Hi everyone, I'm feeling so much better now. It's taken a while but I'm finally starting to feel like myself again. I am now 5 months post treatment but still suffering with aching and sometimes painful hips and legs. I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem xxx Marie
Hi Mecca this is a very common problem post pelvic radiotherapy. After treatment my legs were very stiff, when standing and beginning to walk I would walk very slowly due to the stiffness then after a short time of walking I would loosen up a bit. This has improved but I have noticed that I have stiff legs when getting up in a morning. Also, I have hip pain and sciatica on both sides on/off but a pelvic MRI scan 4 months ago revealed no cause for this and no hairline fractures which can be caused by the radiotherapy. As I was told the treatment would plunge me into menopause, I’m wondering whether this is the cause of my issues due to lack of estrogen. Friends of mine going through the menopause report stiffness and hip pain. I had a second pelvic MRI scan six months post treatment so if you will be having one then too you can ask your Oncologist if the scan shows up any area of damage to the pelvic bones. Bev x
Hi Mecca sometimes I feel about 103 years old! Yes that seems quite late to start menopause. I have hot flushes too and a few night sweats, luckily they’re not too bad but I think that’s because a side effect of the antidepressants I’m on helps with hot flushes, I only found out a week ago this was the case. Some of my friends suffer really badly with them. I’ve been toying with the idea of HRT to see if that helps with the aching which has also spread now to my shoulders but need to do research into HRT to check the benefits/risks. Bev x
Hi Mecca to be honest I’m not doing too badly at all it sounds worse than it is although I have days where all my joints ache in my body but it’s not all the time. Not had the sciatica for a whole month now, I can swim and cycle and haven’t ended up with side effects like a friend of mine who had chemo for another type of cancer. She’s ended up with neuropathy in the ends of her fingers and keeps dropping things. Another friend can’t have HRT either as she had breast cancer at 40 & it was hormone driven. I may be wrong but maybe if the breast cancer is not hormone driven, women with a family history of breast cancer can still have it. I’ve also hear some types HRT can cause periods to return and I couldn’t be doing with that!! 
Xx
Hi Marie (Mecca),
Unfortunately as Bev has said this is a really common issue following our treatment. Like Bev my oncologist checked my scans for fractures etc., & found nothing of concern just some general wear & tear (hips) which is early stage osteoarthritis that was diagnosed prior to my cancer diagnosis. I’m much better when I’m on the move with my hips but then have to be careful of overdoing things else I pay for it the following day! I’m seated mostly at work & find I have to stand for a couple of minutes before I need to move else I’m hobbling off like a 100 year old! I do wonder how much of this is joint related & how much is muscular, the radiotherapy causes stenosis to our pelvic muscles & I think there’s an essence of this too in my groin/upper thigh muscles, I’m definitely not as flexible as I was but can this also be put down to general ageing?? I’m doing all that I can holistically to support my joints/bones, I’m taking a good quality multivitamin, high grade fish oil, collagen supplement & vitamin D3 with K2. As Bev has already advised I would ask your oncologist/surgeon to check you most recent scans for any damage then at least you can rule out any fractures etc. As for the menopause I’d had symptoms for some years prior to my diagnosis but the radiotherapy put paid to them all & I've had hardly any flushes etc., since!
Nicola
