Just developed a rash on my leg (not the usual site for shingles) and have today seen four doctors (work in a hospital so using my contacts but also visited GP formally) who have been unable to make a diagnoses - general concensus of opinion is that it looks like shingles and could be?! So plan is to see what happens overnight tonight and take it from there. I’m obviously concerned as have just had my fifth chemo this morning - did show chemo nurses prior to admin but not interested enough to refer etc.
Has anybody experienced such an episode - any info would be gratefully received. Could really do with it being something non-infectious!!!
I finished chemo Aug last year. In July I developed, what I thought was a boil on my bum, but turned out to be a cold sore!!! My GP thought it was quite funny and said it wasn’t unusual to get the herpes virus as my immune system would be low. I caused further amusement as the prescription he gave me was for genital herpes - oh the shame, I’ve never been in that chemist since lol. Having said all that, would you believe I’ve got another cold sore in exactly the same place. I know shingles is the same virus, so it could be that. Just think yourself lucky it’s not on your bum, I’ve never lived it down (think I’ll keep quiet about this latest episode, but I have got some anti-viral tablets - not from THAT chemist I hasten to add).
Hi Janey, yes, I had shingles on chemo. Got through 4 FEC OK, but my first Taxotere produced a rash on my chest which turned out to be shingles.
Luckily I saw my GP very quickly and was given anti-virals (think they were called Aclovir or something similar) which cleared it up. You have to start the tablets as soon as possible after noticing the rash for them to be effective.
I developed shingles half way through chemo, i was given Acyclovir also to kill the virus.
I had it around my hip and it was quite painful, it was more like spots with a watery head on them and
they formed a line which run down to my groin, my lymph nodes in my groin became huge.The Acyclovir
worked quickly taking the pain away, but the spots stayed around for a while.
My onc said he had seen a few cases of shingles on chemo, its because your immune system has
dropped, thus triggering off the virus, which we have lying dormant in our body after having chicken poxs.
Do hope you get it sorted…chemo is bad enough without that on top.
hi all well i did`nt get shingles while going thru chemo but i did catch chicken pox seems my white cells were quite low1.7 oh the joys of chemo caroleann
Managed to see onc consultant today and he was a little unsure (doctors - who needs them self diagnoses much better!) but gave me a prescription for Aciclovir - lovely just what I need 5 horse tablets per day for seven days - hey-ho - as long as it works!!
Good luck to you all on your own individual journeys.
Janey x
ps Julie - your screen name of Jez is my hubby’s name and it keeps confusing the chemo brain -keep thinking he’s on this site with another woman, tee, hee!
Hi all - I am on CMF chemo for a local recurrence of breast cancer and am half way through. Saw Onc last week and he changed the regime to half dose of all 3 drugs starting next Tuesday (I was on tablets and infusion before) then again in 8 days then nothing for 2 weeks. Since I saw him I started to feel really poorly with flu like symptoms and a nasty rash/blisters on my bottom! Felt so ill on Friday called doctor who visited yesterday and diagnosed my with shingles! Anti-viral drug prescribed + cream. My worry is whether my no.4 chemo will go ahead on Tuesday. I still feel fatigued and pretty awful with a painful bum but have a blood test tomorrow - I suppose it depends on that or does anyone know if they normally delay chemo by about a week if you are on these drugs? Any information would be appreciated - Ginny