Hi all,
I’m on my second epi and for some strange reason seem to have a pain in my arm. i’m having the chemo through the veins but the confusing this is the pain feels more like musle pain in the upper part of my arm where your musles are and just where your veins are when you bend your arm. I have mentioned it to the hospital but they say it might just be a strain but i know I’ve done nothing to cause it.
Is anyone or has anyone experienced a similar pain?
Hi Sukes. Sorry you have an uncomfortable arm. I too had pain in the area of the veins where you bend your arm, and also at the top of my arm after my 2nd FEC. Showed it to the nurses at my chemo unit and they immediately suspected blood clots. A scan confirmed this, and I have been having daily injections of Clexane ever since (it was about four weeks ago now). Hope this will not be the case for you, but it must be a bit worrying especially as you are sure you have not strained your arm. Might be worth asking the direct question “could this be a clot?”. Hope you resolve this, or the pain goes away, and good luck for the rest of your chemo. Sarah.
hi sarah,
Thanks for that. did you get the pain immediately after chemo. I had the chemo on 26th and noticed the pain on 1st March - 5 days later. Spoke to them on the monday 3rd march and they said its most probably a strain. The vien where you bend the arm is more tender and raised but i’ve given it a good week now . My god i do feel for you daily injections that must be a real pain. Thanks for the advise.
Sukes
Hi Sukes - I noticed the pain about one week after the chemo - just was touching my arm and realised that it felt sore, also I could actually feel the hardness of the vein. As the nurse said, the epi is a bit like putting an acid pipe cleaner in your vein! Funny what you get used to, give myself the injections every day in my tummy and hardly think about it now. I think there are quite a lot of us in the same boat! I would get your arm looked at again Sukes. Good luck. Sarah x
Hi everyone, i had pain in my arm in several places wrist and upper arm, spoke to the nurses on the chemo unit and they suspected phlebitis , not sure how to spell it, basically the chemo (FEC) had irritated the veins making them sore and feels tight if i stretch my arm, they said to take paracetamol and ibruphen. I also found ibruphen gel rubbed in the sore areas helped. Could also try a warm wheat bag on the arm. I think it is somethin g else that we have to put up with !!!
Best wishes to you all.
Sarah 66
Seabird
THANK YOU SO MUCH - you might just have saved my life!.
Whet to A&E last night after reading your email and again the doctor thought i was paranoid so I didn’t let them finish and said is a blood clot as you advised because the words highly unlikely no longer mean anything to mean as I feel I should’nt have got BC at the age of 34 especially when you don’t drink, smoke, eat read meat, breast feed kids and skinny as a rake oh and no family history!
Anyhow I insisted they did some a blood test to confirm what it was and the blood test come back positive and guess what they injected into my belly …clexane and I have to go back 2nite to have it re-injected and have a scan on the arm tomorrow. I did say does this mean I will have to use daily injections and the nurse said she it will most probably tablet but then again I need it confirmed from the onc and also confirm the scan.
Sarah - don’t let them use and don’t accept terms like suspected highly likely because thats what i’ve done over the past week and didn’t realise something wierd along with chemo was going on in my blood.
Thanks for the advise.
Suky
Dear Suky - Just read your posting (had to go to A and E myself yesterday with a fever - on antibiotics now). Anyway, I am so glad that you did really hold out about your arm and getting properly investigated and a proper diagnosis. That’s what happened to me, they gave me a Clexane injection while I waited for the scan, and when a clot was confirmed I have had to continue with the injections. Do let us know what the scan shows up, if you do have to have clexane injections I know it’s a bit of a pain as they do sting a bit, but after the first few days I have found it easy and really not too bad at all. Good luck, and I’m glad to have been some help! Sarah xx
Hi Sarah,
Had the scan today and the doctor there is no sign of a clot so now I am really confused. I will be speaking to the BC nurse tomorrow.
Hope your feeling okay.
Luv
sukes
Hi Sukes - That’s great news, one less thing to worry about. Perhaps the pain is just a general soreness from the chemotherapy, and I hope it will settle down soon. Hopefully this will be peace of mind for you that at least it was investigated. Good luck. Sarah
Hi guys
Just to say that I have pains in all my chemo holes! … They are all sore … and if i bruise or scratch myslef then that hurts in a funny way - wondered whether it is to do with rapidly producing cells or something ??? perhaps the body mending itself looks to these chemo drugs like an attack from cancer??? only guessing … b*gg*r all idea really … anyone else with any “puncture” pain???
chhers
FizBix xxx