Oncologist symptoms and conditions

I have felt poorly since October 2006. Sugar levels ranging from the 450-550 range. My G.P. who is a fantastic dr. put me on Januvia in January of 2007. Range of sugar levels did not change much Sent me for blood work found many abnormalities and in March 2007 I was diagnosed with a bone marrow plasma cell cancer call multiple myeloma (not a side effect of Januvia I'm sure). I am I'm the hospital now for a second time because of severe abdominal cramping. Looks like lower bowel problems. Have not been on Januvia for five days now. ***************My right shoulder feels better, I can raise my arm above my head, no night sweats, no bloody nose, my eczema is clearing up, no pain in joints or rest of my body (thought pain was associated with cancer which is considered inactive since April 2008, I have slept through the night, no pain meds for the last three days, no nightmares, no stomach pain, no coughing, chest not feeling congested, I can get out of bed w/out having to stand for a few minutes by the bed-side because of dizziness, not feeling like a truck ran over me in the middle of the night in the last three days, and most of all I have more energy. To many side effects !!! All of these side effects I thought were a possible result of my cancer although my oncologist did not think so and we still believed that there was some other underlying problem(s). THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM(S) IS JANUVIA !!! Thanks for reading. God Bless You All. Great Health to All.

Fatigue, flashing in the left eye, worsening migraines:
I have been on Arimidex since July, 2007 (after lumpectomy in January 2007, chemo, a mastectomy in same breast in August, 2007 followed by radiation) and seemed to be tolerating it quite well, except for the fact that I wanted to go to bed at no later than 9PM every night.
Recently, however, I had noticed retinal problems in my left eye (could also be a result of my nearsightedness and my age --61) and worsening migraine attacks which I could not relieve completely with my usual medications. I did research on Google and found that Arimidex could indeed lead to worsening of headaches and perhaps lead to retinopathy as well.
This morning I decided not to take the pill and called my oncologist's office to find out what he thinks about stopping it for a while.
I have also made an appointment with a neurologist since I haven't had a brain MRI since 1987 (to rule out other causes than migraine for my headaches).

Heres my Levaquin horror story:

In hospital for bowel obstruct. Took LevaQ. at home. 1/2 way through I noticed I wasn't feeling any better but worse while recovering. Starting sleeping for 3 hr intervals, while up I would feel as if I wanted to jump out of my skin. Calf pain. Dizziness. Intermittent instenseTingling around mouth and face. Called my MD.
I was put back in hospital due to a platelet count of 'one million'. My MD who is wonderful, consulted with others, even an oncologist. I refused a bone marrow aspiration, so they came up with a game plan -- possible reaction to the Levaquin???? So... 'flush out the Levaquin'. With each day of continuous mass flushing of IV fluids....my platelets decreased daily.
3 years later...I getting intermittent tingling, flu like symptoms, dizziness, heart palpitations, extreme fatigue-------------still looking for answers to my illness. Just had more blood work - lymphocytic profile was drawn, waiting on results. Definitely am anemic, chronic slight rise in liver enzymes with last sed rate and wbc count in norm range.

I took Zolpidem (Ambien) last night for the first time. It was prescribed to me by my oncologist as I have been having trouble sleeping ever since I have started chemotherapy for breast cancer one week ago. I fell asleep quickly and slept well for 5 hours, but awoke at 2am with a headache. I took 1 gram of Tylenol at 2am but was unable to go back to sleep because the headache became increasingly worse and did not go away until I drank some coffee at 5am. It was the worse headache I have ever had. The caffeine made it go away finally.

I am 31 and I have been on YAZ for a month now. My two friends have been on it for two months and suffered nausea and that was it. They love this BC!! I have not taken BC for two years but with my history of ovarian cancer (diagnosed at 24, been cancer-free for seven years!!) and my horrible periods I decided to get back on something. My oncologist put me on YAZ once I told him how the first day of my period keeps me home from work or I miss out on social activities due to the awful cramps. The only side effects I have experienced are being on my period for a month and bloating. The period is light but I still have to wear a tampon non-stop and that is not so good for the old sex life with my husband. I have never been pregnant, but I feel like I am with the stupid bloating I am having. I am going to give it another two weeks if nothing has changed I am quitting. Good Luck to everyone!!!

