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rhondalea · 02-16-2013, 08:56 AM

I think Jackie may have nailed it in passing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_cheilitis
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1949217/

I would definitely call for help, because treating the wrong cause might make things worse. I don't remember having those cracks during chemo/herceptin (didn't have a lot of mouth problems after I gave up the Magic Mouthwash and started using chlorhexidine), but I do remember having them at other times in my life, and I just wanted to shoot myself. It's amazing how sometimes the smallest of problems can induce so much misery.

I just want to throw in a caution about tea tree oil. I was once an addict--I used it for everything. And then one day, it caught up with me--I used it as part of a foot soak, and my toenails fell off--and I've had a severe sensitivity ever since. If it even touches my skin, I itch for several days.

02-16-2013, 08:56 AM	#7
rhondalea Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Somerset, NJ Posts: 487	Re: Icky sores at the corners of my mouth I think Jackie may have nailed it in passing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_cheilitis http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1949217/ I would definitely call for help, because treating the wrong cause might make things worse. I don't remember having those cracks during chemo/herceptin (didn't have a lot of mouth problems after I gave up the Magic Mouthwash and started using chlorhexidine), but I do remember having them at other times in my life, and I just wanted to shoot myself. It's amazing how sometimes the smallest of problems can induce so much misery. I just want to throw in a caution about tea tree oil. I was once an addict--I used it for everything. And then one day, it caught up with me--I used it as part of a foot soak, and my toenails fell off--and I've had a severe sensitivity ever since. If it even touches my skin, I itch for several days. __________________ 2/6/09 Core needle biopsy: negative; Mammos through 2010: no change 3/30/11 Pea-sized lump in left breast at site of prior biopsy; mammo negative, sonogram not so much 4/14/11 Core needle biopsy: negative for cancer 5/18/11 Excisional biopsy 1.2 cm tumor, LVI, positive margin; ER+60%,PR+20%,HER2/CEP17 5 6/15/11 BMX: Left DCIS & LH; Right ADH; SNB: 2/3 nodes: 1.4 cm and 1 mm; ALND L1&2: 0/10; Stage IIa, Grade 3 7/14/11 CT/Bone scans NED; MUGA 66% 7/19/11 Biweekly dd AC w/Neulasta; done 8/30/11 9/13/11 Transfusion (Hemoglobin 8.6); MUGA 64% 9/20/11 Start Taxol + Herceptin; Taxol done 12/6/2011; continue Herceptin until 9/4/2012 12/27/11 Radiation - 6 weeks; 2/27/2012 - DONE! Yayyyy! 2/29/12 Start Tamoxifen 20 mg/day; continue until 2/28/17 5/16/12 Start five-years Metformin trial 6/19/12 MUGA 61% 8/21/12 Brain MRI NED (head still hurts, brain still fogged) 9/4/12 Herceptin done! 9/6/12 Port out! 7/11/13 Aricept 5mg for cognitive impairment; increased to 10mg as of 8/23/13; back to 5mg 12/2013 5/2014 Add Namenda 7mg 9/2014 Stop Aricept and Namenda; Neuropsychological evaluation 10/24/14 Start cognitive rehabilitation therapy