have recently finished combo of taxotere and herceptin and am now just on herceptin. have been suffering from splitting skin on finger and toe tips which is really painful. I had assumed it was due to the taxotere but here it is happening again a good four weeks after last taxotere and so I’m wondering if it’s due to the herceptin instead. anyone else had this with herceptin?
also, i’ve been getting recurring eye infections which my onc suggested was due to the taxotere but again, it’s happened this time just on herceptin. i’ve read on another thread that herceptin can cause dry eyes so perhaps i’ve dry eyes and that’s leaving me prone to infection.
anyway, whatever, i don’t fancy going through these side effects every three weeks for the rest of my life - i’d be grateful for some suggestions as to how to deal with them, if anyone can help.
I’ve recently finished AC & T ( taxotere) and have had 3 lots of Herceptin. My finger nails are really ridged - caused by Taxotere. I didn’t use a dark nail varnish on my finger nails but did on my toe nails and they are ok. My finger nails are now flaking/peeling in layers and extremely sore but not split. I’ve been puttng almond oil on my cuticles and then smothering my hands in hand cream and sleeping with those thin cotton gloves that you can buy to help moisturise them. I also bought some socks impregnated with like a waxy stuff (from a beauty salon) and these are supposed to moisutrise dry skin on the feet. May help you. I thought that I had done well keeping most of my hair etc whislt on Taxotere - but as soon as I started Herceptin my eyebrows fell out for a short while and now my eyelashes have gone!!
I did have lots of eye infections whilst on Taxotere, and kept buying eyedrops from Boots over the counter - for minor eye infections… it did help. These now seem to have stopped but lack of eyelashes mean that they water quite a lot!! I am on Herceptin for a year.
I have just finished cmf and have awful cracked skin on fingers, thumb and toes, just got my eyelashes and brows back. this doesnt sound good on the herceptin front. I use aqueous cream and then put on soft gloves, try chopping onions with them on!!!
I started chemo 10th Oct with FEC which I have had 4 of, I too have awful skin on hands and feet, never used so much hand cream but doesn’t work does it, I also have dry eyes and mouth, I started new treatment of Taxotere and Herceptin this week (mon and tues), feel really tired today which I haven’t felt before.
It seems to be a common problem that starts with taxotere and doesnt really improve much once you go on to Herceptin. I’ve had 16 Herceptins and 3 months ago had to have my two big toe nails permanently removed because of recurrent nail bed infection. Now pain free, but gonna have to do something false for them in the summer! Really hope this doesnt happen to anyone else.
Ps, podiatrist said my healing time on Herceptin was twice as slow as regular patients - I think thats the general problem, everything heals less and more slowly.
Skin on my fingers and feet still very prone to damage.
Good news is that nerve ending damage to feet, toes and that nail lifting sensation does get better in time.
Try to protect your skin as much as possible, avoid hardwearing tasks, stick to old comfortable shoes, keep slapping on the moisturiser.
Having been dx in 2007, followed by chemo, rads and surgery I thought these weird side effects may stop but like you girls they seem to continue on Herceptin. Until reading this feed I didn’t think 2 much about it but my toe nails have been really painful for a while now with the skin falling away! Don’t know about you girls but I have found these smaller things more painful to deal with then the big things like 4 months of chemo!