Mouth sores and chest pains anyone?

catlady44

Hi,

I wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this - I'vehad 12 rounds of Taxol and one of AC. My mouth sores really flared up today, almost to the point of making my throat sore. I've had mouth sores for a while, but tonight I started having chest and upper back pains whenever I sat and leaned over. My BP and pulse were pretty normal for me. I have a long history of reflux to begin with and I'm on Protonix. The reflux flares after every treatment and since I have to take pain killers, that only makes it worse. I just wanted to know if this was normal, or if anyone else has dealt through this. It kinda freaked me out last night. I swear, every day is a new adventure in side effects! There isn't a part of me that hasn't reacted to chemo, but I know that's pretty normal. Thx!

SpecialK

Do you feel like this was bone pain or reflux related?  If bone pain, it may be a late SE from the Taxol, if reflux it may be a cumulative worsening of soft tissue irritation from both the Taxol, and now AC.  Chemotherapeutic agents have an effect on all soft tissue, and there are miles of it in the GI tract - that is why so many people have GI SE during treatment.  You asked if it was normal, the answer is yes, but do bring it to the attention of your MO.  You may need some extra reflux help for the remainder of your infusions, and also watch any acidity and/or fat in what you are eating.  Higher fat foods stay in the stomach longer and so cause more acid production, even a PPI may not be able to keep you symptom free when combined with chemo. It might be worth a chat with your gastroenterologist to see if they can recommend anything extra. For many the AC portion is more harsh so you may notice a worsening of some SE, and lessening of others that are more connected to the taxane.  Good luck!

For the mouth sores I recommend Caphosol (it is an Rx) - mine were gone in 48 hours, had about a dozen of them.

Jerseygirl927

my first round of chemo which was the 26 of February, I had mouth sores pop out 2-3 days later and they are just going away, along with my acid reflux flare up. I thought my chest was going to cave, it was horrendous, I used everything for the mouth sores, even the magic mouthwash which burned for me, I think the neutral baking soda and water and salt formula helped neutral my mouth, just do it 20 times a day if you have to. As for the reflux and indigestionm I used mor maloxx and sulficate, which is like tums and chewed them . I do not want to think what will happen in next round of chemo, but if it was a side effect, I have had it, side effects on side effects. I am going to chew ice during the chemo, they say thàt might help with mouths sores, it I am not holding my breath. What is this Caphalol? What does it do? I would like to know. I hope your pain subsides and maybe the dr can postpone the neulista if that is the joint and bone pain

SpecialK

jersey - don't chew the ice, just hold it in your mouth until it melts, keep doing that for the duration of the taxane portion of your treatment.  Caphosol is a prescription med specifically for mouth sores.  It is two ampules that you break and mix together, swish and spit.  Depending on need it can be done multiple times a day.  My MO had samples of this, so I did not need to fill a prescription.  I had a bunch of mouth sores after treatment #1, then started icing after that and had no more issues.  Some others have used Mugard, which is a similar drug. 

Trvler

Mouth sores -- lysine.

ruthbru

Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash are also really good. That is what my dentist recommended to me. 

catlady44

I also have magic mouthwash and biotene, plus the saltwater/baking soda mix. One thing I love is a dental paste that's Triamcinolone 0.1%. Triamcinolone is a steroid, but it also makes this little patch over the sore so eating is not as painful. It's a godsend! I'll ask doc about those other meds. I never expected chemo to be pain or side effect free, but I panic whenever something pops up that wasn't on the list of possible side effects I was given. I told someone recently that it feels like all of my insides are screaming, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US?! Cancer is just a scary ordeal that I never expected to deal with at age 44, which obviously is ridiculous because SO many young people get this. Mine sprung up extremely fast and was very aggressive, so I felt blindsided. I'm guessing most people feel that way no matter what type of cancer they have.

Thx for all the responses! I was dead panicked as usual!

ruthbru

I have said that after doing chemo, I know how Russian defectors feel when they are being poisoned by the KGB.....

catlady44

Lol! At least the chemo doesn't kill our sense of humor!

catlady44

Have any of you noticed that as the days go by after the infusion, the mouth sores get worse? I get my next AC next Tues and I'm dreading it already