Finally finished with chemo.....

AngelBaby
AngelBaby Member Posts: 47
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hooray!!! The Lord has brought me over the bridge. I finish my last chemo on Oct 15. I have a few questions. I experienced weird side effects w/Taxotere (swollen and tingling finger tips, blood blisters underneath my nails, various degrees of chemical burn). How long before some of these start to fade? My hands look like crap..
I'm grateful I made it through..I would just like to be able to feel my fingers.

Comments

  • krisrey
    krisrey Member Posts: 194
    Hi AngelBaby
    I just wanted to say congrats! I finished chemo at the end of Setember, so I understand how you feel..as far as the side effects. I was on A/C and Taxol and I got the numb fingers tips, it is starting to go away now and its been 4 weeks.
    Will you be starting radiation too? I will be starting that on Nov 12.
  • AngelBaby
    AngelBaby Member Posts: 47
    krisrey said:

    Hi AngelBaby
    I just wanted to say congrats! I finished chemo at the end of Setember, so I understand how you feel..as far as the side effects. I was on A/C and Taxol and I got the numb fingers tips, it is starting to go away now and its been 4 weeks.
    Will you be starting radiation too? I will be starting that on Nov 12.

    No radiation needed. My next step is to have port out after tests (I suppose) then it's on to reconstruction.
  • rizzo15
    rizzo15 Member Posts: 153 Member
    Congratulations, AngelBaby! Looks like you at least "dodged the bullet" on one of the bad side effects, which is bone pain. Good for you! I finished Taxotere in mid-March. Now that it's 7 months afterwards, my fingernails have finally stopped separating at the tips. The nails would separate like a layer cake and then anything I touched when cooking or cleaning would get between the layers of fingernails and make me look like I worked in a coal mine. Small price to pay for more years of life. But it still looked weird.
  • DeeNY711
    DeeNY711 Member Posts: 476 Member
    What fabulous news, AngelBaby!! Finishing chemo is so great! Your side effects are not so unusual for taxotere. My last treatment was August 6th and my toenails are still lifting off the nail base and cracking across. Fingernails are quite sensitive from where the blisters separated the nails from the nailbed, but have remained pretty much intact except for the fact that they shatter off chunks. The numbness and tingling will subside. I'm still a little fumbly. Hope this helps. Love, Denise
  • cammie
    cammie Member Posts: 102
    YEA Angel You go girl..... Chemo all done We are soooooo proud of you. I didn't have Taxotere so I don't know about the nails. Just happy you made it through chemo.... Cammie
  • Snookums
    Snookums Member Posts: 148
    cammie said:

    YEA Angel You go girl..... Chemo all done We are soooooo proud of you. I didn't have Taxotere so I don't know about the nails. Just happy you made it through chemo.... Cammie

    WooHoo- Congrats! I too had the same problems with chemo (taxotere) and finished in June. I have all my nails back except just the top 1/3 of my thumbs and the top 1/2 of my big toes. My dermatologist said that thumbs grow half as fast as other nail and big toes 1/3. SO, hang in ther. I cut a good chunk of the dead nail off so that when it grew I didn't have a large bunch of dead yellow nail.I used B complex vitamins daily to help with burns and rubbed liquid Vit E on hands each night. I feel that helped a great deal. There is hope after taxotere. God's blessings on you- C
  • lindatn
    lindatn Member Posts: 229
    Snookums said:

    WooHoo- Congrats! I too had the same problems with chemo (taxotere) and finished in June. I have all my nails back except just the top 1/3 of my thumbs and the top 1/2 of my big toes. My dermatologist said that thumbs grow half as fast as other nail and big toes 1/3. SO, hang in ther. I cut a good chunk of the dead nail off so that when it grew I didn't have a large bunch of dead yellow nail.I used B complex vitamins daily to help with burns and rubbed liquid Vit E on hands each night. I feel that helped a great deal. There is hope after taxotere. God's blessings on you- C

    Congs, wonderful to have it behind you. Live and enjoy as life is lived one day at a time so don't start worrying about what may never happen. Linda
  • Mosis50
    Mosis50 Member Posts: 59
    Big Congratulations to you on finishing chemo! I am almost 5 weeks post chemo and I was also on taxol and have tingling in hands and feet so I was interested in your responses as my hands and feet still tingle after almost 5 weeks. My hands seems to be gettiing better but typing is still a problem (that may not be due to the tingling). LOL God Bless You in your battle!!! Susan