Another Disappointing Setback!

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Sunrae
Sunrae Member Posts: 808
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Since I last posted about getting 1/3 of the way thru my chemo, I developed a unusual side effect. My hands started stinging, burning, cracking, red palms and swelling. It got so painful I couldn't use them so I called my onc on Saturday. She said that about 10% of chemo patients have this and it means she is going to take me off chemo altogether. I cried because I so wanted to get thru this with the additional benefit in kicking bc's butt. She put me on predisone to help heal up my hands and told me to take B6 vitamin. I'm also heavily bruised on my arms and my heart dr. took me off plavix temporarily. I'm quite a mess at this point. I go back Wed. to my onc and guess I'll find out what I need to do next. Probably will start rads pretty quick. Has anyone else had this experience where they had to quit their chemo treatment? Has anyone else had this kind of side effect? Like we all know, just have to take one day at a time.
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  • TawnyS
    TawnyS Member Posts: 144 Member
    #2
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    So sorry to hear about your hands...
    I did have a friend that chemo did this to her hands and feet. I know it has to be painful. I hope it heals up quickly. Know that I am thinking about you! BIG HUGS!
  • heidijez
    heidijez Member Posts: 441
    #3
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    My hands were raw. . .
    it was scary because it happened literally overnight! Left hand was worse than right, but both were affected. After about two weeks, the right foot started with the same weird sensation - and became red and raw. About a month later, it was pretty much gone. . . just extremely dry and sore.
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #4
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    heidijez said:

    My hands were raw. . .
    it was scary because it happened literally overnight! Left hand was worse than right, but both were affected. After about two weeks, the right foot started with the same weird sensation - and became red and raw. About a month later, it was pretty much gone. . . just extremely dry and sore.

    Sunrae, I have heard of
    Sunrae, I have heard of this. is it an allergic reaction? they cant give you meds? hugs Maybe someone here has an idea
  • weazer
    weazer Member Posts: 440
    #5
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    carkris said:

    Sunrae, I have heard of
    Sunrae, I have heard of this. is it an allergic reaction? they cant give you meds? hugs Maybe someone here has an idea

    Sunrae
    My Onc perscribed Atarax the pain and itching were much better within 24 hrs.
    It could'nt hurt to ask your Doc.
    Maybe it will help.
  • New Flower
    New Flower Member Posts: 4,294
    #6
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    weazer said:

    Sunrae
    My Onc perscribed Atarax the pain and itching were much better within 24 hrs.
    It could'nt hurt to ask your Doc.
    Maybe it will help.

    Very sorry
    I hope you will feel better soon. I have know a patient who has similar reaction to Taxotere. They (my oncologist) changed Chemo drug and she was able to complete 4 rounds.
    Hugs
  • weazer
    weazer Member Posts: 440
    #7
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    Yes I did!
    Hello, my first treatment I had I got so ill that I did'nt think I could go any further!
    I started to bleed very badly and the pain in my head was the worst ever, throwing up the runs, could'nt barely walk from the pain.
    I called my Oncs office telling them how bad I felt and they asked me if I had a fever or chills I said no and then they wrote me a script for pain.
    Nothing worked for the pain, all I did was lay in bed with the lights off and pray for relief which did'nt come untill I was ready for next treatment.
    Next treatment came and after being hooked up for about 10 minutes into it, I could'nt breath and was Flushing so bad I thought my head was going to pop off, my heart was pounding out of my chest and they had to stop treatment.
    Yes I was alergic to Taxotere the Chemecal that was to save my life.
    There was no way that I could go without treatment so my onc gave me steroids pryor to treatment and slowed the treatment down so I could tolerate it and than I had Nuepagen shots in my stomach after treatment for seven days.
    That seemed to help, however what ever could go wrong during the whole time, I did indeed have uncontrolable itching and tingling in my hand and feet and he wrote me a script for that and it worked great, I also had blistering in my private areas, corn starch worked for that.
    I literally have a huge purse full of meds that we would try to help with all the side effects that I had.
    My prayers are with you Sunrae and Good Luck at the Drs, this week, keep us informed on what there going to do.
  • BlownAway60
    BlownAway60 Member Posts: 851
    #8
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    I didn't quit but they
    I didn't quit but they changed my chemo 3 times because of side effects.

    Hoping things get better for you.

    Sending super healing hugs.

    Donna
  • natly15
    natly15 Member Posts: 1,941
    #9
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    Oh my dear sunrae, prayers
    Oh my dear sunrae, prayers being sent your way. As suggested, perhaps they can try another type of chemo. I had terrible allergic reaction to Taxol so my onc put me on Taxotere which I was able to tolerate.
  • lynn1950
    lynn1950 Member Posts: 2,570
    #10
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    I didn't stop treatment, but
    I didn't stop treatment, but I remember my fingers and toes peeling. It looked even worse than it felt, but it got better fast once that part of chemo was over.
  • chenheart
    chenheart Member Posts: 5,159
    #11
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    It seems ( good news/bad
    It seems ( good news/bad news) that you are not alone in having such an adverse reaction to your chemo. I have nothing to add, but wanted you to know that I have missed your beautiful face here on the boards, and wish you nothing but a swift resolution to your side effects.

