Symptom Alleviation Guide

Pain

Joint Pain

Valerie had significant joint pain with her immunotherapy treatment. It was terrible at first; every single bone in her body hurt including her finger bones. Over the months the joint pain decreased until it was almost unnoticeable.

Recommendations

If you have swelling, report it to your doctor right away.
Ask your doctor what you can take to decrease the pain.
Advil (2 pills every 6 hours), when needed, took the edge off when on immunotherapy CAUTION: Physician review required for use of Advil/Aleve et al.; for any analgesic containing (naproxen sodium)
Vick’s VapoRub turns out to be great for joint pain and muscle aches in addition to relieving cough symptoms.
Epsom salt baths.

Lung Area Pain

Periodically, I had mid chest area pain; such pain may be related to tissue inflammation. The Oncologist informed me the lungs have no nerves but surrounding areas, such as the pleura, may be the source of such periodic discomforts.

Recommendations

Tylenol takes the edge off. Also, it is less likely to interfere with treatment regimens.
Avoid NSAIDS; naproxen sodium, Aleve/Advil et al as it is contraindicated with several therapies and is hard for your liver to process.
Inform your Physician about such pain to rule out any other more serious conditions

Peripheral Neuropathy

When taking certain chemotherapies as well as targeted therapies I periodically felt finger and or foot / toe tingling, burning, prickling, needles and pins, especially at night. Keep an eye on this condition as it can lead to nerve damage resulting in clumsiness (ie holding, dropping things) as well as other issues.

Recommendations

Vitamin B-6 supplements were recommended by a physician and may help lessen symptoms. I've tried it, it seems to help lessen the burning a bit.
Deep tissue massage helps stimulate blood flow and could help with nerve pain.
Acupuncture has been recommended which may help manage neuropathy.
Walking, exercise, activities getting the blood circulating seems to help.
Unfortunately to date nothing has been found to completely address this type of nerve damage.

Table of Contents

Pain

Joint Pain

Recommendations

Lung Area Pain

Recommendations

Peripheral Neuropathy

Recommendations

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