Muscle/joint pain after radiation?

Everytime I bring up this joint and muscle pain issue to anyone in rads they all say the same thing (and I decided to contact them again this past Tuesday, April 28th, 2009), "it's not from the radiation treatments".  I think they are full of it (sorry).  I NEVER had this prior to radiation, I am 59. I was NEVER with pain issues in my muscles and joints. I have no pain in my shoulders, or upper body, just some muscle weakness now and then.  I do arm curls every day, 100 total, since I had radiation for strength purposes. My Primary care doc has sent me for all kinds of tests, nothing is wrong. I lost count of the number of women I have spoken to that had rads and have my issue of joint and muscle pain that comes and goes and they are told the same thing by their docs, "not caused by rads".  We can't all be having illusions ya think?  I was never like this prior and neither were they so who's right here? My fatigue is not the sleepy kind of fatigue like many get, my fatigue happens when the joint/muscle thing starts and I have to relax for an hour or so.  I happen to have had my 6 month mammogram this past Monday (4/27/09? and even my tech said she hears the same thing from rad patients about muscle/joint pain after rads.  Thanks for you're input, I do appreciate it alot.

Kathy B.

   Hi "Temp"            Sore legs/muscles is exactly my issue that comes and goes. Thanks for you're input and the more I hear from people that had rads, the more I get convinced that rad doctors don't know whats going on concerning this side effect. You can drive yourself crazy going from doc to doc and nothing is abnormal or wrong doc after doc. It is so frustrating for me because I was fine before rads. I'll hang in there.  Thanks again, it's very much appreciated.

Kathy B.

I developed a slight cough during rads, spasms, and they said that was normal.  Dry cough.  I still get it ocassionally, but nothing like the spasms were.  I'm feeling better today, had a rough weekend of soreness all over, but it's better today thank God, I didn't push myself too hard the last 5 days either.  The weather doesn't help either, has been raining off and on for days,  lol. 

Not once did anyone in rads ever say to me that "can affect for months or even years later" down the track of the rads.  I think they should have said that. I have the right to know everything possible about whats being shot into my body and what the side effects are and I think they have a duty to tell us everything. Thanks for that "Temp".

Got an appointment with an Onocologist finally on May 26th, she was highly recommended to me.  Had to anyway to keep my health and future up to par. I wouldn't sent a skunk to my former onocologist. Like anything, there are good ones and bad ones. I was sent to my former one for consultation thru my surgeon, was 2 very bad experiences better left where they are. I had no immediate hurry to have one, but now that I do I feel good about it.  My other doctors set up all my necessary tests on a 6 month basis, I have a great surgeon that has stayed very involved in keeping me healthy partnered up with my primary Care doc. My Mammogram results were ..........C L E A N!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  again from my April 27th Mammogram.  When I go to see this new Onocologist I'm sure she'll follow thru with any other test she feels I need.  I want to see what she says about these muscle and joint issues.  She's been sent all my records already for every test I have had.  Praying for all of you and have a great day please.

Kathy B.

How can so many people suffer with the same symptoms from rads and have these doctors tell us it's "not from the radiation" all the time. How can we tell them we never had the issues before rads and they still maintain the rads didn't cause it?  The when we do speak up, because we are grown adults, we are treated as if we are mental cases? How is it all of my other doctors not directly involved with cancer treatment I had, (radiation) tell me my symtoms are from the radiation and when I tell these other doctors that my rad doc says it isn't my other docs just smirk at me? My husband says that if the rad docs tell people what the side effects are up front then nobody will do radiation.  He's probably partially right?  I got to a point I got sick of jumping from doc to doc and I'm letting nature run its course and all I can do is hope it all subsides. I have one last appointment concerning my muscle and joint pains this coming Tuesday with my Orthopedic and when she tells me it's from the rads then thats it with docs.  I'll just do my 6 month cancer follow thrus after I see my Orthopedic because I'm tired of doctors already. I have no life trying to figure it all out and I've had enough.  Good luck ladies, am praying for all of you.  Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms.

