|
Re: Itchy rash-Herceptin? GOOD QUESTION...!!
Hi! So here I am wayyy out from '98 Herceptin till '07. Around '03 I got major red rashy botchy on my upper arms. Looks like a bad sunburn. People always comment. (I don't go in the sun.)
I would get feelings of being on fire there. I'd run the hottest water I could handle on my arms and that would help. Kind of like what someone mentioned with cold. Gets your body's attention, away from the itching, which is an urgent sensation that needs to be quelled.
I also used Rhuli Gel which is basically camphor. Get the highest amnt of camphor you can find, sold in drug stores under their own brands. I also used Benedryl spray for itching when needed to boost my anti-itching.
I take 2 Benedryl at night. Must confess I do this every night. The itching subsided eventually, but the red rashy sunburnt appearance has never gone away.
No doc seemed interested. Onc not sure. Dermatologist says it's a vascular problem. Asked the cardiologist he doesn't know. Same with every kind of doc I've ever visited and they are many. It's a conundrum.
Never thought it was related to Herceptin, but so many weird things happened w/H that I just didn't think. Nails turned black and lifted exposing gooey yucky yellow crust. Dermatologist said not infectious. So I went for a gentle manicure and put red polish on them. (When I mentioned I wished it was easier to hide, like on my feet, it was pointed out to me that NO you don't want that. Then it would be difficult to walk. Point well taken.
Hope my info helps any and all...
Andi
__________________
Andi BB
'95 post-meno dx Invasive LOBULAR w/9cm tumor! YIKES + 2/21 nodes. Clear mammo 10 mnths earlier. Mastec/tram flap reconst/PORT/8 mnths chemo (4Adria/8CMF). Borderline ER/PR. Tamoxifen 2 yrs. Felt BLESSED. I could walk and talk, feed and bathe myself! I KNEW I would survive...
'98 -- multiple mets to liver. HER2+ 80%. ER/PR- Raging, highly aggressive tumors spreading fast. New PORT. 9 mnths Taxotere Fought fire w/fire! Pronounced in cautious remission 5/99. Taxotere weekly for 6 wks, 2 wks off -- for 9 mnths. TALK ABOUT GRUELING! (I believe they've altered that protocol since those days -- sure hope so!!)
+ good old Vit H wkly for 1st 3 yrs, then triple dosage ev 3 wks for 7 yrs more... The "easy" chemo, right?! Not a walk in the park, but not a freight train coming at 'ya either...
Added Herceptin Nov '98 (6 wks after FDA fast-tracked it for met bc). Stayed w/Vit H till July '08! Now I AM FREE! Humbly and eternally grateful for this life-saving drug! NED since '99 and planning on keeping it that way. To hell w/poor prognosis and nasty stats! STOPPED VIT H JULY '08...! REMAIN STABLE... Eternally grateful...Yes is a world & in this world of yes live (skillfully curled) all worlds ... (e e cummings) EVERY DAY I BEAT MY PREVIOUS RECORD FOR # OF CONSECUTIVE DAYS I'VE STAYED ALIVE. Smile KNOWING you too can be a miracle. Up to me and God now...
|
Threaded Mode