Armpit pain?

[WriteItDown]

My husband is in week 9 of tx, probably triple therapy with a new protease inhibitor.  He's been doing well but lately has been complaining of some pains in his armpit.  I thought this was related to lymph nodes, but wanted to know is there anything to be alarmed about, or is this a known side effect?

[newleaf09]

Glad he will report it.  About the same time as the behind the ear pain I had sharp eye pain and when I mentioned both to the study team thay said they'd never heard of either.  Both started a few weeks after starting the protease inhibitor and lasted about a month.  The more reports they get, the better.  So many weird SX show up on drug labels that nobody ever gets.  It would be nice to have things like the weird pains on the label so people wouldn't be so unnerved by them if they occurred.  

[WriteItDown]

Newleaf, that is EXACTLY how he describes it, and he also has some neck pain behind the ears. He is going to describe these symptoms to his study team, just as you advise. It doesn't seem to be bothering him much -- just for a few moments intermittently, I think.  Hope it will go away as yours did.  Thanks.

[newleaf09]

I had intense pain behind my ears in the early months of treating with SOC and boceprevir.  My lymph nodes did not swell but provided brief, stabbing pains.  It went away after about a month or so.  I'm guessing he's having something similar.  ANYTHING that bothers your husband should be mentioned to his study team.  Remember that they are actually looking for side effects to report.

[WriteItDown]

OK, thanks, Meakea, you're right, we'll tell the doc.  It is pretty odd, a place where you never expect to feel pain!

[meakea]

Swollen lymph nodes can be a side effect of treatment but it is one of the less common sides effects.  While on treatment, I had swollen lymph nodes in my groin for a week or so and that went away and then I got them in the back of my neck.  The ones in my neck would go up and down during the week kind of in timing with my shots.  I'm 9 weeks post treatment now and they have all returned to normal.

As with all sides, definitely mention it to the doc.

[WriteItDown]

Thanks, Willy, he will mention it the next time he has an appointment, or I guess earlier if it does not go away.  It's weird though -- just like most everything else on this tx!

[Willy50]

That is my take on it as well. Quite often when people on TX their ability to fight off infections is compromised.  Swollen lymph nodes may be a sign that the body is fighting off an infection.  Quite often it is simply a ebb and flow thing but continued pain could be worth mentioning it to the doctors

I remember one member who had a swollen face which didn't respond to some drugs, turned out to be a bad tooth.
........Different deal than the lymph nodes but many infections are more lingering and tougher to shake while on TX.  In the presence of low whites they are worth monitoring more proactively.

best,
Willy