New Help for Dry Hands

[Sheila]

Since going on Xeloda, I have tried everything including prescription steroid hand creams, and nothing has helped. I went to talk to the Xeloda "team" at the San Antonio breast cancer symposium and showed them my hands...they recommended udder balm, which I had already gone through 3 tubes of. I felt destined to wear bandaids on my fingertips forever....the bad thing is, the hands crack and open and then you are not only in pain but at a risk of infection from the open wounds...this week I tried a new product that a girlfriend told me about. It is called AHAVA hand cream...they make all kinds of foot creams, lotions etc, and it is made with dead sea minerals and salts....it is rather expensive, but I found it at T J Maxx for a fair discount. IN 2 days my HANDS WERE LIKE NEW! They have not been this good for the 9 mons since I started Xeloda. I hope it continues to work....just wanted to pass this on and maybe it will help someone else!

[Sandy H]

Thanks Sheila for sharing. I think it all has to do with finding the right cream for the right person! I use a cream from Arbonne and its for feet but very reasonable and all natural. Have had wonderful luck with it as long as I am faithful in using it which I wasn't in San Antonio. Have had no cracks and my hands are nice and soft. I am happy you finally found something that works for you. This is a full time job just keeping up with our bodies figuring out what works and what doesn't!!! Sending you a hug, Sandy

[Vi Schorpp]

Sheila: These products by Ahava are wonderful. Go to DeadSea Mineral.com and look at their website, there's free shipping. I, too, swear by their products. I am fortunate in that my boss and his wife go to Israel once or twice a year and bring me home some of the products. I'm a believer.

[MGordon]

Sheila -

Lisa had pretty bad HFS (Hand/Foot Syndrome) on Xeloda as well, and found the Udder Smooth cream to be fairly worthless. After trying numerous products she had the most luck with Gold Bond Medicated Hand Cream - might work for you and be a little less pricey!

Love and Light
Mel

[rinaina]

Sheila, ever since my trip to Israel, I have been using Ahava products. They are wonderful but as Sandy stated, what works for some doesn't always work for others. So glad you found something that works for you.

[Andi]

Thanks for sharing, Sheila!

[kareneg]

Yes thank you so much for sharing. I have been on Xeloda for three months and my hands and feet look gross. I have been using the Udderly Smooth it seems to help with the pain but my hands and feet look horrible. I will try this hand cream you recommended. And I'll let you know how it works for me. http://www.her2support.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/smile.gif

[Jackie]

Ladies,

Thank you for your suggestions. I had a lot of problem with Hand & Foot Syndrone when I was on Taxotere. I found that Udder Balm a lot better than Udderly Smooth. The Udder Balm you can get at a Hardware store or possibly a feed store (since it is used on cows). I am very interested in the other suggestions because I still have a lot a problem with cracking fingers and I have been off Taxotere for over a year.

Where in Israel can you find Ahava? I am suppose to be going there this summer with my husband.

[Sheila]

Jackie

You can get it here in the states at some TJ Maxx Stores, online, on EBAY....seek and ye shall find...it is marvelous! My hands have not cracked in over a week....

[Chelee]

I will have to look that one up...never heard of it but it sounds like it works wonders.

The one that saved me was "Camille Beckman" hand therapy. Its almost pure Glycerine, almond oil, & aloe vera. Its wonderful stuff...works like nothing else I've ever tried. They also have different products...some for the feet too. I haven't tried that one yet. You can find this hand cream online or at speciality stores. I love to put it on at night when I know I won't be washing my hands...that way it gets to soak in my skin. This stuff saved me.

Seems we have all searched till we found that one special cream. http://www.her2support.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/smile.gif

Chelee

[Lani]

I looked up AHAVA
Dermud Rich Cream for Elbows and Knees


and found the following list of


Ingredients

Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane (and) Dimethicone Copolyol,Cyclomethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (and) Stearalkonium Hectorite (and) Propylene Carbonate ,Isostearyl Isostearate, Glycerin, Sea Salt & Water (Dead Sea Water), Dimethicone/Vinyldimethicone Crosspolymer, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Propylene Glycol (and) Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Phenoxyethanol & Methylparaben & Butylparaben & Ethylparaben & Propylparaben, Butyrospermum (Shea Butter) Parkii, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Panthenol(Provitamin B5), Tocopheryl Acetate(Vitamin E), Bisabolol, Sea Silt (Dead Sea Mud), Allantoin , Fragrance (Perfume).

They are widely used as preservatives and are in shower gels, fragrances, suntan lotions, moisturizers, shampoos, etc. I even once saw them listed in the ingredients of liquid vitamins drops to be ingested in a health food store!

Not to be alarmist--I encourage everyone to look up the scientific literature on parabens under PubMed (google it) and decide for yourself.

[Lani]

Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Octyl Palmitate, Cetearyl Alc, (and) PEG-20 Stearate, Cetyl Alc., Cetearyl Alc. (and) Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Witch Hazel (Hamamelis Virginiana) Distillate, Dimethicone, Methylparaben, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Propylparaben, Dead Sea Water (Maris Sal & Aqua), Allantoin, 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol.

[Sheila]

Lani
Great info, but as bad as my hands were, I will take the chance...if you really look, there are some bad agents in almost everything we eat, use, wear.....impossible to avoid all the bad things....

[Lani]

that with 25 years' use could cause another cancer vs. a source of estrogen-substitute in those with ER+ tumors who are taking AIs to try to starve their tumors of all estrogen (a substance that stimulates them to grow).

There was a report in Spring 2005 of a topical form of tamoxifen
--they showed how well it was absorbed. Since skin becomes dry, thinner, and less resilient after the menopause, whether natural or induced, due to lack of estrogen, many of the compounds put in cream to restore "youthfulness", moisture, etc may have estrogen-like ingredients.In this case, the ingredient is NOT there for that property. It is just a preservative,

I only suggest people think about IF their tumors are ER+ and if they are taking antihormonals, perhaps trying to find a cream which did not use parabens as a preservative might be a cautious (and perhaps prudent) move.