Kathy B.

Let me tell you a bit about me and my health please, I was NEVER sick until this time............In Oct. or 2000 (age 49) I started getting flu-like symptoms, intestional issues. Every doc I went to said it was my bladder. It was the bladder area that gave me pain.  I spent my 50th Birthday in 1/2001 in a docs office still going thru the ups and downs of this flu-like issue. Tests would show small blood amounts in my urine and antoher antibiotic would be given. On Presdients Day 2/2001 my husband took me to the ER as I was doubled over in pain. I sat there for 6 hours in a wheelchair before I was seen and the ball started to roll because the blood work they took when I arrived showed ECOLI. My intestine had ruptured. The cause was a seed or nut that got lodged in an intestional sac that either had ECOLI or developed into ECOLI over months. I was taken to surgery, 1 foot of infected intestines removed, hospitalized for 10 days, had a bag on when I left the hospital.  Wore the bag until then end of 5/2001, had my intestines hooked back up, and healed beautiful and got on with my life. Had I been a child I would have died, my surgeon says I am his "miracle" because not many pull thru the way I did.  In 2006 I started developing a small surgical hernia on my left lower abdomen. It blossomed in the fall of 2007. When I went for my physical in Feb. 2008 I was already having pre-tests (pelvic CT, Colonoscopy, heart stress test, numerous blood testings, etc.)  to have my hernia fixed when they found my breast cancer in my right breast. It was caught in the earliest stage and I never would have felt any lump because there was none. Trained eyes found the breast cancer. I was more worried about the lump I did feel in my left breast which was a "common cyst".  Had my Lumpectomy on 4/23/09 with the Sentinal Node done (negative) Under the "Nottingham Histologic Grade" it was "111"(Tubule formation score=3) Tubule formation 3=little or none (<10%), Nuclear grade score=3, mitotic rate score=3 /more then 10 mitoses per 10 HPF  (Necrosis is present / Necrosis in the tumor means that the cancer is dead within the area). Focal tumor is present (focal means limited to a small area). It was the TYPE of breast cancer I had, none hormonal related, that sent me to an onocolgist review. The small area was totally removed in my right breast, nothing present in node. I was due for my hernia surgery on 5/23/08 and had 2 consultations with the onocolgist before my surgery at which time I was told that my life expenctency was excellent up to 10+ years without reoccurrence if I did nothing. If I chose to do chemo and radiation it would up the percentage of life expectency even higher (to 95% from 85%) and if I chose to do just radiation it would decrease the occurrence to 95% from 85%. The onocologist wanted to "try something different" on me and after 2 visits and him telling me "there is no urgency for you to do any chemo at this time" I decided to do just radiation after my heria surgery in the fall of 2008. I was all clear to have my hernia surgery and went forward on 5/23/08. I was released from my surgeon and my heria issue on 10/16/08 and went for the app't I had made in the Spring of 2008 with the rad doc. in 10/08. This was when that onocolgist dropped me as a patient. Dropped me because I had decided to just move forward with the rads.  He was also ticked off at me because I hadn't gone back for a 3rd app't concerning what he wanted to "try" on me".  I had an MRI and Mammogram prior to rads starting, all was clean. And I might add I was feeling very good physically before the rads.

I sit here today and I wonder how I bounced back so well from my bout of ECOLI, a serious surgery (2 of them back then) and I can't even bounce back from the rads.  I was feeling great after my hernia surgery then I did the rads and NOTHING compares to this feeling I have had since rads.  I am no fool though, and I know the type of cancer I had could show up later in life again, but I will cross that bridge when I have to. Chemo was not necessary at this time. I had to do something and I THOUGHT rads would be the least taxing on my body and I guess I was wrong in that assumption.  Thats just a little about me.

Kathy B.