I noticed today my ankles are pretty swollen- I am not prone to this- and am wondering if any of you have had this happen and what you did for it. I hate to havve to start taking yet another pill- I am currently on a minimal dose 2mg every other day of decadron so I dont think that is it- and the only other meds I am on are ones I have been on for a long time. I am inclined to waait and wach to see if it goes away on its own before telling my dr. I dont eat alot of salty foods. Any help would be appreciated.

I've had swollen ankles from herceptin since I began receiving it last summer. I get my heart cked with a Muga every so often and it's been ok so far. Herceptin is known for its effect on the heart. It doesn't happen every wk now and it's not as dramatic as it once was, but I agree with Lolly in that you shd mention to your onc. Elevating your legs/feet above your heart might help....I like to get on the sofa and prop my legs up on the back. Good luck!

My nurse practioner checks my ankles weekly for swelling. Yes, contact your onc now. Like she told me, "We would rather you 'bother' us with problems that might be nothing than have us get a call on Saturday night from the ER."

Love and light,

Lisa

afraid
 

I woke up today and both my feet and ankles are swollen. I have a little tenderness in my right ankle but that's all for pain. I don't have any other health problems and I'm afraid.

Our local hospital has a weekend clinic - is there any health care provider available on weekends in your area?

What is your medical diagnosis? Are you undergoing chemo treatment? If so, you need to contact your oncologist. I had one of my knees swollen one time after rigorous exercise after my third round of TCH. Eventually I had to stop my Herceptin at 22 weeks.

My left ankle has always been a little bit swollen because I had left-side weakness after my brain surgery in 1990. I just try to pop up my feet as often as possible.

Hope this helps. Take care.

Swollen Feet & Hands & Arthritic Symtoms
 

I finished 5 TCH treatments-did not due the 6th due to what I thought was severe neuropathy. However,since I have started the solo Herception treatments hand and foot swelling has increased. I have constant pains in my joints. I have bothersome stiffness in my fingers. When I awaken in the morning, it takes about 5 miniutes of hobbling before I can walk normally. It is difficult to get up off the floor.I am seeing a physical threrapist with no improvement to date.Due to my painful joints,my exercise now consists of water aerobics. My oncologist thinks these side effects are unusal for Herceptin but has agreed to go to weekly Herception treatments to see if the side effects diminish. Has anyone else experienced these side effects? If so, did they dissapate over time? (My MUGA score actually improved after beginning chemo)

I have had joint pain upon first standing up and waking up in the morning. Knees and ankles are the most noticable. Once I get moving I feel fine. I called the Onc's office and the phone nurse promptly asked if I had had Taxol in my chemo regime. Taxotere was the drug I was given, Taxol's cousin. My last "big" chemo was April 4th and it's worse now. I never moticed joint pain while undergoing chemo. The nurse told me it's a lingering side effect and should get better. Now I wonder if it is in fact the Herceptin. I just had my first 3-weekly (almost) triple dose on June 20th. I am calling the nurse again tomorrow.
I wake with swollen hands, haven't noticed swollen ankles but will keep checking.
MUGA scan tomorrow. It'll be my third. Praying for high numbers.
Dana

Unregistered, I did TCH also & had some slight edema in ankles & feet. It slowly got worse with each trt. Then around trt 4 or 5 it got really bad. My lower legs, ankles & feet were super swollen to the point of causing me pain. I thought it was the "TC" but when I finished that and just continued on my weekly herceptin I still had alot of edema in my lower extermities. (Some in my hands/fingers too.)

My swelling in my lower legs/feet was so bad that I got sent for a doppler several times. They were worried about clots but I always checked out ok. My ECHO's were always great too. Just so I could get some relief my pulmonary doc put me on lasix and potassium. I felt better when my feet were 10 lbs lighter. lol

Now I didn't have any stiffness with herceptin...that only happened when I was taken Femara. We all react differently to these drugs. So even if your onc says its unusal...that doesn't mean it can't be the cause. At least your onc is willing to give the weekly herceptin a try. I hope you get this figured out so you get some much needed relief. Wishing you all the best.

Chelee

swollen ankles
 

Patti:
I also had some swelling in my ankles/lower legs towards the end of my Herceptin. You really should at least make a call to your provider. Edema can be an indicator of something that needs followup. That doesn't mean you will need another medication.
My team counts on me to be observant!!

Barbara

Unregistered,

I had the same swelling in my ankles following Herceptin treatment. After treatment ended it progressed to all joints swollen & painful. I had a gamut of tests & so far (I say this because I am still seeing drs. to find out what is happening) all that they say is "inflammatory arthritis"- I have had some success with diet, if you have any question just PM me or see the following thread.

http://her2support.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=24410

Best of Luck

Mary

Patty, I had swollen ankles once during my THC treatments, and the first thing I had done was schedule an echocardiogram to make sure my heart was functioning fine. It was normal and the swollen ankles did not last long and never returned. To this day I don't know why I had the swelling. I elevated my legs and I am sure that helped reduce the swelling.
maryanne

I had swollen ankles and feet throughout my year on herceptin; particularly bad towards the end. But almost a year now since I stopped and I've had no swelling in ankles or feet--wonderful. For me, it was definitely the herceptin but none of my doctors ever agreed with my diagnosis.