Chemo and back pain

Hi Chris,

Thank you for getting in touch. My name is Fiona and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists here on the Macmillan Support Line. I’m sorry to read that you are needing to have treatment for Non Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Here at the Macmillan Support Line we are independent from the NHS and don’t have access to medical records so we can’t give personalised information, but I will try to answer your query for you.

Firstly, we recommend to everyone if you have a new symptom, a symptom that persists, gets worse or is changing then you must report this to your healthcare team. You should have been given an alert card with a 24 hour number to call so please do contact them today. If you are unable to contact them today then we would advise you to call 111.

You haven’t specified which injection you are having from Day 5, however it sounds like it is a ‘granulocyte colony stimulating factor’ otherwise known as G-CSF. G-CSF is made naturally in the body but is also made as a drug. Your bone marrow is affected by your treatment so is unable to produce sufficient amounts of white cells, including neutrophils, which fight infection, leaving you more at risk of developing an infection. G-CSF stimulates the bone marrow to make more new cells, it can be given during treatment to reduce the length of time that your cells are low. It is not needed with all types of chemotherapy.

Side effects can include bone and muscle pain, however these tend to be generalised rather than in one area, which is why we advise you to contact your team today.

Being diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatments can be a time of different emotions. Please do reach out for further support if you feel that this would be of help to you during this time. Our Online Community provides a huge amount of support from others going through similar experiences as yourself. We do have a non Hodgkins Lymphoma forum that might be helpful.

I hope this information is helpful. Please don’t hesitate to get back in contact by email, webchat or phone, if you need further information or support.

The Macmillan Support Line offers practical, clinical, financial and emotional support. You can call us free from landlines and from most mobile phone networks on 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week, 8am – 8pm.

Best wishes, 

Fiona

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

Ref FS/KG