Muscles and joint stiffness

Hi otter44

I'm not able to give you any advice (sorry!) as I didn't have chemo.  But I noticed your post had slipped down and may now not get noticed by ladies on the site at present. Hopefully, by answering, I've bumped it up for someone to offer a bit of advice.

In the meantime, you might want to join in this thread for the ladies currently undergoing chemo.

Kindest wishes, Lesley

Thank you!

I went through early menopause during chemo (was given zoladex injections to make sure!) and I didn't notice a hug amount of additional joint and muscle pain once effects of docetaxel wore off. However, I started taking exemestane in April, which stops oestrogen being produced in the rst of your body (as opposed to ovaries, which is what zoladex stops). 

I get muscle pain and stiffness with the exemestane. If I sit for too long, I can barely walk for the first few steps as feet and leg muscles so sore. And I am stiff getting out of bed in the morning.

However, it is gradually getting better and like you, I find the more active I am, the less stiff I am. I am pretty active, s it doens't bother me too much.

I did start taking  hemp oil supplement (omegas 3-6-9) in the evening, which stopped the awful hip pain I had overnight.

Hi otter44,  I had AC chemo x4, then taxol x12.  I had a lumpectomy last month, followed by 5 sessions of radiotherapy and I feel like an old lady with chronic arthritis too. Just like you, sitting for any length of time, my legs seize up. The pain in my hands are horrible with trigger a finger that is so painful. I am going to try physiotherapy in and out of a pool.  I'm 51 and used to do HIIT workouts regularly, now my 87 year old Mum walks and gets out of chairs easier than me. I am (peri) menopausal and have had two covid vaccinations.  No one yet can say for sure if it is just the chemo or the menopause or the jabs or perhaps a combination of two or all three.  I hope it's something that will get better with time but it is frustrating not being able to do basic things that I used to take for granted.  I'll let you know how I get on and hopefully you will let me know how things are going with you.

Thanks Beatthebreast, I will try that hemp oil supplement. I've heard that black seed oil is also good for such aches and pains. Have you heard of it?

I wish someone had told me to appreciate oestrogen while I still had it, because it turns out you really miss it afterwards! I'm glad I've been working from home because it's less obvious when it takes me a little while to stand up after a long call. I try to move at least once an hour to stop getting too stiff, and do HIIT or run / walk every few days.