Hi all
I wonder if anyone has any experience of headaches or dodgy vision as an aftermath of chemo?
I had my final chemo on 3Nov (3 FEC followed by 3 Taxtotere) and my MX on 27th Nov.
I was very fortunate in the main with side effects and MX is healing fabulously.
Didn’t get any headaches or funny vision until it started 2-3 weeks ago with dodgy vision (like migraine which I have had 2/3 times in my life). The last few days I’ve had a headache, which standard painkillers seem to clear and I feel odd - dizzy and a little sick, though not like I will actually vom.
I had a check up with my lovely surgeon last Tuesday and mentioned it to her. She said it’s probably just after effects of chemo leaving my system, but she has referred me for a headscan just in case (had a CT scan from neck to pelvis when I was first diagnosed and all clear). I asked my surgeon about how to know to flag anything that could possibly be a reoccurence and she said intermittant stuff is generally not to worry about, tends to be a nagging ache that grows to pain and doesn’t go away.
Anyway, have head scan (crikey, they may even find I have a brain! lol) on NYE but just wondered if anyone had experienced similar.
I had IBC in one side, 11 of 14 nodes infected, Oestrogen receptive, though not anything else positive!!!
Thanks - and I hope you all have a good Christmas x
Hi Pash - not had that problem myself but i know the general rule of thumb we have been told by bcn’s is to report anything that goes on for over a fortnight…
I know some of us on tamoxifen have found our eyesight has got worse but i don’t think you have started that yet…?
I hope all goes well with the scan… one problem with IBC they have a very low threshold for sending us for scans… i’ve had a couple of chest xrays, ct scan, mri scan, two lots of ultrasound scan to my neck this year…
My vision was affected while on chemo at around session 4, i had 4 . AC /4 Tax as i am triple neg it continued throughout, but wore off about 3 weeks after i finshed chemo completely, i wear glasses for reading/computer, but when i had the blurred vision the glasses didn’t help make things clearer. As for headaches i did have a couple of real stonking migraines, but wasn’t sure if they were because i wasn’t drinking enough fluid.
hi, i have suffered from headaches and odd dizzy spel but mainly headaches and what i can discribe as floaters in front of eyes for a while, started a good while after chemo but carried on for ages, however do think it was down to stress, even though i didnt feel it i was doing too much as never had any time off work etc. - went on holiday to spain for a week and the headaches totally cleared, now only get the odd one.
Really hope its just with everything that has been happening and that your scan goes well
x
Hi Pash
Sorry to hear that you are having headaches/vision/sicky problems, I haven’t experienced all of that but have had dizzy spells and funny vision quite a lot.
Just want to offer some support, and hope that you get the scan quickly to reassure you.
Hi,
I had terrible trouble with focusing while on chemo, I had to squint to try to see anything even a few feet away on some days. I had epi/cmf. The focusing side of it cleared but I still almost head butt the tv screen to read the sky titles. Tamoxifen is definitely making mine worse too. Just wondering whether that might change when I change tablets. My eye prescription has changed a lot. Always best to get things checked even though it involves even more worry as your imagination does somersaults.
Lots of luck for some well deserved good news
Lily x
Hi Pash, I too had problems with my vision when on chemo especially watching the TV and found myself shutting one eye when reading a book in bed. Was due a check-up at opticians anyway so they checked behind the eye etc and could see nothing nasty. I was not on the same chemo as you were on. I am not on Tamoxifen either but I am on Femara (which is similar but different). It is good you mentioned it though and wise to get a scan. I am sure it will be ok. I am sure, as Lisaf has already said, it could be stress too. Hope it all turns out to be okay and I am sure it will be. Love Val X
I had the same chemo regime and I had headaches, blurrred vision and floaters afterwards. The headaches come and go but are now less severe 4 months down the line. Floaters are still there but my optician mate checked me out and can’t see anything unusual so we’ve put it down to the chemo.
I’ve been feeling dizzy and sick for the last week. A bit like vertigo without the heights. GP thinks it’s withdrawal from the pinkillers I’d been taking to ease a muscle spasm. (co-codamol and ibuprofen).
Hopefully the scan will give you a bit of peace of mind.
when i was first diagnosed and i had to have loads of scans in a week - one of them was a heart scan… and the woman couldn’t find my heart at first… lol
I started having those black ‘floaters’ in my eyes for about 2 months following chemo. Now 11 weeks post chemo I also continue to feel intermittently dizzy - and I was very dizzy during chemo.
I am very prone to headaches and migraine and was having them prior to treatment. I was scanned CT brain as they got worse during treatment but that came back okay. During the taxotere they got worse and worse and continued on for about 6 weeks or longer like that after I finished chemo. I’ve noticed they’ve got much better in the last week or two.
I would say get some decent painkillers. I had a high strength co-codamol (prescription only) which really helped.
I would say I’ve noticed all sorts of changes since stopping chemo. About 5 weeks after I had sudden onset of pain in my left arm which then disappeared as suddenly 2 weeks later, I had seromas both sides post op and they began changing worsening at first and then improving, this week my skin became oily again like it used to be this week (it was very dry during chemo)etc . I think the chemo is such a major thing for the body that it will take a while for the body to get back to normal.
I hope this all resolves for you.
take care
Elinda x
