chemotherapy, immune system, palpitations and aching legs

Hi,

My mum has just had her third session of chemotherapy. So far she has
been doing really well but on she had to delay the last one because her
white blood cell count was too low. Anyway after the last one (third
one) she experienced more tiredness and she has been waking up in the
night with palpitations and really aching legs.

Does anyone know what causes this and if there is anything she can
do/take to help with this.

Also, she is worried that by delaying the Chemo by a week every time
this will somehow stop the chemotherapy working so effectively.

Thanks for any advice in advance.......Denise

On 5 Jan 2007 04:41:44 -0800, "Denise" <denise528@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Hi,
>
>My mum has just had her third session of chemotherapy. So far she has
>been doing really well but on she had to delay the last one because her
>white blood cell count was too low. Anyway after the last one (third
>one) she experienced more tiredness and she has been waking up in the
>night with palpitations and really aching legs.
>
>Does anyone know what causes this and if there is anything she can
>do/take to help with this.
>
>Also, she is worried that by delaying the Chemo by a week every time
>this will somehow stop the chemotherapy working so effectively.
>
>Thanks for any advice in advance.......Denise


Hi Denise,

I had exactly the same thing. Every chemo after the first had to be
delayed for a week because of low white blood cell counts. For me, the
hospital said it was nothing to worry about.

I had problems with my feet too. When I got out of bed in the morning my
feet would hurt like the dickens and I would end up staggering across
the floor when trying to walk because they were all cramped up. I never
really knew why, but I think perhaps my feet were swollen from the chemo
and my shoes were too small. It stopped after chemo. My neigher had
breast cancer at the same time as I and she had terrible problems with
leg cramps.

Marilyn

Denise wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My mum has just had her third session of chemotherapy. So far she has
> been doing really well but on she had to delay the last one because her
> white blood cell count was too low. Anyway after the last one (third
> one) she experienced more tiredness and she has been waking up in the
> night with palpitations and really aching legs.
>
> Does anyone know what causes this and if there is anything she can
> do/take to help with this.
>
> Also, she is worried that by delaying the Chemo by a week every time
> this will somehow stop the chemotherapy working so effectively.
>
> Thanks for any advice in advance.......Denise
>
It's pretty normal to have delays for WBC recovery, especially towards
the end of the sequence. They shouldn't have much effect on the
effectiveness of the chemo. There are drugs to boost white cell
production, which can help avoid the delay, but at the expense of more
aches and pains, and they are fairly expensive too.

I don't know exactly what causes those pains, but I think they are quite
common. If they don't pass in a few days, tell the oncologist about it
and see if he has anything to offer.


Tim Jackson

"Denise" <denise528@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1168000904.442471.29530@v33g2000cwv.googlegro ups.com...
> Hi,
>
> My mum has just had her third session of chemotherapy. So far she has
> been doing really well but on she had to delay the last one because her
> white blood cell count was too low. Anyway after the last one (third
> one) she experienced more tiredness and she has been waking up in the
> night with palpitations and really aching legs.
>
> Does anyone know what causes this and if there is anything she can
> do/take to help with this.

I don't know about palpitations, but when your counts are low, it's common
to have symptoms -- including body aches -- that many people more normally
associate with having the flu. As I understand this -- and I could be wrong
because I'm not a medical professional -- both have a common cause. When
your counts are low, your body really works hard to recover. Part of this
process is the bone marrow doing its thing to manufacture new white cells.
That can cause aches or pains, particularly in the longer/larger bones like
the legs.

She (or you) may be worried that bone pain, particularly night pain, might
be an indication of bone metastases. If the pain's come on more-or-less in
synch with the low blood counts, i.e., occurs during a particular part of
the chemo cycle & improves at other points, it's way (*WAY*) more likely
that the pain is related to the chemo.

I had some bone pain during chemo, particularly during Taxol. Mine was not
very severe, and was easily managed with over-the-counter pain relievers
(acetominophen or ibuprofen). (Check with the doctor before taking
anything!)

If your mom's having side effects that are severe -- and I'd call something
that wakes her up at night severe enough -- she should talk to her doctor or
the chemo nurse, and ask quite clearly what can be done to reduce or manage
the side effect. Too often, women think they are just supposed to live
with whatever side effects occur. That's not true. Not every side effect
can be fixed, but I found my medical team eager to do whatever they could to
keep my side effects as manageable as they could be for me. You should just
be able to call the office & talk to a nurse -- you shouldn't have to wait
for the next visit.

Hope she's able to find some relief, and that her counts come up rapidly!