My 89 year old independent mother-in-law started low dose Arimidex after mastectomy 6 months ago. She experienced sever bone/hip pain (requiring a middle of the night ER visit). She was advised by the oncologist's office to discontinue Arimidex. Several weeks after stopping the Arimidex she began to have night sweats, becoming increasingly severe.. She is uncomfortable, to say the least. Is this truly a side effect of stopping arimidex? Have others experienced this side effect post arimidex? Should we look into some other cause?

I began taking Aromasin 1 year ago for advanced (Stage 4) BC with mets to the bones. I have increasingly had severe joiont aches, my hands and fingers ache so badly at times, I feel I can barely hold a book, or type, etc. My hands and fingers tingle and feel numb. I also have severe wrist pain so much so that I sometimes use a heating pad for some relief. I do not wish to discontinue it because it seems to be working and my Oncologist says the side effects are more tolerable than chemo, which I have already had before. I feel like my Dr. sometimes thinks I am exaggerating my pain levels, but I struggle with daily activities. I am on Fentanyl patches and even have to resort to Hydrocodone when it becomes to intolerable.

I have been taking Levoxyl for 1 1/2 yrs, I had my thyroid removed due to severe hyperthyroid. In the past year, I have been getting pains and weakness in my hands. It is so bad now, I can't open a jar or lift a frying pan. It hurts sooo bad. My legs hurt and my knees have real bad joint pain.
The funny thing is, it's not every day and not always both knees. It is however all the time in my hands. Last week I went to an Arthritis specialist in San Antonio. He ran every blood test avail. Tested for Rhum. arthritis, Lyme disease, AA, and all kinds of stuff. He x-rayed my knees and injected cortisone in my knees and hands. - that hurt -
He found nothing wrong!
I searched on line tonight for "Levoxyl and joint pain" and this site came up. Boy am I glad I am not the only one who is questioning this horribly possible side effect. Oh, I also have memory loss. I feel like I am 80 yrs old. Just to make sure you know what type of person I am, here goes: I am fit, active, 37 yrs old and 115 lbs, I eat well and take vitamins, non smoker, non drinker.
On Monday, I am calling my doctor. I am printing this web site and all of the postings like mine. There must be something I can be put on that will fix this. Can anyone tell me if they have no Thyroid and have gotten off this stuff; does the hand pain stop? Does it get better or is this permanent damage?

Kerrville TX

I have been off Lisinopril for 5 weeks and feel 200% better than I have in almost a year. All of the side effects have disappeared except for the cough and that too is almost gone.
My family doctor told me to just stop taking it and I did. Cutting it out slowly doesn't work. You still have all the side effects.
My oncologist and ENT doctor said this drug is nasty to many people.
I live on chemo meds because I have metastatic breast cancer and they don't give me any problems.
Funny how one 10mg BP pill could cause so many problems.
Dyazide keeps my BP in check with no side effects.
I think a lot of doctors are brainwashed in regards to Lisinopril. Thank goodness for doctors who listen and bother to check things out. I have 3 of the best..Life without Lisinopril......Wonderful !!!!!

I have read a ton of the posts in this category. I have been taking Lisinopril as an addition to my regular blood pressure medication for approximately 3 years, with absolutely no problems. My 10mg was increased to 20mg a week ago. Still no problems. It has only helped me. If there are any changes, I will definitely post it. I believe that symptoms can arise from reading an article. I actually know a couple people who read things, and suddenly they are convinced they have the problem or disease referenced. I call it an Epidemic of Diagnoses. Always seek a doctors advice before stopping medications. Stopping suddenly on certain drugs, can be more dangerous than taking them.

