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I have squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix..i had major radiation to the pelvis area that was in july was last of tx..i have had hip pain small and tolerable..now my hips hurt so bad i can hardly walk is that normal?
Exercise Cancer Back pain Fractures Physical therapy Osteopenia Pain Osteoporosis Dieting
I have read the side effects to radiation can cause damage to the hip and pelvic bones. Portions of those bones are in the radiation field. I finished internal radiation in Oct. 2008, and have had no problems so far. I think with radiation, side effects can occur early or late. Maybe you should speak with your oncon. and see what he/she has to say. They may want to do a bone scan. Are you taking anything to strenghten your bones?
I finished my chemo/radiation the end of June 2008. I recently have discomfort to my right hip & leg when I try to sleep on it. I wonder if it my be due to the radiation.
I had it for a few weeks right after radiation. Try and keep walking, that's what helped me.
Def tell your radiation doc and get a bone scan...
I had the external/internal radiation treatments too.....started having hip pain toward the end of treatments, it's been 5 months since my last one but I still have the pain. I do have to say that it is getting a little better. A few months ago it was so bad it was hard to walk or sit. Just keep moving around as much as you can, it does seem to help in the long run.
I also did some reading and it seems that the radiation can weaken the pelvic bones so much that you can get small fractures in the bones so if it isn't improving you may want to tell your doctor immediately. At least they can give you something to help with the pain. I hope things improve for you soon. Take care.
I went through radiation treatment as well. I have had minor problems with both my hips and pelvic bones. Over the summer I pushed a bit too hard exercising and I ended up in the hospital. I did not know at the time what was going on. Excruciating pelvic pain. As time went on my doctor and I narrowed it down to my running. It was too much for me. There are some days that are worse than others. It is not too bad but I do worry about the future. Every once in awhile my leg gives out. It could be much worse.
I am 20 mos past last tx. same kind of cc, 29 ext and 4 int radiations, my hip and low back pain is worse now than in the first 6 mos after tx. They don't know why yet. I kept exercising and walking after tx but I may have made things worse. There doesn't seem to be any guidelines for recovery here in terms of looking after a damaged body. I have a good GP that patiently examines one development after the other and a good onc/gyn doc who will investigate as well. I find I just don't recover from exercise very well anymore or like I use to even light exercise. It's still a mystery.
Wow! I feel so much better that it isn't in my head. I have had major pain and flexibility issues in my lower back and hips. I had 6 weeks of external beam radiation and 5 treatments of high dose internal a little over 1 year ago. When I sit crosslegged, I can hardly walk when I stand.
I feel all of your pain I too had external and internal radiation. It hit me as early as four months after the treatments. I could not walk down stairs or even through a grocery store without having to sit down. The pain is horrible. It is in my lower back and my hips feel as if they are on fire. It has even effected the ball of my feet. I was diagnosed as having a tear in both hips but here is the catch...all the doctors that I have seen tells me in lams term "You had cancer and they saved your life" If I ask for pain medication they act as if it is gold. I do not abuse medication, I actually don't like taking it. This pain never goes away...exercise, dieting, does not make the pain better, have tried them all. You have tears and scar tissue. As time goes by it will alway get into other parts of the body...such as shoulder, center of back and the knees. Nothing has helped me. I feel for all of you that are suffering. I would like to get more women to come forward with the same problems, this could be an issue that we could bring to the onocologist before the radiation is even started. I wish the best for all who suffer these same problems.
Hip pain following pelvic radiation is a very common side effect that will sometimes not even occur until several months after tx ends. Radiation can be very damaging to the bones that were in the tx field (hips, pelvis). My doctor recommended that I get a DEXA (bone density) test, which I did about 6 months after tx ended. It showed that I had osteopenia, the condition prior to osteoporosis. I am now taking 4 calcium with Vit. D tablets daily, in addition to a separate Vit. D3 supplement (one daily), and Magnesium. The Vit D3 and Magnesium help with the absorption of the calcium. Low impact, weight bearing exercise is helpful in building bones, as well as weight lifting. Yoga, stretching and physical therapy may help as well.
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