Ann T.
Remove 'dontsendspam' from address to reply by email

My blood work was always okay. I took 4 CAV and the last 4 of Taxotere. I
couldn't finish the last 2 Taxotere and I wonder the same if I ruined my
chemo but Taxotere was to rough for me.
As I know it the chemo builds up in you as you get it, I was told #1 wasn't
out of me when #2 chemo went in and so on so the more chemo I rec'd the
weaker I was getting.
My legs did ache. I sleep on my side and I couldn't even rest one on top of
the other leg.
Chemo is rough stuff...I guess I had a strong body until the last 2.
Good Luck to your mum.
Pami

Chris@mcgill.ca wrote:
> On 5 Jan 2007 04:41:44 -0800, "Denise" <denise528@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Hi,
> >
> >My mum has just had her third session of chemotherapy. So far she has
> >been doing really well but on she had to delay the last one because her
> >white blood cell count was too low. Anyway after the last one (third
> >one) she experienced more tiredness and she has been waking up in the
> >night with palpitations and really aching legs.
> >
> >Does anyone know what causes this and if there is anything she can
> >do/take to help with this.
> >
> >Also, she is worried that by delaying the Chemo by a week every time
> >this will somehow stop the chemotherapy working so effectively.
> >
> >Thanks for any advice in advance.......Denise
>
>
> Hi Denise,
>
> I had exactly the same thing. Every chemo after the first had to be
> delayed for a week because of low white blood cell counts. For me, the
> hospital said it was nothing to worry about.
>
> I had problems with my feet too. When I got out of bed in the morning my
> feet would hurt like the dickens and I would end up staggering across
> the floor when trying to walk because they were all cramped up. I never
> really knew why, but I think perhaps my feet were swollen from the chemo
> and my shoes were too small. It stopped after chemo. My neigher had
> breast cancer at the same time as I and she had terrible problems with
> leg cramps.
>
> Marilyn

Chris@mcgill.ca wrote:
> On 5 Jan 2007 04:41:44 -0800, "Denise" <denise528@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Hi,
> >
> >My mum has just had her third session of chemotherapy. So far she has
> >been doing really well but on she had to delay the last one because her
> >white blood cell count was too low. Anyway after the last one (third
> >one) she experienced more tiredness and she has been waking up in the
> >night with palpitations and really aching legs.
> >
> >Does anyone know what causes this and if there is anything she can
> >do/take to help with this.
> >
> >Also, she is worried that by delaying the Chemo by a week every time
> >this will somehow stop the chemotherapy working so effectively.
> >
> >Thanks for any advice in advance.......Denise
>
>
> Hi Denise,
>
> I had exactly the same thing. Every chemo after the first had to be
> delayed for a week because of low white blood cell counts. For me, the
> hospital said it was nothing to worry about.
>
> I had problems with my feet too. When I got out of bed in the morning my
> feet would hurt like the dickens and I would end up staggering across
> the floor when trying to walk because they were all cramped up. I never
> really knew why, but I think perhaps my feet were swollen from the chemo
> and my shoes were too small. It stopped after chemo. My neigher had
> breast cancer at the same time as I and she had terrible problems with
> leg cramps.
>
> Marilyn

Marilyn,

Thanks for responding. Can I ask what stage of breast cancer you had,
had it spread to your lymph nodes and how are you doing now?

Thanks....Denise

A.P. Thorsen wrote:
> "Denise" <denise528@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1168000904.442471.29530@v33g2000cwv.googlegro ups.com...
> > Hi,
> >
> > My mum has just had her third session of chemotherapy. So far she has
> > been doing really well but on she had to delay the last one because her
> > white blood cell count was too low. Anyway after the last one (third
> > one) she experienced more tiredness and she has been waking up in the
> > night with palpitations and really aching legs.
> >
> > Does anyone know what causes this and if there is anything she can
> > do/take to help with this.
>
> I don't know about palpitations, but when your counts are low, it's common
> to have symptoms -- including body aches -- that many people more normally
> associate with having the flu. As I understand this -- and I could be wrong
> because I'm not a medical professional -- both have a common cause. When
> your counts are low, your body really works hard to recover. Part of this
> process is the bone marrow doing its thing to manufacture new white cells.
> That can cause aches or pains, particularly in the longer/larger bones like
> the legs.
>
> She (or you) may be worried that bone pain, particularly night pain, might
> be an indication of bone metastases. If the pain's come on more-or-less in
> synch with the low blood counts, i.e., occurs during a particular part of
> the chemo cycle & improves at other points, it's way (*WAY*) more likely
> that the pain is related to the chemo.
>
> I had some bone pain during chemo, particularly during Taxol. Mine was not
> very severe, and was easily managed with over-the-counter pain relievers
> (acetominophen or ibuprofen). (Check with the doctor before taking
> anything!)
>
> If your mom's having side effects that are severe -- and I'd call something
> that wakes her up at night severe enough -- she should talk to her doctor or
> the chemo nurse, and ask quite clearly what can be done to reduce or manage
> the side effect. Too often, women think they are just supposed to live
> with whatever side effects occur. That's not true. Not every side effect
> can be fixed, but I found my medical team eager to do whatever they could to
> keep my side effects as manageable as they could be for me. You should just
> be able to call the office & talk to a nurse -- you shouldn't have to wait
> for the next visit.
>
> Hope she's able to find some relief, and that her counts come up rapidly!
>
> Ann T.
> Remove 'dontsendspam' from address to reply by email