I just took my first of six shots 2 days ago. I'm already experiencing a general hot feeling, hot flashes and insomnia. I'm worried after reading these posts. ... My doctor did not explain the severity of the side effects prior to recommending the drug. Should I continue the treatment? My endometriosis only effects my life during my periods, and have no symptoms while im not menstruating. However, my period pain is so severe it impairs my ability to function. What do i do?

after receiving treqatments with zometa, i told my oncologist that i'm feeling numbness on my right lips and chin. then, after several days, i felt my teeth on my right jaw were starting to feel weak. my orthodontist gave me amoxicillin for 5 days but there was no relief. how will these dissappear?help.

I underwent prostate cancer IMRT radiation in 2005. As part of the treatment, I was given three four month doses of Lupron Depot. Men who get this drug experience a reduction of testosterone, wright gain, hot flashes, and sometime depression. I had all of those.

Toward the end of 2005, about two months after my last injection, I noticed a tingling, sometimes burning sensation in my right fool near the toes. Over the past year or so, the sensation has spread to my other foot and sometimes up my leg.

My symptoms have all the earmarks of peripheral neuropathy. So far, my motor functions are okay, and I have been checked for diabetes, and found not to have it, which is a relief.

I did have an attack of Bell's Palsy back in 1973, and it was treated with heat and cortisone. It never came back. I see from some of the web sites that there is a connection between Bell's Palsy and peripheral neuropathy, and and also a connection with Lupron and peripheral neuropathy.

I realize there is little I can do about it, but I think the physicians who prescribe Lupron for prostate cancer should also make their patients aware of this possible side effect.

Does Arimidex cause hair loss?

I have been to see my Primary Care Physician for a pain in my leg. It's like a foot-falling asleep pain. While trying to figure out where this pain is coming from, I have had MRIs and bone scans that said that I have bone infarcts (blood not getting to certain parts of my bone) throughout my whole body, I am only 27 years old. My hemotologist has found no problems with my blood and my rheumatologist says that the only thing she could think of that would cause this are high doses of Prednisone. She told me I have a very rare bone disease, but wouldn't give me a straight diagnosis. That's all of the info I have. I have only taken Prednisone about 5 or 6 times in my life for no more than a week at a time, but my rheumatologist said that's the only explanation. I am now going to an oncologist for a bone marrow sample, but I am being told that Prednisone is the only explanation of why this is happening to me.

I have been on and off all different types of BCP for the past 13 years due to endometriosis. I started taking Yasmin six months ago. At first, I thought that I had found a miracle drug, I was not having as many PMS symptoms and my cramps were not anything to complain about. About 3months ago my joints really started to bother me, I had severe muscle fatigue, night sweats, insomnia, extreme hair loss, absolutly no sex drive, no attention span,memory loss, and kidney stones.I went to doctors (endocrinologist,reumitoid specialist,oncologist). They did tons of blood work, they found that my symptoms were due to Yasmin. Yasmin has thrown off my hormones, and my thyroid is all over the place. Yasmin should be taken off the market .

I am a 55 year old female with recurrent mesothelioma. I am being treated with Navelbine and I am now on my 2nd cycle ( 1 cycle = 4 weeks/infusion every week for 3 weeks and 1 week off) My oncologist isn't sure that my symtoms are from Navelbine, but they started immediately after my first infusion. First episode was weak muscles in the face, almost like Bells Palsy (1st cycle). During the 2nd cycle I passed out and then gradually got weaker and weaker during the 3rd week of 2nd cycle until I started to experience, dizziness, light-headedness, difficult walking with a loss of balance, unusual tiredness and headaches. I haven't been able to find these type of side effects listed on any of Navelbine's websites.

I started my shots October, 2004 and I believe I had my last shot about 2 months ago. I started having the pain right away and mentioned it to my oncologist & primary doctor. My doctor sent me to a rhemotologist and for bone density, bone scans and x-rays. Nobody mentioned it could have been the lupron. The pain is so severe that it keeps me up at night and I feel like an 80 year old getting up and down or just moving. I can't believe these doctors never told me it was most likely the medicine which was causing the pain. I also am relieved to hear I'm not alone and no longer feel like I'm crazy or just acting like a baby. Thank all of you for your remarks on the Lupron.

