Frozen Shoulders

Hi Dream A 

I am sorry you are going through this. I started taking Letrozole a year ok after surgery chemo and radiotherapy . I felt I struck lucky as the brand of Letrozole I was given although gave me stiff joints I could work this off and do ok for the day. But after a year I struggled to get that brand and have had to change brands. Since doing this I have more joint pain and now have a frozen shoulder on opposite side to surgery. I have a few exercises to do which help but have been referred to hospital physio for x-ray and possible injection in it. Great ! May be if you tried a different brand? It is still Letrozole but different brands have different colours, fillers and preservatives in . Hope this helps x

Hello DreamA,

I have suffered from a frozen shoulder on two occasions in the past long before breast cancer. Apparently frozen shoulders are common in menopausal women due to the reduction of oestrogen in your body. That was the cause of mine then. Letrozole will be having the same effect, reducing the oestrogen.  

They are excruciating and I feel for you. I couldn’t reach for things in kitchen cupboards, wash or brush my hair and at one stage my shoulder was so frozen I couldn’t even move it away from my body enough to wash under my armpits. 

The first time I went to a private physio who said it would take 18 months to heal. I was horrified but she was right. I went to physios and osteopaths. I must have spent nearly £1000 on treatment. I needed to drive and be able to work. I was desperate. The GP just kept giving me painkillers which made me feel ill. After 18 months it eased. 

Then the other shoulder started to freeze a few months later. Nightmare. A different GP suggested a steroid injection into the joint. For me that worked like magic and I had no further problems. 

Now I’m on Letrozole, my shoulders are probably the only joints that are not stiff. 

Seek help from your GP and anyone else you can. It can be a long, hard road can a frozen shoulder. 

Sending you hugs

JigJog x

Hi, I finished with radiotherapy last October and have been on Anastrozole since August last year. I noticed the stiffness in my shoulder and bicep getting worse about two to three weeks after the end of radiotherapy. Following advice from my GP, I asked my breast care team if I could be referred for physiotherapy by them and they arranged this for me at my local hospital. I have had two face to face appointments so far and have been given specific exercises. Whilst I still have quite restricted movement, I can see an improvement and can now put on and take off clothes with less discomfort. I know from fracturing my elbow in 2020 that recovery is a slow process, but things can get much better. Perhaps you could ask your team or your GP if they could refer you for physiotherapy? Wishing you all the best.

I also finished treatment in November for stage 1 left breast cancer (chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy). I now continue with Zoladex injections and anastrozole tablets.
I still have numbness in my hands and feet. Two new things that are happening to me are problems with my left shoulder and problems with my knees.
I feel more and more problems and pain in my shoulder, when I sleep I can't lean on it, I can't move my arm well without causing pain. I was referred to the physiotherapy area of the Cancer Center, but to be honest, the stiffness is still there. I will surely see results in the future.
I continue with numbness in my hands and feet. My knees hurt when I sleep, when I get up, when I walk. My ankles are also hurting a lot.
I still haven't been able to get an appointment with my GP. I hope to do it soon. Some of you had X-rays of your shoulder.
I feel like my diagnosis of lumbar scoliosis isn't helping much either. That was diagnosed to me when I was 20 years old. A couple of years ago, I have noticed a lump on the back of my neck. I also want to talk about it with the GP because it seems to be a parrot's beak and must be the product of the deformation of my spine.

From the positive I rescue that reading your messages helps me to know that I am not alone and that other people can also understand my pain.
I will always be praying for all of you, especially that we stay positive and that the trials we are facing help us to be resilient and our faith to remain strong. I have learned over the years that trials are not used to make us suffer, God allows them to increase our faith.

I hug all of you.

Hi Giovana, sorry to hear you are having some problems. I have numbness in my feet, mainly in my heals but I also get pain on the balls of my feet and toes. I have been told it’s peripheral neuropathy from the chemo. I now have some lidocaine patches/plasters to help. First use last night and seem to have helped a bit. I also have hump at the back of my neck. I think from where I have sat hunched so I have bought myself a neck stretcher pillow to see if it helps. Only need to use it for 10mins a day. It’s a little blue kinda of foam pillow. 
Wishing you all the best, hugs from cuffcake x x x x x

Hi Dream A, I'm so sorry you're feeling so uncomfortable, I've just finished chemo 3 weeks ago and due to start radiation next week.

I've had physiotherapy booked in for me ahead of the radiation as I've been told that stiffness and lack of movement range is associated with radiation and that it's crucial to get daily exercises to stave off the stiffness that can develop as a result. 

Maybe you could see about some physio to help ? 

Good luck xx

Thank you so much everyone for your comments and sorry to hear that you are all also suffering with these types of side effects.

I have my 3 monthly checkup this month so will definitely talk to my BC team about physio. 
I have a few different side effects like others but I feel I can cope with achy joints and hot flushes. But my shoulder pain is really getting me down, so need to do something 

Thank you all so much for taking time to comment xxx 

I had surgery in November followed by radiotherapy in December. In January I noticed pain in my left shoulder. My team referred me to the breast clinic physio who I have seen twice now - she gave me exercises as she said the condition is probably related to tightened muscle due to surgery/scar tissue. She also put me on a yoga course that she runs in the hospital. Started that yesterday and hoping it will provide benefit

So sorry you are suffering shoulder pain. I had frozen shoulder before I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My left side was affected first and lasted for about twelve months despite physio, exercises etc. I was told that there was no quick fix but relieved when it started getting better. Then my right shoulder started same symptoms but nowhere near as bad as left side.Since then I have had lumpectomy, sentinal node biopsy and radiotherapy. HT caused carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists and have telephone appointment with Dr at breast clinic to discuss change of tablets.  You have all my sympathy as frozen shoulders are horrible. I did get an electric heat pad from Argos, shaped like a hot water bottle. This was so soothing under my shoulder at night.

Hi Embe

i hope you are recovering well. How did the yoga course go? Did it help?

I’m looking for some physio due to tightness of chest area following mastectomy and radiotherapy and wondered if yoga might help.

thanks