Hi
I often forget just how much help is on this site and would really appreciate advice from those in a similar or same position as me
My Chemoradiotherapy ended 25 January 2022 due to the size of my tumour the oncologist advised that he had thrown as much treatment at me as he thought my body would stand
What I wasnt told was the possible side affects In September 2022 having been told that my biopsies were clear I decided to see a spinal surgeon to correct the severe stenosis I had been suffering with for a number of years Having survived the previous 12 months I decided to use this window of opportunity My back pain was particularly bad and when I had my MRI I was told that in addition to the stenosis I had 3 fractures to my pelvis At this point I was on crutches and after prompting my Doctor I was referred back to the bone density clinic who had treated me ten years previous and put on a second course of Alendronic acid In October 2022 I had spinal surgery and at three months post op all was healing well Then four weeks later I was back on crutches - this time fractured sacrum - I am now paranoid of further fractures as I feel that there is nothing I can do to prevent them and each time I'm eight weeks plus on crutches
Any advice or information would be gratefully received
Aplogies for being so long winded :) Jocy
Hi there Jocy (Jo C ),
I'm really sorry to hear what you’re going through right now.
I’m also sorry that you weren’t given the full facts regarding risk factors of this treatment etc. My oncologist warned me about the possibility of bone damage/fractures prior to my treatment but because my radiotherapy was particularly precise & concentrated on a pretty small area he said that this was unlikely to happen.
I suffered a lot of coccyx pain & lower back pain following my treatment & as soon as I reported this to both my surgeon & oncologist they both checked on my scans for any likely fractures, thankfully there was none & the coccyx pain resolved over time although I still have some lower back pain periodically. I’m really surprised that if you’ve a history going back 10 years of bone density issues that the possibility of pelvic fractures wasn’t discussed.
I understand how distressing this must be for you & how wary you must be of doing anything that could result in further damage. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
Nicola
