HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Chime in please! Has herceptin (or tykerb)affected your eyebrows/lashes,fingers/toes/

Kim in CA · 01-11-2008, 11:12 AM

I was on Taxotere and Herceptin for about 8 months, and that's when my fingernail, eyelash, and brow problems began. I have been on Herceptin and Femara alone for almost 6 years, and those problems have not gotten any better. I actually think they are getting worse.

My eyebrows and lashes are very sparse and also very unruly! The hairs in my lashes and brows stick out in every different direction. This makes it very difficult to apply mascara, which is a must as I have no features without it ( I'm a redhead, think Sissy Spacek in Carrie!). Also my nails are paper thin with big ridges on both thumbs and and long lines, that look like they want to split open, on three of the fingers on my left hand.

I was contemplating stopping the Herceptin for awhile to see if it improved things, but have since chickened out after reading a post here, by Becky I think, that one shouldn't stop taking H after having had brain mets.

Luckily my toenails aren't too bad. They are thinner, but because they don't do dishes (thank goodness), or any other chores it's not an issue.

01-11-2008, 11:12 AM	#16
Kim in CA Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: California's Gold Country Posts: 404	I was on Taxotere and Herceptin for about 8 months, and that's when my fingernail, eyelash, and brow problems began. I have been on Herceptin and Femara alone for almost 6 years, and those problems have not gotten any better. I actually think they are getting worse. My eyebrows and lashes are very sparse and also very unruly! The hairs in my lashes and brows stick out in every different direction. This makes it very difficult to apply mascara, which is a must as I have no features without it ( I'm a redhead, think Sissy Spacek in Carrie!). Also my nails are paper thin with big ridges on both thumbs and and long lines, that look like they want to split open, on three of the fingers on my left hand. I was contemplating stopping the Herceptin for awhile to see if it improved things, but have since chickened out after reading a post here, by Becky I think, that one shouldn't stop taking H after having had brain mets. Luckily my toenails aren't too bad. They are thinner, but because they don't do dishes (thank goodness), or any other chores it's not an issue. __________________ Diag. Feb 1997 4.5cm IDC <10%ER+, PR-. 5 out of 36 nodes +. Mastectomy followed by 3 rounds Adriamycin/Cytoxin. 5/1997 Hi Dose Chemo w/ Stem cell rescue. Spent 4 weeks in isolation ward. Then 6 weeks radiation. 9/2001 widespread mets to liver. 8 mos Taxotere/Herceptin brought me almost to NED. Stop Taxotere & add Femara . 11/2002 liver resection to remove spot that turned out to be necrosis. Officially NED! 7/2003 Tumor markers rising add Xeloda Disastrous reaction, 8 days hospital, but tumor markers came back to normal! June -Dec 2004 UW Vaccine Trial. 7/2005 MRI single 11mm brain met 8/2005 Gamma Knife. Brain MRI @3 months NED! 2006-2011 brain/body still NED 8/04/11 Taking Herceptin break, will monitor with tumor markers. 6/20/12 Tumor markers begin to rise. CA15-3 is 31.3 and Her2 Serum is at 17.1 Decide to repeat in one month. 7/23/12 CA15-3 now 49.3 Her2 Serum 26.8 8/6/12 Back on Herceptin CA15-3 now 76 Her2 Serum now 49 11/7/12 Add weekly Taxotere for 4 cycles 2/2013 Stopped Taxotere added Perjeta. MRI shows approx. 50% reduction liver mets. CA15-3 still elevated @ 55. Will continue on just Herceptin & Perjeta. November 2014 Continuing on Herceptin, Perjeta, and Femara indefinitely. Guess I'm NED again, but watching those tumor markers carefully! Dec. 2015 PET scan reveals mass in perirectal area of abdomen.biopsy confirms. Still Her2+, but no longer ER+. Bye bye Femara Jan 2016 Begin Kadcyla March 2016 PET scan shows tumor now barely visible, still NED everywhere else. 2016/2017 continue Kadcyla November 2017 brain MRI reveals small focus of T2 hyperintensity with possible 4mm enhancing nodule. Short term follow up MRI suggested. Stay tuned...