,
I agree with Shell that your regular doctor may have some good advice. Herceptin does seem to give most people flu like symptoms. Has colitis been ruled out for the stomach pain? All these drugs seem to effect people differently but someone should be able to figure out what's wrong - (and it sounds like you're having a few different unrelated pains) - and how to help you. Constant pain is very hard to deal with.
Are you sure you're not overdoing the tennis?
Hope someone figures it out quickly.
sarah

[madubois63]

Sherry - You've already gotten some great advise. I would like to add my own about the sinus infection. I was suffering from a really bad sinus infection, and my immune system just couldn't fight it. I was on every antibiotic my doc could think of, and it just didn't help. Someone on-line suggested an herbal steam facial, and I was completely better then next day!!! Fresh herbs are the best, but herbal tea bags work too. Thyme is a natural drying agent and works the best. I grow herbs, so I throw in whatever is around...Thyme, rosemary, basil, mint and chamomile are my favorite. The more aromatic, the better. Lemons and oranges work too. Boil a pot of water with your herbs in it. Pour it in a large bowl and sit with a towel over your head and the bowl for as long as you can take it. Your nose will run - that's what you want. And your skin will look and feel better too....
..·´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨)) -:¦:-
((¸¸.·´ ¸.·´ -:¦:- -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.Maryann -:¦:-´´

[Sherryg683]

Sandy, don't you usually swell when you have lymphedemia? I've been watching that really closely and haven't seen any yet. I have been overworking my arm with tennis and lifting things, so this is a concern for me. I am going to talk to my Oncologist tomorrow about exactly what he can "fix" and can't. I don't want to call them for something they can do nothing about. I have a regular GP who I go to, who put me on sinus medicine for the sinus', it was a day or so later that the terrible pains in rib and stomach started. I read that antibiotics can give you trapped gas. MaryAnn, thanks for the tip on the facial. I'm going to go get some herbal tea bags and try it. ..sherryg683

[sarah]

Sherry,
sometimes the swelling is minor but causes pain, sometimes it's obvious. When people look at my right arm it looks normal but if I hold up my two thumbs next to each other, one has less wrinkles - I call it my younger thumb! so look closely at both thumbs and see if they both have the same wrinkle look or if one is smoother and a little fatter. They should have shown you some exercises to keep the lymphs draining - basically holding the arm straight up to the ceiling and opening and closing a fist and "pumping" the fist.
good luck with the pain - if it isn't doing you any harm, I'd take pain pills with some food.
sarah

Sherry;

I was in a great deal of pain the other week....enough to call the onc to ask about it. The pain was in my chest....right through to the scapula in my back on my left side....which is my tumor side. As i have been having this heart problem from the herceptin (and chemo and likely rad's...lol) I was worried about a heart attack. After sending me to the hospital who tested my heart and worried about a blood clot (I was told that being a cancer patient and having had chemo increases the risk of a clot to 30% for us....who knew....lol) I went in to see my onc within a few days and he pushed down on my chest bones which hurt like crazy and said it was an inflammation of the bones where they join the vertebrate. He recommended some anti-inflammatory treatment....advil....and that's it....all gone. Perhaps one of these relates to your pain. Let us know and good luck. Oh yes, he said that this inflammation is brought on usually by stretching or exercising the arm/side.....how about tennis?

Cathy

[tricia keegan]

Hi Sherry

I had similar stomach pain on chemo which did'nt clear up after I was finished so i had an Endoscopy which revealed a Hiatus Hernia which the Dr said I may well have got from the chemo.I find Nexium pills keep the pain under control and just take one a day.As for the arm,I do a lot of swimming and had this pain recently where my lymph nodes were removed,I thought it was from exercising but it seems it's from the radiation as at the same time i had some pain in my breast area too.I just got the all clear from my yearly mammo and finished chemo back in Feb.I don't know if this helps you but it sounds similar.
Tricia

[Sherryg683]

Thanks all, I feel great today. I did the herbal steam, with oranges, lemon and thyme for my sinus' and took gas X after each meal and feel much better. I guess these aches and pains are something I am going to have to live with...sherryg

[chrisy]

Whoa, somehow I missed all this...but I'm glad I read to the bottom and that you are feeling better. I am so sorry you have continued to have the headaches, now joined by aches and pains in other areas. Glad you're feeling better.
Chris

[heblaj01]

Sherryg683,
I don't know for sure if the following info applies to your case but if it does it might help get rid of your sinus infections over the long term.

I was myself subject to frequent sinus infections mostly due to allergies to airborne pollutants. I once left such a bout of sinusitis go untreated for several weeks during which persitent nasal blockages finaly resulted in a viral infection bad enough to damage my olfactive nerves & taste buds. As a consequence I permanently lost most of my senses of smell & taste.

So if you suffer from nasal blockages it is preferable to treat them quickly so that the accumulating mucus in sinus cavities can flow down in the throat & does not become a stagnant breeding ground for bacterial or viral infections.

In my case which differs from yours in that the sinus problem was not related to cancer treatment side effects I found a long term relief after reading a few years ago on internet the complete medical story by a Phd in literature (if my memory does not fail me) who had this scourge for over 20 years & tried all treatments including useless multiple surgeries. He finaly discovered that he needed only one or two intramuscular injections per year of Kenalog to keep him free of sinus problems. (I have not been able to find the link to his web site).

I tried the same treatment only once & I had no more repeated infections for the last 2 to 3 years.

Since Kenalog is a medication of the cortisone family you will have to seek your GP or onc's blessing. In any case, it is a prescription drug.

Beware that the Phd tried several different cortisone drugs but only Kenalog worked & with almost no side effects in his (& my) case.
I mention this should your caregiver prefer an other cortisone drug such as prednisone.

In the general population there are multiple causes for sinus problems.But according to a few research studies 90% may be the result of fungus infections. There are antifungal treatments but side effects of the drugs are probably worse than in the case of Kenalog.

Among the home remedies providing temporary relief you may try inhalations of a few drops of eucalyptus oil in boiling water.
If the heat of the water vapour instead of opening the blocked
nasal passages (as is usualy the case) does the opposite, then you may try briefly breathing the cold eucalyptus oil vapours directly from close proximity to the opened container.