If you have secondary cancer cells in the bone, this may release calcium into the blood. High levels of calcium in the blood (hypercalcaemia) can make you feel sick (nauseous), drowsy, confused and unwell. It can also cause constipation. You may need to spend a few days in hospital for treatment to reduce the calcium levels.

Your doctor or nurse may ask you to start drinking lots of liquids. You are also likely to have a drip (intravenous infusion) of fluids into a vein in your arm. This will increase the fluid/liquid content of your blood, and encourage the kidneys to get rid of the calcium from the body in the urine.

Your doctor will also give you medicines, such as bisphosphonates, to reduce the level of calcium in the bloodstream. These may be given through a drip over a few hours, although some bisphosphonate treatments only take 15 minutes. This treatment can be repeated if the calcium levels rise again. You should feel much better within a couple of days.

Bisphosphonates can also be taken as tablets, which may be used to maintain normal levels of calcium in the blood.