5 replies to this topic

[lpel75]

I have been taking Gleevec for 8 years and I have had the usual feet, hands and rib area muscle spasms. Last week I ended up at the hospital because I had a severe muscle spasm in my throat that made me not be able to swallow or breathe at the time. It left me with a sore throat and a lump beside my esophagus. It still hurts to swallow sometimes. Has anyone else had this happen to them? I am having an ultra sound tomorrow to look for damage

[Sneezy12]

Two possibilities. An allergic reaction or Hyperventilation with secondary Laryngospasm. Frank

[Trey]

It could actually be a muscle spasm or cramp as you suggest, and trying to stop one there by stretching it out would be difficult.  The "damage" if any would be a strained muscle, but it just needs time to heal so I would not be concerned about any longer term damage to the tissue.  But spasms which last for extended periods can recur more easily in the same spot, so be careful in whatever way you can be to avoid another one.  I have had odd muscle cramps in muscles I did not even know I had until then, and they can be painful and difficult to stop.  Overall the key is to stop them quickly by stretching the muscle, but throat muscles would have been difficult.

[Pin]

I'm sorry to hear that, it must have been pretty scary not to be able to breathe. I've had severe muscle cramps to the point where the muscle gets injured, takes a couple of days to heal, like a strained muscle. I've also had this happen in weird places too, like in my oesophagus (from vomiting).

[chiocchi]

I get them in my abdominal muscles and upper thighs. They're awful! I can't imagine what that must've felt like by your throat. I Just posted a request for advice on cramping. It's getting weird. If I bend down to put extra tight socks on I can start cramping.

[Happycat]

Well, there can be other problems, not necessarily Gleevec-related.  My daughter has a disease called EoE.  We only discovered she had it when food started getting stuck in her throat.  The throat swells up over time, causing food to get stuck.  At one point, we ended up in the emergency room because she insisted she couldn't breathe (she has asthma, too).  Her O2 levels were good, so I figured it was actually a panic attack and not asthma.  No idea if the EoE contributed to that feeling, or if it was only a panic attack. 

 

Anyway, the point is that not everything we experience can be chalked up to CML or side effects of TKIs.  Best to get it checked. 

 

 

Happycat