    Healing hugs to you,
    Chen♥
  • Kylez
    Kylez Member Posts: 3,761 Member
    #12
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    chenheart said:

    It seems ( good news/bad
    It seems ( good news/bad news) that you are not alone in having such an adverse reaction to your chemo. I have nothing to add, but wanted you to know that I have missed your beautiful face here on the boards, and wish you nothing but a swift resolution to your side effects.

    Healing hugs to you,
    Chen♥

    I am sorry Sunrae that you
    I am sorry Sunrae that you are having such a bad reaction to chemo. Just good to see you checking in to update us on how you are doing. Good luck!
  • Megan M
    Megan M Member Posts: 3,000
    #13
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    TawnyS said:

    So sorry to hear about your hands...
    I did have a friend that chemo did this to her hands and feet. I know it has to be painful. I hope it heals up quickly. Know that I am thinking about you! BIG HUGS!

    Just take it one day at a
    Just take it one day at a time sunrae! Sending you hugs!
  • Sunrae
    Sunrae Member Posts: 808
    #14
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    Kylez said:

    I am sorry Sunrae that you
    I am sorry Sunrae that you are having such a bad reaction to chemo. Just good to see you checking in to update us on how you are doing. Good luck!

    Thanks for letting me know
    Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone with this reaction to the Cytoxan/Taxotere chemo I've been on. I did get thru 4 weekly treatments but they were not as strong as they would have been on the 3 week cycle. My white blood cell count dropped down so low last week I had to have 2 Neupogen shots and that brought up the count. My onc says there are just a small percentage of people who can't take chemo and I'm in that group. And my chemo options are limited because of my heart condition and there are certain chemo that are hard on your heart. So she's taking me off any more chemo and I would think she'll get me into rads quickly and put me back on Femara. My hands look terrible like I dropped them in acid, the skin white and hanging but the predisone has taken away the pain and burning. One thing I'm looking forward to is getting my appetite back and being able to eat without everything tasting metallic and bitter. Food is so disgusting right now and I'm having a hard time finding anything I want to eat. How long after I come off chemo will it be before I can taste food again? I'm sorry I haven't felt like posting much or reading too many posts but I hope to get more active as soon as I start feeling better. Thanks again for being here for me. Love you all.
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #15
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    Sunrae said:

    Thanks for letting me know
    Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone with this reaction to the Cytoxan/Taxotere chemo I've been on. I did get thru 4 weekly treatments but they were not as strong as they would have been on the 3 week cycle. My white blood cell count dropped down so low last week I had to have 2 Neupogen shots and that brought up the count. My onc says there are just a small percentage of people who can't take chemo and I'm in that group. And my chemo options are limited because of my heart condition and there are certain chemo that are hard on your heart. So she's taking me off any more chemo and I would think she'll get me into rads quickly and put me back on Femara. My hands look terrible like I dropped them in acid, the skin white and hanging but the predisone has taken away the pain and burning. One thing I'm looking forward to is getting my appetite back and being able to eat without everything tasting metallic and bitter. Food is so disgusting right now and I'm having a hard time finding anything I want to eat. How long after I come off chemo will it be before I can taste food again? I'm sorry I haven't felt like posting much or reading too many posts but I hope to get more active as soon as I start feeling better. Thanks again for being here for me. Love you all.

    I did not have the metallic
    I did not have the metallic taste but food did not appeal to me at all. I had such a sweet tooth before and I could not stand sweets at all! I finished Jan 21 and the taste buds slowly came back over about 3 months. but it improved markedly after chemo was done. I did lose lots of weight. I hope you feel better soon.
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #16
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    BlownAway60 said:

    I didn't quit but they
    I didn't quit but they changed my chemo 3 times because of side effects.

    Hoping things get better for you.

    Sending super healing hugs.

    Donna

    So sorry Sunrae! Praying
    So sorry Sunrae! Praying you feel better soon!
  • RE
    RE Member Posts: 4,591 Member
    #17
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    Sunrae said:

    Thanks for letting me know
    Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone with this reaction to the Cytoxan/Taxotere chemo I've been on. I did get thru 4 weekly treatments but they were not as strong as they would have been on the 3 week cycle. My white blood cell count dropped down so low last week I had to have 2 Neupogen shots and that brought up the count. My onc says there are just a small percentage of people who can't take chemo and I'm in that group. And my chemo options are limited because of my heart condition and there are certain chemo that are hard on your heart. So she's taking me off any more chemo and I would think she'll get me into rads quickly and put me back on Femara. My hands look terrible like I dropped them in acid, the skin white and hanging but the predisone has taken away the pain and burning. One thing I'm looking forward to is getting my appetite back and being able to eat without everything tasting metallic and bitter. Food is so disgusting right now and I'm having a hard time finding anything I want to eat. How long after I come off chemo will it be before I can taste food again? I'm sorry I haven't felt like posting much or reading too many posts but I hope to get more active as soon as I start feeling better. Thanks again for being here for me. Love you all.

