Hair loss

The L-glutamine is to help
The L-glutamine is to help with neuropathy issues - that numbness and tingling in your fingers and toes. I finished carbo/taxol over 3 years ago and although way better now I developed significant issues with neuropathy that can actually continue to get worse up to 6 months post chemo. I thokught at the time it was just a short-term side effect like nausea, fatigue, hair loss - I had not done research. So do let chemo nurses know you have symptoms. Of course they told me they could cut dose back but I declined that remedy! Just wish I had had more info of it as a potential longterm side effect to be proactive in treating.

Hope you continue to do well and can continue with part-time work as it is so good to get away from just dealing with cancer issues.
Annie

mopar said:

KEEP UP YOUR GOOD SPIRITS!
It may be difficult sometimes, but your positive attitude is very helpful in getting through this.

Yup, that scalp tenderness was my defining moment - I knew my hair was ready to go. Second time I had to go through chemo I decided to just shave it off before I had to see my drain get clogged! As for the constipation, my doc had me take Colace or Senna S a couple of days before and for about a week after. It's not even a bad idea to take it on a daily basis so you don't have to try to 'chase' the problem. Keeping up fluids and high fiber foods (when you feel like eating) is certainly helpful, but it's something everyone on chemo deals with and is not pleasant if you have days and days without relief.

L-Glutamine (powder form is more cost effective) and Vitamin B-6 were both helpful for my neuropathy.

Would love to continue to hear from you, Jackie and how you are doing. Congrats on that wonderful CA125 drop! Sending hugs and prayers!

Monika

I am a fan of Miralax,
I am a fan of Miralax, myself. It has absolutely no taste or texture. I mix it with Crystal Lite. And it works great.

Carlene

Hello Jackie and welcome to the board.
Hello Jackie and welcome to the board.

Wow that is an amazing reduction in your numbers after only 1 treatment :)Your itchy scalp is a prelude to your hair coming out and it is a good idea to get it shaved as it is not nice to keep finding hairs all over the place.

I am pleased you are feeling good and managing to work part time. I was able to continue my part time work throughout my treatment. You will get progressively more tired after each treatment but if you rest up as much as you can in between work you will be OK.

Can't offer any help about the stool softener etc as I didn't have that problem.

Take care Tina xx

mdctknits said:

L-Glutamine
Hi - you asked about L-Glutamine...My gyn/onc recommended it before I started chemo. You can buy a big container of the powder online at vitacost.com & it's not too expensive. I use the Jarrow brand, which you can also buy at Whole Foods. I stir 2 or 3 scoops a couple of times a day into juice or water; it has no taste at all, & has helped me a lot. I have only intermittent tingling in my hands & feet, and actually my feet really only have that pins & needles feeling when I wear real shoes instead of sandals. This is my excuse to wear flip-flops to work!

Sounds like you have a positive attitude & that will also help you a lot! Being able to continue working will help also.

lucky you
Dear mdctknits

Wow! I am glad your gyn/onc knew about L-glutamine! I just wanted to add that (because it is an amino acid) you will get best results by taking the powder on an empty stomach. Amnio acids are the building blocks of proteins and if you are looking to get a therapeutic benefit from taking a single amino acid, then put it into your stomach ALONE.

I remember this by thinking amino acids "like to party" and will try to "hook up" with other amino acids when they are all in your stomach together (amino acids are mostly found in animal proteins: meat, fish, eggs, dairy and also nuts).

The best time is to take the L-glutamine upon arising and waiting about 20 minutes before eating (add 10 minutes if the amino acid is in a capsule). Otherwise, wait about 2 hours after eating to take L-glutamine.

Another long-term side effect of the platinum-based chemos is hearing loss. The researchers are more concerned with children who are treated with these drugs. I have been using alpha-lipoic acid for that because of the sulfur compounds in it (thiol groups) and the ringing in my ears has cut down a lot. Acupuncture helped the ringing, too.

I probably should have posted this somewhere else rather than under "hair loss."

take care,

Carolen