Wow just had first chemo Session last Thursday, Abraxane and Carboplatin, gees my joints are aching. Hospital said just take pain relief and should go once stopped taking the injections after 5 days. Please tell me this is true? Xx
It should be true yes. The filgrastim jabs are brutal for joint pain. It gets much better when you're off them. I also found that the pain from the jabs was by far the worst during my first cycle - hit by a train is accurate. In following cycles I was only achey for a day or so and it wasn't nearly as bad.
Hi Radge, Thank you so much for your reply, which is very helpful, a light at the need of the tunnel, I don't think I could go through this every time to be honest so it's good to hear it can ease. Finish day 5 on Wednesday so hopefully quickly lifts. If it wasn't for this pain I would feel OK but gees it is painful. Xx
Ha Ha, struggling to have a hot bath in this weather. But taking the pain relief, paracetamol and Ibfuphen. but I don't think they help. Although I have finished the steroids and sickness meds today so should start feeling a little better from not takin them. Fingers crossed it will be over soon. May ring Oncology and see if I have to take the injections. Xx
I really struggled with this on filgrastim and put up with it for three rounds thinking I had to…I then told the oncologist that I’d never felt pain like it and she switched me to Lenograstim which was much better. I’d ask if you can have a different brand and also take an anti-histamine half an hour before. X
Hi Hel39, That's great to know at least there is an alternative. The problem is if I have an anti-histamine they absolutely knock me out, seems like I'm stuck in a rock and a hard place. What does the Anti-Histamine do? xx
The pain is apparently your body reacting to the injection so it just stops it reacting quite as badly. I took them with filgrastim but they and the painkillers didn’t really touch the pain. I had no pain with the other injections…or very little, so I don’t know if the loratadine helped or not but I took it anyway. X
I have had 4 rounds of EC chemo which required 5 days of Filgrastim injections, my 4th cycle is on Friday. After a bit of trial and error, I found 4pm was the optimum time of day for them - I would get through the evening with most of the aches then happening overnight In each cycle the first injection has been the worst with it getting a bit easier with each successive day, as if your body gets used to it. I have also found it’s been a bit better with each successive cycle. I find ibuprofen helps.
