Joint stiffness and muscle pain all over body after chemo and immunotherapy - will it go away completely?

[OliveSeal]

Hello all, I completed chemotherapy in May this year following a diagnosis of breast cancer and am now on my fourth immunotherapy session (out of total of five).

Since starting immunotherapy, I have been experiencing awful joint stiffness and muscle pain all over my body (comparable to extreme muscle ache after a gym workout) all day every day. Has anyone else suffered this side effect and have it completely disappear after finishing immunotherapy? It is at its absolute worst during the night and in the mornings, when I am not moving much but does get better during the day.

Thank you.

Hey there,
congratulations on finishing chemo and I hope some more people come on here with relevant stories.

I just wanted to share this as the doctor here mentions that dietary changes can make cancer interventions more tolerable, so it might be of interest to you.
Dr Matthew Phillips // Mitochondria, Terrain, Cancer #PHC2025

Best wishes

I think every treatment type is different, but I’m on targeted therapy (not chemotherapy or immunotherapy) and one of the main side effects has been joint pain and swelling. For my treatment in particular, I’ve been told that yes it should go away within a few weeks when I’m finished. I did have a break for 3 weeks at one point and it improved a lot over those 3 weeks, so I’m hopeful that means it will go properly when I’m done done. I finish 12 months at the end of this month, so time will tell.

Thank you for providing some reassurance. This makes me hopeful as the pain at times is so overwhelming I could cry. Hope you're doing well with the rest of your treatment!

Hi @OliveSeal and well done getting this far. You will be through it soon! I am a veteran of the Cancer Support threads as I had BC in 2020 and again in 2022. I have had three courses of chemotherapy, one of immunotherapy and eight Zolendronic acid infusions. My joint have hurt with almost every treatment. Now three years on and still on Aromatase inhibitors I still get joint pain in the evenings. I think it is partly oestrogen deficiency and partly neuropathy in my hands and feet. I find exercise helps a lot, and mild painkillers like paracetamol. Hopefully it will reduce when I finish the AI tablets.