Cancer Research UK main site

Breast cancer & Filgrastim injections

Milvie
Offline

Hi,

I am Milvie, I am 59yrs old and was diagnosed with breast cancer, IDC  grade 2, eastrogen positive and HER2 positive in February this year. 

I have just had my first cycle of chemo and yesterday I completed the first 7 days of Filgrastim injections. 

Normally I am a quite a strong and determined sort of person and have generally been very lucky with my health over the years. However, I have to say the Filgrastim has absolutely floored me!!

I have been in bed for 6 days and nights, which has never been heard of before.  I am experiencing alot of side effects, from my mouth being very dry and sore inside, cracked and bleeding lips, throat feels sore and closing over. A terrible thirst which I can't quench.   I have not eaten for 6 days and can bearly sip water as I feel I am swallowing a golf ball.  I have horrendous aches and pains in back, down front of legs, basically all over.  I have horrendous cramp pains, which hardly subside even though I am taking paracetamol and ibuprofen regularly. But what has really taken it out of me is the tightness in chest and pulling for breathe especially when I have to get to bathroom. (diahorrea everyday so far). I have to lie still and flat to get the chest to settle. 
These are some of my side effects, there are more but I won't go on!  I am assuming it is the Filgrastim as I went to clinic to have my PICC line flushed last Friday. I mentioned all of this to ANP as I was in tears.  He said it was the injections they are nasty but the side effects will get better. They did not, they got worse! 

Now I am seriously thinking of stopping the injections as I cannot go through this for the next 5 cycles, I'm not through this one yet!  Does anyone know if I will be able to have the chemo but not have the Filgrastim afterwards? I know they won't be happy but I'd rather lock myself away during the months of treatment so I don't pick up any infections than experience what I am experiencing again. 

Sorry for long winded post! 
Many thanks. 

  • Hello Milvie and thanks for posting,  

    I am sorry to learn that you are having such a bad time of it.  

    While what you are experiencing could be due to Filgrastim side effects, I can’t be sure that everything you mentioned is, so our advice would be to contact the chemotherapy unit/clinic/ward to let them know what is going on in case they want to review you or do anything.  

    I don’t know what your oncology team will say about continuing with chemotherapy without Filgrastim, it may be possible, it would be up to them to decide, but they will want to know how you got on with it.  

    I do hope you pick up and feel better soon and can easily get some advice about how you are feeling from the hospital.   

    All the best,  

     Julia  

  • Offline

    hi Milvie - I had terrible Filgrastim pain too, I was crying (I sat up in bed at night wailing!) so much as nothing took the pain away that was deep in my thigh bones and sternum.  When I told my BCN this they changed my next dose to a single larger one plus I took my pain killers routinely before and after for a few days. I took co-codamol 8/500 and Ibuprofen 400 three times a day for about 4/5 days plus I rubbed a fibromyalgia balm on my thighs and chest (I use this already for my painful fibromyalgia). I had this discussion with a BC group I'm in and some took antihistamines (Clarityn) which helped them. You can google about the Clarityn - plenty about it there. 

    Hope you get on better next round, Kaisa. 

     

Speak to a nurse

Quick links

Follow us

Registered with Fundraising Regulator (logo)
Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ.