Taxotere, Carboplatin and Herceptin

april25

L-glutamine sounds like a good idea! I already have Type 2 Diabetes, which gives me a risk of neuropathy, and I'd like to try and hedge my bets against getting it if I can do so safely. I've been taking B-complex vitamins so far...

pinkninja9560

Ever forward, I was on TCHP and finished chemo at the end of October. My finders and some toenails would hurt and feel like I hit them with a hammer or something. Now those nails are pulling away from the skin and getting ready to fall off. I know it sounds gross but I soaked them in vinegar and tried to keep them cut short and clean so I wouldn't get an infection under them.

windgirl

hi pinkninja,

I have one nail that looks like yours it's pretty much separated from the finger in the top half and looks that weird whiteish color. The bottom part looks like it's well connected still just like yours, so I thought it would not fall out and just grow until that section is gone. I am curious why do you think yours will fall off? I wonder if I should mentally prepare for this too! I have others that have slightly lifted but they don't seem as problematic

Blownaway

Pinkinjay - that's exactly what my fingers did and I described it the same way. Like they were hit by a hammer. I found the best thing is to keep them cut short, covered several coats of gel nail polish and wear rubber gloves. Without the gel nails, they might start peeling like layers of veneer like mine were doing.

april25

Blownaway-- Did you manage to save your fingernails doing all that? I hope so!

Fionascottie

I finished chemo on Sept. 18, but now back on Herceptin alone (and beginning radiation in 2 days). My nails were very very sore and several peeled heavily. I just kept cutting them down as fall as possible and somehow they have continued to grow out. There is a dark part, now near the top, and the new healthier nails are slowly making their way and replacing the damaged nail. I used rubber gloves for prolonger exposure to water.

Neuropathy in hands and feet was improving....until Herceptin started again. A numbness in soles of my feet and my finger tips. There will be an end to all of this. Hang in there, Ladies!

AussieElaine

Hi my fingernails also have deteriorated and have lost two about half way down. Have been putting nail polish on right from the start of chemo and after the third round I felt like they had all been slammed in a door. they were so painful, pain has gone but they are growing really slowly and I think I might lose some more. I didn't have any nausea or sickness but I drank 2 pints of ginger water every day, ate ginger cookies and it seems to have worked. Didn't feel too tired or have chemo brain either. The worst for me was the bone and muscle pain which luckily only lasted a couple of days each round. Have started on Arimidex on Boxing Day so just waiting to see what treats are in store with this. Am I the only one thinking that when you take medicine it should make you feel better not sick?

pinkninja9560

I'm hopeful that my nails won't fall off cause they are attached at the cuticle. I have one toenail that was lifting off the cuticle part and a new one is growing and pushing it off.

I had my first herceptin since Last chemo (October 29) and it's been 3 weeks since my bmx. I didn't feel any side effects except I was sleepy during the infusion because I was on pain meds and Valium and she gave me Benedryl. I almost fell asleep! I should be done with herceptin around June. My te's should be getting exchanged around March/ April

april25

Glad to see you all are soldiering through the treatment!

Thanks for the info on the nails, too. It seems to be a pretty common problem, but just another thing that we just have to deal with and get through.

I hope you all are growing your nails back-- or they at least stop wanting to peel or fall off and stop hurting!!! Best to you all about all that stuff!!!

Fionascottie

Well, yesterday I posted that my nails seemed to have settled down and that I haven't lost any.....it seems that was a bit premature! Tonight I have my right big toenail hanging on for dear life. Two sides have pulled loose, one is still attached. On another note, my hair is starting to come in salt and pepper...emphasis on the salt! I had colored my hair for years so it is taking a bit of getting used to....:)

Kthielen

pretty much all of my fingernails lifted but none of them completely fell off, I had gel nails put on(at a nice salon, with good product) about 5 weeks after my last "big" treatment on May 28th. None of my toenails fell off but they are whitish in color. Most of my nails are about half way grown back now, I have the gels off and keep them painted and very short. One of the oncologists I saw said there was a very small chances of that happening. I guess I am in that small percentage;)

april25

Hmm... sounds like nail problems aren't all that rare! I'm not sure if I want to go through the trouble of icing them... (or if the infusion center would allow it). Does the tea tree oil really work?

SpecialK

I would personally not use tea tree oil since it is estrogenic, but others see no problem with it. I would feel even more strongly about this during neoadjuvent chemo since you have not had your tumor removed - I would personally not feel comfortable using an estrogenic substance with an estrogen fueled tumor in place.

april25

Thanks, SpecialK! That all makes a lot of sense, about the tea tree oil. ...How do you find out if something is estrogen-based (or estrogenic)? --I guess that's another thing I should try and research!

CassieCat

april25, when in doubt I've started googling whatever I'm wondering about plus "breast cancer" to see what comes up. This helped me avoid some herbal supplements I might otherwise have taken, as they were combined with a multivitamin.

SpecialK

Here are a couple of lists, the second one also has anti-estrogenic foods: 

http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id45.html

http://lifehardcore.wordpress.com/2013/03/18/foods-containing-estrogen-and-foods-that-block-estrogen/

Topically, I would avoid phytoestrogenic ingredients, parabens, aluminum, and phthalates, and as many chemicals as possible.  Here is the EWG site that you can learn about your cosmetics, shampoos, lotions, etc.  Also, cleaning with as many natural products as possible is something I started doing after treatment - I use a lot of vinegar or baking soda instead of harsh cleaners.

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/?gclid=CNXumdeY_cICFWho7AodTWsA_Q

CassieCat

Thanks for those links, SpecialK. I am going to take a look. I found this one a while back that seems helpful:

http://foodforbreastcancer.com/

I'm also overhauling the products I use and keep in the house to keep out parabens and other chemicals. My teen daughter is on board with that too, thankfully.

april25

Thanks for the links!!!

It's good to have a guide like that. I don't know how well I'll be able to tailor my diet during chemo, though... I can barely eat anything very healthy... But I guess, if I can choose between foods on the lists, I hope I'll be able to choose correctly!

Jumpship

I'm with you April. I had a nice, relatively clean and green diet right up to day 1 of chemo 1. Now bagels are the go-to. Sigh. This too shall pass.

CassieCat

I ate a lot of bread and protein, and very little fresh produce, during chemo. Don't beat yourselves up. Do the best you can and know that once you're through chemo you can make more changes as you recover.

SpecialK

I concur with Cassie - don't worry too much about this during treatment - eat what you can that sits right, and tackle this afterward.

april25

The bad thing is that I only want creamy stuff because my stomach is so sensitive. And dairy isn't the best... but at least there's some protein there. I wonder if I should try to work in some other kind of non-dairy milk. Soy milk would be bad... But maybe almond milk? I need to go check those lists, I guess!

I did see Tapioca on the list of inhibiting foods! I can eat Tapioca pudding!

debiann

I've switched to unsweetened vanilla almond milk and I love it! Less calories too.

Blownaway

April25 - Haven't lost any fingernails but a few of them are only attached at the upper half of the nail.  If I pick up something wrong and it slips, it wouldn't take much to rip off a nail.

april25

Blownaway -- Oh, that doesn't sound good, with your nails just hanging in there. I hope they don't get hurt or ripped off! ... It seems like nail problems are just par for the course. Good luck with yours, and I hope they start growing in more strongly soon.

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QUESTION -- I took steroids before my first chemo. But I'm changing to another center and they may not give steroids... How important are the steroids?

CassieCat

april25, my nails are healing rather than getting worse, and I'm 22 days PFC, so there's hope!

april25

CassieCat -- That's great news! Always good to hear when things are getting better!!! --There's always that fear that nails won't grow back, but I'm glad to know that yours are doing better!

SpecialK

april - steroids are used for allergic reaction and anti-nausea.  Some oncs don't use them as much, but watch for any reaction and also make sure that you have adequate anti-nausea meds for home use if they discontinue the steroids.

lago

April I found the steriods kept my water retention down. As soon as the few days of steriods were over my weight would go up 4lbs.

CassieCat

Hmmm...that make me wonder about the slight swelling I started to experience after round 5, when we cut my oral steroid dosage in half. The swelling never got too bad, but I was surprised to see it when I hadn't seen it for the first several rounds. I'd take the mild swelling over how I felt while on the higher dose of steroids, though.