side effects question

4angel · 10-04-2012, 06:13 AM

I am newly diagnosed BC patient. I have had three chemo treatments two with Herceptin, one with perjeta and all three with taxol. Having mostly expected side effects that are manageable with the exception of one swollen toe. It has gone up and down, it's not from a recent injury ( can't think of an injury anyway) Has anyone else had this? It is painful to walk on though I do anyway. I also am getting neoprogen shots twice a week following treatments. Had the onc. look at the toe and they were not too helpful, suggested gout or arthritis, neither of which I've had before and no suggestions as to how to deal with it. Would appreciate any comments, suggestions.

snolan · 10-04-2012, 07:06 AM

Both my feet would swell and then it would go away. No pain though. Dr couldn't tell me why. If it is gout you need to read up on diet control as certain foods can aggrivate it. The chemo and herceptin can affect joints a lot of women on this site have complained of joint pain. If it continues see if you can get on some meds that are specific to gout to see if it helps. Its always a drag to have to deal with these problems as if you don't have enough to worry about already. Hope this problem goes away soon.
Suzanne

rhondalea · 10-04-2012, 11:08 AM

My suggestion is that you see a podiatrist.

When I was started Taxol and Herceptin, I had the swollen toe (the pain of which was exacerbated by a sharp, but very tiny, piece of nail in the outer corner). It drove me crazy and made walking extremely unpleasant. I did not see a podiatrist; instead, I soaked my feet in white vinegar.

Vinegar helped a lot, but I'm seeing a podiatrist now, and if I had it to do over, I'd have seen him sooner. MDs don't get a lot of training with respect to feet (unless they're orthopedists), but the folks with a DPM tacked onto their names can work minor miracles.

I've always had issues with ingrowns, so I'm quite the handy surgeon on my own feet. On the other hand, I don't enjoy it a whole heckuva lot, so when Groupon came up with an offer for a "medical pedicure" just as I was about to finish Herceptin, I thought it worth giving podiatry a whirl. I was very fortunate that the podiatrist is also in-network for my insurance, so I now see him every six weeks, and my feet have never felt better.

4angel · 10-05-2012, 04:46 PM

after researching and Dr. conformation, it is gout caused by mass cell dying that give off uric acid. So the chemo is killing cells. They gave me oral (pill) steroids to help. Didn't want to prescribe the usual drug because of liver issues. So a side effect of the chemo can be gout. Wish they had said this the first time I asked so I wouldn't have been in pain for a week and wouldn't have worried something else was going on.

karen z · 10-05-2012, 05:22 PM

It is good that you asked, found out, and gave the nurses/doctors feedback. I know that some of the side effects I had from chemo that were a bit severe (dry eyes that became much worse- with temporary corneal scarring) did make it into discussions that the chemo folks had with other people. So that is a good thing. Sometimes the medical team don't think of (or know of) everything that can happen- just the most typical.

Vicki revised · 10-05-2012, 06:48 PM

I had trigger finger which started several months after starting Herceptin. Crazy name for a stuck thumb.

4angel · 10-06-2012, 06:17 AM

Thank you all for your replies, Hoping the swelling goes down( it's a little better today) and the drugs help keep it gone! Having just started this a few weeks ago it can feel overwhelming and I have lots of experience with cancer as a caregiver. It's still different as a patient. Glad to have a place to chat and share info. still learning how to get around this site but grateful for it.