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Severe upper back/neck/chest pain...chemo, neulasta or port problem?

Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 5:01 pm
by ktwmn
Hello all,

I again need to turn to you guys for advice. I had my infusion last week (currently on 5FU, Leukovorin and avastin), disconnect last Wednesday, and neulasta on Thursday. I noticed I started feeling sore in my upper back and neck the day of disconnect, then it increased Thursday and Friday and over the weekend. Now it has radiated to the back of the neck and it is painful every time I breathe. My heart rate today was 118, my BP was high (135/? I forget the bottom number). There is a vein that bulges in my neck after bending over or exerting myself, and now just standing up feels like overexertion. My throat feels tight. I am running a low grade fever. So I put a call to the onc's office, went in today, was sent for a carotid artery ultrasound, it came back negative. I am glad I don't have a clot in my carotid artery, but would sure like to resolve this. The pain is different from typical neulasta pain (which normally hits me in the pelvis and lower back). BTW they gave me neulasta even though my neutophils and WBCs were high when I had my blood work done. Could it be an overdose of WBCs? Or am I reaching the point where my body can no longer take the treatments and the devices used to do them? N.B. my port has always been a problem, it does not give blood return, a port study last year showed a fibrin sheath.

Thanks for any and all responses.