Hi,
I am about a month into the Glivec with little side effects but the main one seems to be the muscle pain/tightness and cramps and the fatigue with it.
I am desperate to exercise but am so weak/tired most days I am not sure how to go about it.
I do a light walk (30 minutes a day) but cannot seem to push myself past this as this alone exhausts me..
Anybody have any recommendations?
Thanks
Bil
Bill - when Val started Glivec 3 years ago, she had real problems for nealy 4 months with all sorts of things, including muscle cramp at night and tiredness resulting in her sleeping a lot during the day as well as at night. I can suggest a few things.
As you will see from these pages, tiredness is a Glivec side effect but if you are managing 30 minutes of walking a day after only starting Glivec a month ago, I wonder whether you could slowly increase the walking when you feel able to do it. Listening to your body is a great thing and try to be patient, however hard that is - it may take a while. It was nearly six months before Val could play 18 holes of golf all in one go. What sort of exercise do you want to do?
Cramps is another well known side effect. Some people take quinine tablets and others take magnesium but you should talk to your consultant about the options. If you can work with the consultant to find the right solution for you, you should be able to get rid of the cramps.
Good luck with it all.
Hi Bill,
Is your haemoglobin level still low? If so, you'll likely see it improve on Glivec and with it, your energy levels will go up....be easy on yourself! 30 minutes a day seems pretty good and will get progressively better if our experience is anything to go by. The muscle pain eases after a while - do you take painkillers? They helped our lad over the first few weeks when his joints were aching all the time, but now he's got activity levels to beat most kids his age and no muscle pain. Cramps are a bit of a problem, but he was prescribed an antacid which he takes in the morning (cant take it within 2 hours of Glivec, which he takes at night) and all the advice seems to be to take plenty of water with Glivec and have it at a mealtime.
All the best,
kestrel
Hi Bill,
I know how you feel. Wanting to get mobile ASAP, to be feeling as 'normal' as you can...
30 minutes a day of walking is very good anyway and it's what is recommended to keep a healthy heart. I pushed myself back into exercise way too hard and found myself so tired all the time...one thing I did to help, is to do more exercise (1 hour) on one day of increased itensity and then take the next day off. Worked very well! Also taking Gleevec before bed and doubling my water intake was so much easier.
As time goes on, you'll manage your Gleevec and sife effects better...maybe almost get used to them.
Take it easy and before long you'll be back to your old fitness regime...
MJS
Hi Bill I dont know how old you are or how much exercise you did before being ill.I used to cycle to work and go kickboxing
it is hard to get back at first but if your haemoglobin level rises then i am sure you will be able to do more . I am back on my bike and kickboxing again at 57 just try to be posotive
and if it something you enjoy doing stick at it
good luck david
Hi Bill,
I'm 61 and have been on Glivec for 6 weeks.
I find it difficult to separate the side effects of Glivec from several other things that are wrong with me, but I am sure some lower leg pains are caused by it. I find that painkillers (30/500 Codeine/Paracetamol) help a lot.
Although I still get periods of fatigue, I think overall I feel more active since taking Glivec than I was before. My haemoglobin is back to normal.
I have gradually increased my walking until I can comfortably do my usual 3 mile walk, although not as fast as before.
It can be difficult to understand why your body won't do what it used to and to try to push yourself too far. Don't be desperate - just do what is comfortable and increase as you feel able. It will come.
All the best.
John
