Dear rjackham,
The comments that you have received are very good.
Your doctors did the right thing by looking into the possibility of a pulmonary embolism, as this is a known risk of Revlimid / dexamethasone-based therapy.
Worsening of angina has been reported with proteasome inhibitors (Velcade, Kyprolis), but I agree that this does not sound like cardiac chest pain. I always worry about a pathologic fracture of a rib in these circumstances and plain x-rays do not always pick up smaller hair-line fractures well. It might be worth making sure that the radiologist who read the chest CT looked at the ribs carefully.
We have had patients on Revlimid therapy who have had muscle spasms involving the chest wall that have caused incapacitating pain. In those instances, appropriate treatment of the muscle spasms has helped a lot.
Lastly, pleurisy is a good thought, but it would not be a common cause of chest pain on these medications.
Please be sure to give us follow-up on the situation. I hope you feel better soon!
Pete V.
Forums
Re: Chest pain as a side effect of Revlimid or Velcade?
Kevin J:
I've had the same symptoms with the chest pain after Revlimid as you described. Had all the same precautionary tests with negative results. The duration of the chest pain has been much longer now over a month. I will question my doctor about a lung inflammation during my next visit. Thanks for the information.
I've had the same symptoms with the chest pain after Revlimid as you described. Had all the same precautionary tests with negative results. The duration of the chest pain has been much longer now over a month. I will question my doctor about a lung inflammation during my next visit. Thanks for the information.
-
Nick Salemi
Re: Chest pain as a side effect of Revlimid or Velcade?
Multi myeloma - diagnosed 12/16/2011
Age 71
1st 6 months - Velcade + Dex - now suffer with neuropathy in both hands and feet. Tried Gabapentin - stopped after getting to 300 mg 3 times a day with no relief.
ASCT 6/20/2012 - ASCT declared successful after 20 days in Boston's Brigham and Women's hospital. However, Transfer rehab hospital due to multiple on going side effects. Discharge 8/6/2012 - 49 days
Post discharge meds - basically vitamins, Bactrim and Acycolvir - no Revlimid no Dex
Revlimid + 20 mg Dex]
Lots of sides effects
Dex - causes
2 days of insomnia
Ravenous appetite - 21 lb gain Jan - Jun 2013
First 3 days of the Revlimid + Dex cycle I am 'souped up' - ready to get out and be physical
day 4 - 7 I begin to suffer increasing fatigue.
Day 3 and on - bowel constipation as well as upper GI constipation.
NOTE - the upper GI constipation makes back and right chest extremely painful - I take 10 mg of Oxy and a healthy BM. relief takes 6 hours +
Compared to where I was in August 2012 - I am doing spectacular and happy with Boston's Dana Farber oncology team
George Chaisson
Age 71
1st 6 months - Velcade + Dex - now suffer with neuropathy in both hands and feet. Tried Gabapentin - stopped after getting to 300 mg 3 times a day with no relief.
ASCT 6/20/2012 - ASCT declared successful after 20 days in Boston's Brigham and Women's hospital. However, Transfer rehab hospital due to multiple on going side effects. Discharge 8/6/2012 - 49 days
Post discharge meds - basically vitamins, Bactrim and Acycolvir - no Revlimid no Dex
Revlimid + 20 mg Dex]
Lots of sides effects
Dex - causes
2 days of insomnia
Ravenous appetite - 21 lb gain Jan - Jun 2013
First 3 days of the Revlimid + Dex cycle I am 'souped up' - ready to get out and be physical
day 4 - 7 I begin to suffer increasing fatigue.
Day 3 and on - bowel constipation as well as upper GI constipation.
