Hi
I have had 4 rounds of R-CHOP for DLBCL and have constant back pain. I cannot find any relief from the pain and wondered whether this is a known side effect and if so, is there anything I can take other than paracetamol and ibuprofen. I have also tried co-codamol but I cannot seem to find any relief from the pain and it effects my left hip and some days I cannot walk!
I would appreciate any help and advice.
Thank you
Claire
Hi Claire (Claire555),
Thank you for getting in touch and welcome to our online community. My name is Adrienne and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurses at Macmillan.
I’m sorry to hear that you are having constant back pain. Pain isn’t a common side-effect from R-CHOP but it can happen unfortunately. When it does, it usually affects the joints and muscles and can, very occasionally, affect the nerves causing neuropathic pain, due to the Oncovin (vincristine) in R-CHOP.
Unlike most other types of pain, neuropathic pain does not usually get better with common painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, however it can be managed with different kinds of medications.
It’s really important to get in touch with your chemotherapy unit as soon as possible to let them know about the pain and how debilitating it can be. They can assess the type of pain you have and hopefully prescribed you the right medication to help manage it.
I hope this has been helpful Claire.
I wish you all the best with the pain management and the treatment going forward.
Take care,
Adrienne
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.
Ref: AM/KG
