Its been a while

Joleystub

Its been a while since I posted.  Since my first post, I've completed my 2 months of AC, then had a little health blip with fevers and an infection that the medical staff couldn't find in my body, then I had a frightening Supraventricular Tachicardia event, thankfully whilst I was in hospital where basically my heart decided that the heart rate should not go below 200!  Turns out my lungs hadn't responded very well to the AC treatments after all!
On the Oncologists advice, the weekly Paclitaxel treatments was suspended for a couple of weeks but now I am back on treatments, my mouth has flared up with ulcers and is majorly sore.  Sucking on lozenges and rinsing with an Anaesthetic mouth wash is tedious, but we do what we have to do right?
The most annoying thing I am finding is that my vision seems to have changed in the 4 months since I started this journey.  I struggle to be able to read things for a long period of time.  I'm hoping that once I am through the chemo that my vision may(?) return to normal?
Anyway, onward and upward 

Katie46

Hi @Joleystub, I had exactly the same issues with paclitaxel. I had a terrible episode of mouth ulcers I did all the right things and got them anyway. They got so bad my oncologist gave me a rest from paclitaxel for a week and he also gave me medication to clear up the mouth ulcers, and then started me again with a 30% reduction of the dose, and they never came back, this happened around dose 8. Mine were so bad I could hardly swallow, eating was really painful, so let your oncologist know asap. I also had dry eye issues as well, which affected my vision, particularly reading. My ophthalmologist said my right eye was extremely dry, and I had to use eye drops every hour for a couple if weeks, gradually reduced to a couple of times a day, more some days. I think this will be an ongoing problem for me as I finished chemo in may and still need to use the drops, particularly in my right eye. I'm using hylo-forte which you can get in the chemist. I can't use my contact lenses anymore and got myself multifocal glasses. You should get your eyes checked to see if you have the same issue. 

Blossom1961

@Joleystub
re. mouth ulcers Do whatever works for you. Once it stops working, try something new. I am currently rinsing with a very strong salt water solution three times a day. All my other go-to cures have stopped working. Yes it is tedious but the pain from the ulcers are not worth stopping it.
re. vision I found I needed stronger glasses so just bought the cheapest. I also ended up with sensory sight issues so could not read, watch tele or use the internet for long lengths of time. Screen time was the worst. My vision has since returned to pre treatment. Paclitaxol appeared to be the culprit for me as my current chemo regime has not affected my sight at all.
As you say, we do what we have to do. Sending big hugs

Afraser

Everyone seems to find Paclitaxel easier than A/C but I didn’t - no ulcers but lost my taste buds. I did swish and spit with a salt solution twice daily, religiously. No sight problems (knew a few who did though) but peripheral neuropathy. Advice I received about eye problems was that they may well end when the treatment does - always wise to have a check but if possible hold off any permanent changes till you have finished Paclitaxel. Best wishes. 

jennyss

Dear @Joleystub,

from jennyss in Western NSW