NOTE - the upper GI constipation makes back and right chest extremely painful - I take 10 mg of Oxy and a healthy BM. relief takes 6 hours +
Compared to where I was in August 2012 - I am doing spectacular and happy with Boston's Dana Farber oncology team
George Chaisson
-
Anonymous
Re: Chest pain as a side effect of Revlimid or Velcade?
rjackham wrote:
> I'm pretty sure it is NOT heart related. I went to the ER and they did an
> EKG, CT, xray and blood tests and found no "cause" for the chest
> pain. The oncologist feels, as does the ER physician that it is muscle
> stress. However since I did nothing to cause the stress, I'm having a hard
> time with that answer.. Pain was bad enough to rate a 6 or 7 and needed 2
> Oxycontin to stop. Felt like upper lung. I've read that one side effect is
> infection in the lungs, but blood test was negative and no fever. Movement
> of the arm, coughing causes pain. No history of recent coughing however.
> It's a mystery. I'm discouraged that the reaction of the Drs was no
> obvious cause therefore stress is the cause, rather than, "could it be
> something else? When we talk about "causing pain", perhaps the
> real question is what is causing the pain. How about a total stab in the
> dark from a non-medical person - one or more of the drugs causes an
> inflammation of the inner chest wall or the lung, that doesn't show up on
> the tests that were taken - crazy? I don't know, I just feel the pain.
> It's now been a week and finally this evening I'm going without pain meds
> because it doesn't hurt so much that I can't sleep.
rjackham,
DO NOT be fooled by ER findings that it is not your heart. My sweet 75 y/o Mother died one week ago tonight after having suffered a heart attack after Velcade. Each and every time she had a Velcade injection, she would have severe chest and arm pain the next 2 days. Each time we took her to the ER and they assured us it was not her heart. Because it happened only and always after the Velcade injection, I believe the Velcade caused heart damage. Just hours before she died her oncologist insisted there was no documentation Velcade might include heart damage/ heart attack as a side effect. The Velcade website very much contradicts the oncologist's statement.
Multiple Myeloma didn't kill my mom, but she had a heart attack that did.
> I'm pretty sure it is NOT heart related. I went to the ER and they did an
> EKG, CT, xray and blood tests and found no "cause" for the chest
> pain. The oncologist feels, as does the ER physician that it is muscle
> stress. However since I did nothing to cause the stress, I'm having a hard
> time with that answer.. Pain was bad enough to rate a 6 or 7 and needed 2
> Oxycontin to stop. Felt like upper lung. I've read that one side effect is
> infection in the lungs, but blood test was negative and no fever. Movement
> of the arm, coughing causes pain. No history of recent coughing however.
> It's a mystery. I'm discouraged that the reaction of the Drs was no
> obvious cause therefore stress is the cause, rather than, "could it be
> something else? When we talk about "causing pain", perhaps the
> real question is what is causing the pain. How about a total stab in the
> dark from a non-medical person - one or more of the drugs causes an
> inflammation of the inner chest wall or the lung, that doesn't show up on
> the tests that were taken - crazy? I don't know, I just feel the pain.
> It's now been a week and finally this evening I'm going without pain meds
> because it doesn't hurt so much that I can't sleep.
rjackham,
DO NOT be fooled by ER findings that it is not your heart. My sweet 75 y/o Mother died one week ago tonight after having suffered a heart attack after Velcade. Each and every time she had a Velcade injection, she would have severe chest and arm pain the next 2 days. Each time we took her to the ER and they assured us it was not her heart. Because it happened only and always after the Velcade injection, I believe the Velcade caused heart damage. Just hours before she died her oncologist insisted there was no documentation Velcade might include heart damage/ heart attack as a side effect. The Velcade website very much contradicts the oncologist's statement.
Multiple Myeloma didn't kill my mom, but she had a heart attack that did.
-
Grieving daughter
Re: Chest pain as a side effect of Revlimid or Velcade?
Dear Grieving Daughter, i am very sorry to hear about your mother and all the pain and suffering that she went through. She must have felt very supported by you, though. myeloma can be such an awful disease, and unpredictable too. i hope that your memories of her help to sustain you at this time of loss.
-
Nancy Shamanna - Name: Nancy Shamanna
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Self and others too
- When were you/they diagnosed?: July 2009
15 posts
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