Surviving Breast Cancer, Embracing Life

The following is an Editorial Resource from YourTotalHealth.

Treatment

Taxol?

I had my last dose of Taxol on September 25 and still have pain in my fingers and legs! Is this going to [last] forever? It’s not pleasant! I was warned about permanent side effects and had a very hard time with the bone pain during treatment. Also, is "chemo brain" when you can’t remember anything? My short-term memory is fine, but long-term is shot. Of course I'm still taking a lot of Vicodin. What do you think? I get my first Herceptin [treatment] tomorrow—never thought I'd be excited to get an IV!
—lauralexirobbiezach

I didn't do Taxol, but am still struggling with chemo brain. I hope those effects fade. I've done Herceptin for three months now and will probably have to have another heart test before too long. I see my oncologist on Friday and have some new symptoms to report. I've been getting lightheaded in my sessions with the trainer of late. I don't know if that's because I've bumped up the cardio sessions I do before then, or if it's a sign of heart trouble caused by the Herceptin. I also have these funny blood spots on my left arm only that appeared during chemo, and as soon as one set fades another appears. Cancer is the "gift that keeps on giving" in the worst way.
—fergasmom

My last Taxol was January 19, 2007, and I still get numbness and tingling in my feet and hands and still have pain in my legs at times. But it is much better than it used to be. I used to be on medication for neuropathy, but I don't take it anymore. [The pain] can be permanent, but I think eventually we just get used to it and it seems to be either gone or diminished. I also still have issues with chemo brain. I have attention deficit disorder and find it hard to remember things sometimes. If I get interrupted, I sometimes forget to go back to what I was doing. I can only do one thing at a time now, and I used to be a big multitasker. I hope that it gets better in time. It is better than when I was going through chemo, but I am not anywhere close to where I was mentally before all of this.

Good luck with the Herceptin! It is a piece of cake. I had no side effects at all from it.
—cl-maggie3333

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