    Metallic taste
    Sunrae, first let me say how glad I am to see and hear from you I must have missed your other post. In regards to the metallic taste I was given the tip of substituting strong plastic untensil's rather than metal ones. I could still taste the metal but it did help you may want to give it a try.

    I agree that I would ask my doctor if there is a different chemo i could take rather than stopping all together. However it works out know that you are in my thoughts and I am wishing you a speedy recovery.

    Hugs~Hugs~Hugs

    RE
  • Jeanne D
    Jeanne D Member Posts: 1,867
    #18
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    RE said:

    Metallic taste
    Sunrae, first let me say how glad I am to see and hear from you I must have missed your other post. In regards to the metallic taste I was given the tip of substituting strong plastic untensil's rather than metal ones. I could still taste the metal but it did help you may want to give it a try.

    I agree that I would ask my doctor if there is a different chemo i could take rather than stopping all together. However it works out know that you are in my thoughts and I am wishing you a speedy recovery.

    Hugs~Hugs~Hugs

    RE

    ♥ Sweet Beautiful Sunrae ♥
    I am not on much anymore, but, I am glad that I saw this post today. First, I am so very sorry Sunrae that your doctor's had to take you off of chemo, and, so sorry for the bad side effects you were having. I was lucky enough that I didn't have to have any chemo at all either time I had bc. I know you wish you could continue chemo, and, like RE said, maybe there is a different cocktail they can put you on. But, if not, just know you have done everything that you can, and, move on to rads. I really wish I could give you a big hug right now, as, I know how hard this is on you, physically and mentally. Just hang in there beautiful Sunrae as we are all waiting to celebrate the end of your treatments with you and see you Dancing with NED!

    Love, Jeanne ♥


    P.S. Please post and let us know what you find out Wednesday from your oncologist.
  • Ritzy
    Ritzy Member Posts: 4,381 Member
    #19
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    natly15 said:

    Oh my dear sunrae, prayers
    Oh my dear sunrae, prayers being sent your way. As suggested, perhaps they can try another type of chemo. I had terrible allergic reaction to Taxol so my onc put me on Taxotere which I was able to tolerate.

    So sorry
    Oh Sunrae, I am sorry that you had an allergic reaction. Maybe there is something else that they can offer you that wouldn't have a bad effect on you. Sending you positive thoughts and hugs!

    Sue :)
  • tgf
    tgf Member Posts: 950 Member
    #20
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    Jeanne D said:

    ♥ Sweet Beautiful Sunrae ♥
    I am not on much anymore, but, I am glad that I saw this post today. First, I am so very sorry Sunrae that your doctor's had to take you off of chemo, and, so sorry for the bad side effects you were having. I was lucky enough that I didn't have to have any chemo at all either time I had bc. I know you wish you could continue chemo, and, like RE said, maybe there is a different cocktail they can put you on. But, if not, just know you have done everything that you can, and, move on to rads. I really wish I could give you a big hug right now, as, I know how hard this is on you, physically and mentally. Just hang in there beautiful Sunrae as we are all waiting to celebrate the end of your treatments with you and see you Dancing with NED!

    Love, Jeanne ♥


    P.S. Please post and let us know what you find out Wednesday from your oncologist.

    Sometime around day 16-20 the tops of my hands developed a rash that itched like crazy. No swelling ... or even bumps ... just bright red color on the tops of my hands that burned and itched. I also had a rash (bumps) on my back about the same time ... and my oncologist sent me to a dermatologist who gave me stuff for my hands and back ... and within a few days or maybe a week ... things were clearing up ... so I didn't miss any of my chemo.

    hugs.
    teena
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #21
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    tgf said:

    Sometime around day 16-20 the tops of my hands developed a rash that itched like crazy. No swelling ... or even bumps ... just bright red color on the tops of my hands that burned and itched. I also had a rash (bumps) on my back about the same time ... and my oncologist sent me to a dermatologist who gave me stuff for my hands and back ... and within a few days or maybe a week ... things were clearing up ... so I didn't miss any of my chemo.

    hugs.
    teena

    Sunrae, can you get CMF
    Sunrae, can you get CMF chemotherapy.? I had that 16 years ago, and some women still get it. It is easier than the more popular therapies therapies. It is cytoxan, methotrexate, and 5FU. It is a milder chemo (not totally easier) but more tolerable. I was thinking of this as I was responding to another thread. Its worth asking about.

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