Hi Ann,

At the moment my mum's symptoms don't seem to be causing her to much
distress but then she is a real fighter and very determined.

I think the symptoms do coincide with the times she has her chemo so
hopefull they could just be due to (as you say) her body fighting to
recover.

I will bear in mind what you have said though.

I did ask my mum about having bone scans but she said she doesn't want
any more bad news. I'm not sure if it would be better if they found
out now about any problems with her bones or if it would make any
difference???

Thanks.....Denise

Tim Jackson wrote:
> Denise wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > My mum has just had her third session of chemotherapy. So far she has
> > been doing really well but on she had to delay the last one because her
> > white blood cell count was too low. Anyway after the last one (third
> > one) she experienced more tiredness and she has been waking up in the
> > night with palpitations and really aching legs.
> >
> > Does anyone know what causes this and if there is anything she can
> > do/take to help with this.
> >
> > Also, she is worried that by delaying the Chemo by a week every time
> > this will somehow stop the chemotherapy working so effectively.
> >
> > Thanks for any advice in advance.......Denise
> >
> It's pretty normal to have delays for WBC recovery, especially towards
> the end of the sequence. They shouldn't have much effect on the
> effectiveness of the chemo. There are drugs to boost white cell
> production, which can help avoid the delay, but at the expense of more
> aches and pains, and they are fairly expensive too.
>
> I don't know exactly what causes those pains, but I think they are quite
> common. If they don't pass in a few days, tell the oncologist about it
> and see if he has anything to offer.
>
>
> Tim Jackson

Tim,

Thanks for the reassurance.

Denise

pami wrote:
> My blood work was always okay. I took 4 CAV and the last 4 of Taxotere. I
> couldn't finish the last 2 Taxotere and I wonder the same if I ruined my
> chemo but Taxotere was to rough for me.
> As I know it the chemo builds up in you as you get it, I was told #1 wasn't
> out of me when #2 chemo went in and so on so the more chemo I rec'd the
> weaker I was getting.
> My legs did ache. I sleep on my side and I couldn't even rest one on top of
> the other leg.
> Chemo is rough stuff...I guess I had a strong body until the last 2.
> Good Luck to your mum.
> Pami

Hi Pami,

Thanks for your response. Hope you are doing ok now.

Denise

On 21 Jan 2007 03:49:00 -0800, "Denise" <denise528@hotmail.com> wrote:


>
>Marilyn,
>
>Thanks for responding. Can I ask what stage of breast cancer you had,
>had it spread to your lymph nodes and how are you doing now?
>
>Thanks....Denise


Hi Denise,

Hope your mom is doing ok. I had stage 2, it was spreading but not yet
to the lymph nodes. It's been almost five years since my diagnosis and
I'm fine. No more cramped feet. :-)

Marilyn

"Denise" <denise528@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1169380477.914290.234090@v45g2000cwv.googlegr oups.com...
>
> I did ask my mum about having bone scans but she said she doesn't want
> any more bad news. I'm not sure if it would be better if they found
> out now about any problems with her bones or if it would make any
> difference???
>

Some doctors do bone scans as part of the initial diagnostic process, if the
primary cancer is more advanced. Mine did (I was stage 3, with multiple
tumors, with BC diagnosis after I noticed an enlarged lymph node - all of
which is bad-news-ish).

In women who have bone metastases from BC, treatment may change. But such
metastases are not usually diagnosed until there's a bone pain pattern that
points in that direction, or other symptoms of advanced BC. Treatment is
mainly aimed at reducing pain & avoiding fractures because the bones can be
weakened.

If her doctors don't suspect bone metastases from her pain patterns or other
factors, she's probably OK not having a bone scan (especially as she doesn't
want one!).

If her pain is cyclic with the chemo treatments, it's much, *much* more
likely that it's some kind of side effect.

Best wishes to her and you!

Ann T.
Remove 'dontsendspam' from address to reply by email