Topic: Trigger finger after chemo - no tamox or AI's yet

Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 635

Posted on: May 12, 2008 01:28 pm

trigeek wrote:

Hey gals,

It seems like I have trigger finger ( right thumb and left middle finger), I am not even on Tamox yet.. could taxol be the culprit ?

I had DD taxol and AC and my last treatment was on January.

Thanks !

Live Deliberately ! http://www.aylin-yeahright.blogspot.com/
Dx 8/3/2007, ILC, 2cm, Stage II, Grade 2, 2/6 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-

Posts 1 - 12 (12 total)
jpann39 Joined: Dec 2006 Posts: 2697	Log in to post a reply May 12, 2008 04:11 pm, edited May 12, 2008 04:12 PM by jpann39 jpann39 wrote: Trigeek, What is trigger finger?? Ive been on tamox for about 14 months now and a few weeks ago my thumb where it is connected at the joint is very painful....if I move it just right it feels like it catchs on something and brings tears to my eyes...some time the ball part is tender to the touch...this morning I couldnt even hold my hair brush in that hand to do my hair.... Thank you Jule 'Life may not be the party we hoped for...but while we're here we might as well dance!!!!"
trigeek Joined: Aug 2007 Posts: 635	Log in to post a reply May 12, 2008 04:17 pm trigeek wrote: Here you go Jule, I think thats what you have too. Mine actually pops.. almost like it dislocates temporarily. It happens in the mornings after I wake up and then gets better during the day, but my finger mobility has decreased. "Trgger finger is a condition in which one of your fingers or your thumb catches in a bent position. Your finger or thumb may straighten with a snap - like a trigger being pulled and released. If trigger finger is severe, your finger may become locked in a bent position. Often painful, trigger finger is caused by a narrowing of the sheath that surrounds the tendon in the affected finger. People whose work or hobbies require repetitive gripping actions are more susceptible. Trigger finger is also more common in women than in men, and in anyone with diabetes. Treatment of trigger finger, also known as stenosing tenosynovitis, varies depending on the severity. " I am not even on tamox yet .. heard of people having this on AI's but not on tamox. Would the hormone deficiency cause such a thing ? Live Deliberately ! http://www.aylin-yeahright.blogspot.com/ Dx 8/3/2007, ILC, 2cm, Stage II, Grade 2, 2/6 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-
LizM Joined: Sep 2005 Posts: 1679	Log in to post a reply May 12, 2008 04:27 pm LizM wrote: My sister had a terrible time with her fingers popping out of the joint. It was after chemo (she also had dd AC and Taxol) before starting on Arimidex and continued while on Arimidex. She had the problem for about a year after chemo. She is on Femara now and still has pain in her fingers/hands but not as much as right after chemo and her fingers do not pop out of the joint anymore.
trigeek Joined: Aug 2007 Posts: 635	Log in to post a reply May 12, 2008 04:29 pm trigeek wrote: Liz thanks for the feedback. I finished my chemo in January and did not have any joint problems during the treatment, this just started about 4 months later. Did your sister also have a delayed reaction ? Live Deliberately ! http://www.aylin-yeahright.blogspot.com/ Dx 8/3/2007, ILC, 2cm, Stage II, Grade 2, 2/6 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-
LizM Joined: Sep 2005 Posts: 1679	Log in to post a reply May 12, 2008 04:59 pm LizM wrote: I will have to ask her as she lives in another state and I do not remember the exact timeline. I do know that she finished chemo in Aug 2004 and at Christmas (which would be 4 months) she was having a problem with her fingers popping out of the joint.
jpann39 Joined: Dec 2006 Posts: 2697	Log in to post a reply May 12, 2008 05:57 pm jpann39 wrote: I didnt have chemo so cant help with that part of this mess.... This afternoon I was doing my lunch dishes in the conference room and squeezed the sponge to dry it and shot the pain up my arm to my shoulder!!!! It really sucks because its in my right hand and Im right handed so continuously forget....I have another dr appt in July so if its not better by then I will ask about it.... Sure seems that if it isnt one thing its another nowadays..... 'Life may not be the party we hoped for...but while we're here we might as well dance!!!!"
