Newbie and a question re liver issues.
New here, so first post š I was diagnosed in November last year with HER2 + BC with lymph node involvement, and while not struggling so much with chemo so far, apart from last one in round 1 (but fo...
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Hi @kymbo thanks for your lovely reply š especially about getting to the 16th treatment - it is great to be in solidarity - I hope your 7th goes well too!
Yes, I do have peripheral neuropathy - in the toes and balls of my feet and mildly in my fingers. It flared up pretty well from the start, my feet and hands looked and felt like they had been sunburned! They continued to look rough for a couple of months, and I do have ongoing sensitivity issues so if the socks and gloves are available to you during treatment go for it! Having said that, I have four or five friends locally who had treatments for BC in the last 2-3 years and none ended up with peripheral neuropathy. So 100% agree with your insight that we all tolerate drugs differently.
My oncologist reduced my dosage after my 2nd treatment to counter the taxane (DoceTaxel) which she considered was the likely culprit in causing my neuropathy.
I hear your concern about what happens if these great targeted drugs are not something you can tolerate over the long term. Thatās completely understandable and I had considered it, but more as a hypothetical. I was encouraged when an oncologist friend said not to feel itās āone size fits allā with the drugs, because in addition to adjusting the dose, thereās also a range of alternative drugs that might be substituted. They might be less routinely used but they are also effective and can be substituted if a particular drug isnāt agreeing with us.
I hear your concern about what happens if these great targeted drugs are not something you can tolerate over the long term. Thatās completely understandable and I had considered it, but more as a hypothetical. I was encouraged when an oncologist friend said not to feel itās āone size fits allā with the drugs, because in addition to adjusting the dose, thereās also a range of alternative drugs that might be substituted. They might be less routinely used but they are also effective and can be substituted if a particular drug isnāt agreeing with us.
I am feeling grateful to have made it this far without the need for alternative drugs arising.
What comes through your messages is that youāre really connected with whatās going on for you and your curious in a good way about your treatment. I think thatās a gift for your treating team, as they can fix things if they know about it. It is just fantastic that at this stage you can see the effects of the treatment so far and itās working hard on your tumour too. Amazing!
Go well tomorrow, I will raise my cup of tea in a virtual salute!