To Guest 12473 especially: Many thanks for your posting.

I too, have been on this lisinopril for nearly two years, starting w 10mg and recently ending at 40mg. Side effects include erratic BP, horrific dry cough in the evening, productive but sometimes bloody sputum in the morning. Unexplained low grade fever that comes and goes. WBC going out of sight, RBC going down. Hemotologist/Oncologist wants to do bone marrow biopsy thinking the same as Guest 12473: lymphocytic leukemia. My opinion: I've been slowly poisoned by this filth for months. Of course the body is doing strange things, the WBC are trying to fight off this chemical infection. I pray permanent damage has not been done. Quit the lisinopril 48 hours ago. Cough is starting to improve, feeling somewhat better and more energetic, but am now getting queasy throughout the day. Supposed to fly to England and Wales in a few days; hope I can make it.

This filth needs to come off the market now!

Started on Fosamax when I started Femara in Nov 2004. I did notice increased body stiffness but did not atribute to either drug. About two months ago I developed trigger finger on my right thumb and attributed it to mild lymphadema following flying without my jobst sleeve. However, that thumb is now fenlarged, frozen, and very painful and I have developed pain and triggering in the left thumb, middle finger and right toe. I know my oncologist and primary med physicians are going to be reluctant to attribute to Fosamax. They have the same information we have.

I had almost 1 & 1/2 years of Zometa treatments. This past year I experienced almost unbearable tightness & pain in my chest, which was mis-diagnosed as "costochondritis". Then the lower part of my chin & lip went numb-I began breaking out in boils, plus severe muscle cramping, not to mention several bouts with the flu-like symtoms. Late last summer I started coughing a lot & having breathing problems. I was diagnosed with "dypsnea". I
have a blocked airway and am on a nebulizer 2-3 times a day. My
oncologist took me off Zometa & I haven't had a treatment since October but my life is still hell.
Laura ***

I had posted before about severe muscle/joint pain and weakness while taking Zocor. I was also having a problem with my white blood cell lymphocyte count. They were less than a tenth of what they should have been. This would adversely affect my disease fighting capability. After several visits to a hemotologist/oncologist and over 20 lab blood samples, nothing was found. I told my doctors that I had read on the Internet that Statins had been found to be immunosuppressors, lowering both T & B cell counts dramatically. None of them knew of or had read about this.
The only reason my blood cell count was even checked was because I complained of tiredness, pain, etc.

I decided to stop taking Zocor on my own and the improvements were dramatic. The muscle pain and weakness lessened considerably but did not totally disappear. My vision sharpened. The Lymphocytes went back to normal in a little over two weeks.

With so many people taking statins, are our immune systems being weakened making us more susceptible to cancer and disease? Certainly this question needs to be answered.

I was prescribed Levaquin 750 q day for what appeared to be a breast abscess and swollen nodes in my left axilla. By day 3 I didn't feel a whole lot better, the infection didn't seem to be improving greatly, day 4-6 spanned a weekend, by day 7 I was so miserable I checked into the ER. There they did blood work that showed that my bone marrow was completely suppressed, which meant that my body was unable to fight the infection at all. The result was a two week stay in hospital, IV antibiotics x 4 weeks, incision and drainage of stated area x 2, and a lengthy recuperation. I am an RN, have never been sick a day in my life before this episode. I am still unable to return to work because of my low white blood cell count, and will very likely have to change jobs because I doubt whether I will be able to return to 12-hour shifts on an ortho-vascular floor. I am still quite weak, tire easily, need to rest frequently, do not have anywhere the ability to work a full day that I had before this episode. The affected areas are finally healing, but it is now 6 weeks post appearance of the infection. My WBC is still about half of what is should be to be low-normal. I am being followed by a oncologist-hematologist to correct the damage that was done to my bone marrow by this dangerous medication.