puffy eyes

[suzan w]

This may have been addressed here before, but I can't find anything specific to puffy eyes/dark circles. I am 5 weeks past my last herceptin treatment...and taking Arimidex. All during chemo/herceptin I had darker than normal (what's that??!!) circles under my eyes, and had trouble sleeping. Still having trouble sleeping, but have noticed lately, past 2 weeks, my eyes are very puffy underneath...being Sunday, can't call dr. till tomorrow. Wonder if anyone else is experiencing anything similar? Thanks!!!

[rinaina]

I don't have an answer for you but I too have dark areas under my eyes ever since taking chemo. I sleep but I wake up a few times at least throughout the night. I am guessing lack of sleep has something to do with it, and for me, the natural aging of the skin under the eye, it thins out, and the whole cancer/chemo thing as well. Maybe someone else will have a better answer.

[Sheila]

Susan
Mine are puffy too but more from all the tearing...I had this from Herceptin and it only worsened with Xeloda...the lack of ability to sleep can be hormonal...I know Xeloda also causes this...I fal asleep for an hour and then wake up and thing i have slept 7-8 hours...but I don't feel rested...I am lucky to get 5 hours a night. And once I wake up, it is very hard to go back to sleep.

[heblaj01]

Susan,

Puffy eyes iare one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism . So a blood test for TSH, T3,T4 may help to confirm or discard this possibility.

[StephN]

Hi Susan -

Do you have any allergies? With all this damp weather we have had the molds and spores are very active and make my nose and eyes run. Eyes also a llittle puffy. I need my allergy pills just like in pollen season right now.

You may want to add an allergist to the list of people to check with. Personally, I don't think it has anything to do with Herceptin at this point.

One other thought. Dry, and possibly dusty, indoor air can have this effect. We cleaned our furnace filters last weekend. They needed it and we don't even have any animals now. Where does all that housedust and dust bunnies come from???

[rinaina]

Sheila, my hubby always felt like he was never well rested and he had a sleep test and discovered that due to both snoring and stopped breathing during the night he was not sleeping well at all. He is on a machine now at night for this and feels so much more rested now when he wakes up because he is sleeping through the night now. He was not aware at all that he was snoring or that he stopped breathing and they said that when you snore and stop breathing your body wakes up even though you don't realize you woke up. Hormones definitely play a factor in waking up as well, everyone of my friends never sleeps through the night anymore. Taking Ativan has helped me but I still get up at least once or twice at a minimum. Oh, the golden years!

[Sandy H]

My eyes have been puffy since having Herceptin and chemo. I have been off Herceptin since August and they are still puffy but not nearly as bad as when I was on it. My friends thought I was turning into a China girl!! You can tell by my picture they are puffy. As for sleeping my husband tells me I can sleep on a bed of rocks! I need and do get 10 to 12 hours of sleep most nights. If I have to get up for any reason I can go right back to sleep. I always did say I was born tired. I know allergies can affect sleep either way. The oncologist says I am a challenge for him as I don't go by the book on anything and he says that is good because I am still here! Hugs, Sandy