[this is the first contribution by Virgil to this blog with many thanks!]
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My personal story of battling cancer is a
difficult one, but I continue to share my experiences in the hope that I can
help others. I was diagnosed
with pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the tissue around the lungs, at age
50. While going through chemotherapy has helped slow the progression of the
tumors and helped manage some symptoms, it has also caused side effects. One
that many people don’t realize can happen, and can be long term is joint pain
and arthritis.
My
Cancer Story
My mesothelioma story begins when I was
just a teenager. Growing up in West Virginia, I began working at a young age to
help contribute to the household. My first job was in demolition and then I
worked with cars and as a mechanic. In both jobs I was unknowingly exposed to
asbestos dust. I didn’t know I needed to be protected from it, and now decades
later I am suffering the consequences of having inhaled those toxic fibers.
Asbestos is the most common cause of
mesothelioma, and when I got sick, really sick, it never occurred to me that
this was the problem. I ended up in the emergency room and was diagnosed with
pneumonia, but treatment didn’t help. I was then diagnosed with cancer. I have
been fighting this cancer mostly with chemotherapy because it was too advanced
to treat surgically. The chemotherapy has helped me feel better as it slowed
the progression of the cancer, but it has also caused its own side effects.
Most recently I started dealing with joint pain.
Chemotherapy
and Joint Pain
Chemotherapy is like taking controlled
doses of poison. Chemotherapy drugs target and kill any fast-growing cells,
which is why it can cause so many side effects while also killing cancer cells.
For me, I thought I had experienced all
the possible chemotherapy side effects, but now I know that it can cause
serious joint pain, even long after a cycle of chemotherapy is finished.
Chemotherapy can cause arthralgia or
arthritis. Arthralgia is a symptom of joint pain, regardless of the cause,
while arthritis is swelling and stiffness in the joints that causes pain. For
most people who experience this side effect of treatment, the symptoms will
resolve on their own. But, it can take many months for that to happen, meaning
there can be months of pain.
There are ways to manage the pain in the
joints caused by chemotherapy, but the first and most important thing to do is
be evaluated by a doctor. If it really is arthritis rather than arthralgia, it
may require different treatments. Generally, though, cancer patients can find
relief and management of chemotherapy-induced joint pain with painkillers and
alternative therapies.
Painkillers that help relieve
joint pain include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, which can
be purchased over the counter, prescription drugs that treat arthritis, and
corticosteroids, which reduce inflammation and pain. Some people also find that
acupuncture helps relieve joint pain, and others get relief from massage,
Reiki, and other types of therapy that complement cancer treatment.
Adding joint pain and arthritis to the list
of symptoms of cancer and side effects of treatment can make battling cancer
more difficult. Anyone going through chemotherapy should inform their doctors
of any side effects experienced, because like joint pain, these side effects
can usually be managed, and if not eliminated, at least minimized so that
treatment can continue.
Article
by V. Anderson
Virgil@Virgil-mail.net
and here