OneBadBoob Joined: Oct 2007 Posts: 414	Log in to post a reply May 12, 2008 06:46 pm OneBadBoob wrote: Hi Aylin-- I had terrible joint and bone aches all during chemo, and a few trigger fingers. I finished chemo in January. I started on Tamox and tried to stick it out as long as I could, but after two months, I felt like I had been run over by a truck everyday, was having "trigger fingers" (although they only lasted about 20 minutes each time)and terrible leg cramps every day, and turned into a different person--rages, depressions, thought of giving my dog to my sister, possibly shooting my husband or leaving him at the very least because he came home one night and had a stomach ache and did not want to eat the dinner I had worked so hard to prepare, burning the house down becasue the whirlpool broke, etc. I had wanted to do Tamox even though I was post-menapausal because I thought it would have less side effects than the AI's. Not so with me. Well, I have been on Arimidex now for about two months and aside from the hot flashes a couple times a day, no other SE's. Go figure. We are all so different and just have to keep trying different things until we find what agrees with us. p.s. My friend on Femara has been troubled by trigger fingers, planter fascia (sp?) problems--switched to Armidex and is doing much better. Again, go figure--I have heard more of the opposite, actually. I did lots of "itsy bitsy spider" exercises when I was really "triggering" and they did seem to help. Jane - Grab the ball and run with the wind! Dx 7/7/2007, IDC, <1cm, Stage I, Grade 3, 0/2 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-
ERS2006 Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 74	Log in to post a reply May 15, 2008 12:55 pm ERS2006 wrote: I too have trigger finger...Had a cortisone shot in my thumb, which was extremely painful last year which helped for awhile but now it's back...Most likely will have to have it operated on. Had CT and I am currently on Tamoxifen. Dx 10/31/2006, IDC, 1cm, Stage I, Grade 3, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2+
BMD Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 1560	Log in to post a reply May 17, 2008 11:44 pm BMD wrote: Sorry to say it is nice to see I am not the only one and therefore not crazy. My right thumb has been snapping for about 3 months. It is very painful. I asked my pcp about it last month and she said it was tendentious and to take Aleve for it. Didn't help at all. I saw my onc last week and she saw it snap and said it was trigger finger. She told me to have my pcp give me a shot for it. She did not say it was going to really painful and not last. Glad I came here first. I may just live with it. I have been on Femara for 1 year. The SE's tend to rotate around my body so I am hoping this one goes away soon. The SE's I have experienced usually last about 3 months and then go away just as a new one comes on. We are all in God's caring hands, BrendaBMD
swinn Joined: Dec 2005 Posts: 357	Log in to post a reply May 18, 2008 06:01 pm, edited May 18, 2008 06:02 PM by swinn swinn wrote: I've also had CT and trigger finger in 4 fingers. Got cortisone shots....helped a lot but came back in 6 months. The doctor doesn't want to keep giving me the injections so he sent me for the nerve conduction test in both arms. Now I'm scheduled for CT and trigger finger surgery in my right hand first. Then we'll do the left hand in a month or so. I can't put up with it anymore. When you can't use your hands and drop everything it's time to have something done. I've been on Femara for over 1 1/2 yrs.
doris6862 Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 1	Log in to post a reply May 18, 2008 06:40 pm doris6862 wrote: I been on tamixfen for 15 months had no side effects till last week.Blurred vision,confusion,went to family doctor(thought had flu).Send me for MRI on brain admitted from there to hospital for a stroke.No more tamixfen for me.Starting arimidex next week.
cmholbert Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 12	Log in to post a reply May 18, 2008 07:53 pm cmholbert wrote: Doris, I have been on tamox for 10 months. I recently noticed aches in my legs, arms, shoulders and side of my neck. Sometimes i get tingly, and arms and legs seem to "go to sleep" easier. I get slight headaches on the base of my head sometimes too. It seems to be on one side more than the other. I cant say much for the blurry vison because I have always had poor eyesight. I dont have the confusion, and most of the time I feel good. But I went to the doc anyway and he ordered an MRI of my brain. I go next week. I'm scared, but now thinking it may just be the tamox. ?? Anyone else had these symptoms?

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