It’s good to know someone else has ended up as tired. I am now 5 weeks on from my last herceptin, and am feeling a bit better already.
I would be interested to hear what your onc says - I asked mine just before I finished herceptin, but he completely ignored me - he listened to me, then went straight on to something else as if I hadn’t spoken. But then he was always like that, I always prefered it when I saw one of his registrars. He is due to retire soon, so maybe I won’t ever have to see him again.
I finished Herceptin just after Christmas. It’s been a long slog and I’ve felt more ill on the Herceptin than I did on the chemo or rads. It took 14 months to have 17 treatments. I was supposed to have one more but I found after about treatment 8 (I had to have a couple of months off as I caught chickenpox - at 42, not nice!) on both occasions, my chest feels tight, I get breathless talking or trying to do anything phsyical. I then feel ‘pale and pastey’, low blood sugar level feeling, can get clammy, a bit shakey and exhausted. Although I don’t wish these symptoms on anyone else, it is reassuring to know others are experiencing the same because I have had problems with my kidneys and was worried I have another problem waiting to be diagnosed.
I don’t know if the following is related to Herceptin but my nails have started to split again. They did recover after the chemo so not sure why.
Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any replies by ladies who are well beyond Herceptin to know roughly how long it takes to fully recover.
I’m just hoping as each week passes, I’ll improve.
I have just had my first dose of herceptin, and have been feeling fairly nauseous since. I have lupus, so fairly consistently have achy joints and pains in my legs. makes it difficult to know if it is Lupus, cancer treatments or fatigue with just finishing three weeks of radiotherapy which involved 84 miles a day round trips.
I started Herceptin with my 3rd round of taxotere, I finished tax in Oct and have continued with Herceptin and just had 11th round.
I always thought my diarreah, fatigue, aches and pains were down to taxotere, but having stopped it 5 months ago I still have the same symptoms, so now I think it might be Herceptin after all.
Occasionally I feel nauseaus, although nothing as bad as when on tax. I thought I would start to keep a diary as I found the 2 days after my last dose of Herceptin I had chronic diarreah which reminded me of “chemo tummy”.
My Prof - Onc - says that aches and pains are nothing to do with taxotere. I checked out the website and it states that it can be a possible side effect. Maybe I should let my Prof know!
It does help to know I am not alone, but sorry that we are all suffering from this wonder drugs effects.
I just wondered if you have some kind of food intolerance - the reason I say this is because prior to chemotherapy I was dairy intolerance (have been for 7 years) and since chemotherapy I have also become wheat/gluten intolerant. When I eat it, I feel extremely lethargic, exhausted, achy, stomach ache, diarrhoea and various other problems in that area and just feel horrible. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the treatment can cause food intolerances. I just happened to see a nutrionist who did a test and diagnosed me - and since I’ve avoided wheat/gluten, I feel so much better.
Anyway, hope you feel better really quickly
Ruby xxx
I finished 18 herceptins early in 2007 and am still feeling very tired. Some days are better than others, but generally it doesn’t seem to improve. My GP recently gave me blood tests but nothing abnormal showed up.
Hi all
I’ve started keeping a “herceptin” diary, like I did with chemo, just to see if for a couple of months my symptoms are the same around the time of Herceptin.
Ruby, I hadn’t thought about being food intolerant, but maybe you could be right. Although tummy wise, I haven’t had “chemo tummy” (or maybe I should call it Herceptin tummy?) this week, so its been better but the aches and pains, and tiredness are still the same. So I think if it was a food intolerance I would have it all the time, rather than now and again?
It seems just about anything can be put down to Herceptin. I have had 7 doses and have suffered from insomnia since the first. I’ve tried warm baths, milky drinks, camomile tea, herbal tablets, lavender pillows etc etc. and am now on sleeping tablets which are helping to a degree. I think I have got used to feeling exhausted all the time and find myself wondering what it must feel like not to be tired all the time.
More recently I have had muscle cramps in my calves and feet.
Peacock I started to keep a diary and have noticed that I get really down emotionally about half way through the cycle, which lasts for a few days then gradually lifts. Everything else seems quite random.
As you say it helps to know we are not alone and I guess we are fortunate that we have access to this wonder drug.
I finished my Herceptin last month after 16 infusions - my final dose was cancelled due to my heart function dropping to 49%. I am feeling very tired and achey, and like Jess have terrible cramps in my feet/toes.