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Chelee · 08-08-2006, 09:48 PM

Hi Jean, I don't know what's going on with this board lately, but I post a reply...come back later and its NOT there?

I replied to you about this once...but it must be lost in the twilight zone. As you know Jean I did that TCH regimen also. You are right on schedule for the numbness. I believe it was the forth chemo for me too when I started noticing the numbness in my finger tips, palms of hands and the bottoms of my feet. The finger tips bother me the most by far! Very annoying. I don't notice the bottoms of my feet if I have shoes on...but when I am bare footed in the house I can feel the numbness when I am walking, or when my feet are touching the carpet. (But its NOT bad thank goodness.) In fact if I am NOT thinking about it...I hardly notice it at all.

The worse is the fingers since we use are hands and fingers so much...can't help but notice. Does it get better? I hope so...but some told me it doesn't, who really knows? But we are all different...so its kind of a wait and see I suppose? I know my numbness has stayed about the same since it started. But my last chemo was June 12th 2006...so it hasn't been long enough for me to really know if mine will completely go away. Hopefully yours won't get much worse then mine because even though its annoying at times...it is tolerable. I know I was worried thinking I had TWO more chemo's to go...I thought if it got worse with each one I would be in trouble. But it stayed the same. Very *slight* numbness.

I found that very interesting about that cord like vein you mentioned. I had not mentioned it before, but I had the same type thing except I found the first one right where you bend your arm. (Where they would draw blood.) It was on my right arm and it was really hard to touch. Freaked me out because all my veins are shot. It felt like a hard piece of straw underneath there. If I straightened out my arm you could really see it. After a couple weeks it went away? But last week I went for this V.Q. lung test and the tech needed to find a vein to inject some radioactive dye. I looked at my left arm and I couldn't believe it. There was another one of these HARD cord like looking vein. In almost the same place except this time in my left arm at the bend of it. (Strange?)

For the FUN of it since I did NOT know what it was? The nurse asked if I had any good veins? I said no...but I said I do see THIS ONE. LOL

She comes over and looks at it and says, "Wow, that looks good...until she felt it."? She said "Thats not a vein...I'm not sure what that is"? I asked if she was sure? She said she was positive. She agreed it looked just like one...but it was to HARD.

I am glad your surgeon had heard of this before Jean. I have never looked under my arm for one of these...but so far I have found one on each arm...and they were both just as you described. Wish I would of known about putting a warm compress on it. But I do now.

I am going to ask my doctors about this now. I want to know what really causes it. I thought herceptin was causing these? Since I wasn't on anything else but herceptin...I had nothing else to blame it on.

I am glad I am not the only one that has seen these. The first one i found I really thought the surgeon left something inside me and it traveled down my vein. lol (Am I a nut of what.) ha

As far as the numbness goes...hang in there Jean...its just part of the tx unfortunetly. From what I understand, Taxotere & Taxol are both good at causing that problem. (I hope this posts makes it this time around?)

Sending you warm healing thoughts.

Chelee

08-08-2006, 09:48 PM	#7
Chelee Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Southern, CA Posts: 2,511	Hi Jean, I don't know what's going on with this board lately, but I post a reply...come back later and its NOT there? I replied to you about this once...but it must be lost in the twilight zone. As you know Jean I did that TCH regimen also. You are right on schedule for the numbness. I believe it was the forth chemo for me too when I started noticing the numbness in my finger tips, palms of hands and the bottoms of my feet. The finger tips bother me the most by far! Very annoying. I don't notice the bottoms of my feet if I have shoes on...but when I am bare footed in the house I can feel the numbness when I am walking, or when my feet are touching the carpet. (But its NOT bad thank goodness.) In fact if I am NOT thinking about it...I hardly notice it at all. The worse is the fingers since we use are hands and fingers so much...can't help but notice. Does it get better? I hope so...but some told me it doesn't, who really knows? But we are all different...so its kind of a wait and see I suppose? I know my numbness has stayed about the same since it started. But my last chemo was June 12th 2006...so it hasn't been long enough for me to really know if mine will completely go away. Hopefully yours won't get much worse then mine because even though its annoying at times...it is tolerable. I know I was worried thinking I had TWO more chemo's to go...I thought if it got worse with each one I would be in trouble. But it stayed the same. Very slight numbness. I found that very interesting about that cord like vein you mentioned. I had not mentioned it before, but I had the same type thing except I found the first one right where you bend your arm. (Where they would draw blood.) It was on my right arm and it was really hard to touch. Freaked me out because all my veins are shot. It felt like a hard piece of straw underneath there. If I straightened out my arm you could really see it. After a couple weeks it went away? But last week I went for this V.Q. lung test and the tech needed to find a vein to inject some radioactive dye. I looked at my left arm and I couldn't believe it. There was another one of these HARD cord like looking vein. In almost the same place except this time in my left arm at the bend of it. (Strange?) For the FUN of it since I did NOT know what it was? The nurse asked if I had any good veins? I said no...but I said I do see THIS ONE. LOL She comes over and looks at it and says, "Wow, that looks good...until she felt it."? She said "Thats not a vein...I'm not sure what that is"? I asked if she was sure? She said she was positive. She agreed it looked just like one...but it was to HARD. I am glad your surgeon had heard of this before Jean. I have never looked under my arm for one of these...but so far I have found one on each arm...and they were both just as you described. Wish I would of known about putting a warm compress on it. But I do now. I am going to ask my doctors about this now. I want to know what really causes it. I thought herceptin was causing these? Since I wasn't on anything else but herceptin...I had nothing else to blame it on. I am glad I am not the only one that has seen these. The first one i found I really thought the surgeon left something inside me and it traveled down my vein. lol (Am I a nut of what.) ha As far as the numbness goes...hang in there Jean...its just part of the tx unfortunetly. From what I understand, Taxotere & Taxol are both good at causing that problem. (I hope this posts makes it this time around?) Sending you warm healing thoughts. Chelee __________________ DX: 12-20-05 - Stage IIIA, Her2/Neu, 3+++,Er & Pr weakly positive, 5 of 16 pos nodes. Rt. MRM on 1-3-06 -- No Rads due to compromised lungs. Chemo started 2-7-06 -- TCH - - Finished 6-12-06 Finished yr of wkly herceptin 3-19-07 3-15-07 Lt side prophylactic simple mastectomy. -- Ooph 4-05-07 9-21-09 PET/CT "Recurrence" to Rt. axllia, Rt. femur, ilium. Possible Sacrum & liver? Now stage IV. 9-28-09 Loading dose of Herceptin & started Zometa 9-29-09 Power Port Placement 10-24-09 Mass 6.4 x 4.7 cm on Rt. femur head. 11-19-09 RT. Femur surgery - Rod placed 12-7-09 Navelbine added to Herceptin/Zometa. 3-23-10 Ten days of rads to RT femur. Completed. 4-05-10 Quit Navelbine--Herceptin/Zometa alone. 5-4-10 Appt. with Dr. Slamon to see what is next? Waiting on FISH results from femur biopsy. Results to FISH was unsuccessful--this happens less then 2% of the time. 7-7-10 Recurrence to RT axilla again. Back to UCLA for options.