Side effects after chemo

[Chick44nzrn]

Has anyone else had continuing side effects following chemo finishing ? It’s four weeks since I had pneumonia and chemo (Taxol and earlier FEC) discontinued after 18 weeks treatments .

Nausea intermittently , fatigue , aches in joints, headaches, numb feet and oddly hair loss daily although having used the cold cap I had a fair amount left by the end ! Now only a little left but have itchy scalp and daily loss, so seems the chemo is still attacking the cells.

Getting some strength back though with additional boost of diet supplements ; iron , turmeric, vit C and increased walking with doggy . About to start on Letrizole in a week or so , but for some reason ( maybe unrealistic expectations!) I thought the side effects would have gone once chemo stopped? My optimism currently in a trough !

Any advice girls?

Thanks Denise x

[VicReg Partner]

Keep in mind everyone is different, but your body has been through a lot and it will take time to get your full energy back, especially having had pneumonia on top of chemo. Speak with your oncologist about what to expect now that you're finished with this phase of treatment.

[Chick44nzrn in reply to VicReg]

Thanks for your reply Vic . I will check with the Onco on 1/5/19 . It’s distressing to find that I’m not yet out of the chemo woods and the extreme hair loss (after enduring the cold cap for five months ) seems a bitter blow. Historically I’ve not been gloomy , but with persisting symptoms , aches , fatigue , etc seems to have knocked me over at present though I had all of that during chemo and kept cheerful!

Denise x

[tvenezia]

Congrats on finishing your course!

I am in agreement, everyone is different. That said... it will be weeks, months, and even years for some of the side effects to exit stage left! And some damage is permanent. Hate being bearer of bad news. With multiple side effects playing a role, how they leave and when is all a mystery. Fatigue, especially post pneumonia, is REALLY going to take time. And it is made more exasperating that some symptoms need rest and others need us to get moving. UGHH!

I tried to rush it and had a recurrence of the pneumonia. I highly recommend against that road.

I know it is frustrating. I know you've probably heard this already, but it is true; your body has been beaten, depleted and poisoned. Give yourself a break. Give your body time. And thank that body for hanging tough through the torture!

[Chick44nzrn in reply to tvenezia]

Thank you for your supportive reply and yes I am impatient to feel some relief after the testing five / six months . Slowly I’m getting a bit fitter but my body like many others feels like a wrung our wet rag a lot of the time ! Pathetic to admit that particularly after enduring the cold cap the continual hair shedding is like a nasty joke and this fazing me more than it should .

Are you keeping reasonably well ? Did you have residual side effects after chemo also? I hope this finds you happy and as healthy as possible ! Thanks again

Denise X

[tvenezia in reply to Chick44nzrn]

I did use the cold cap as well. When my brain is in charge, it feels stupid that I let hair bother me because I know I am fighting for my life, so why am I being arrogant about hair. But it's not about arrogance. I've tried to analyze it. Here's where I landed... it's not me being arrogant. It's that this disease took over my life and I lost control of everything! My days, nights, weeks and months were consumed with the demands of cancer. Using the cold cap was one choice I was able to make! It was the one decision I was able to control. And people who haven't used it have no idea how torturous the procedure can feel. So when any hair fell out (not all of it) after I was done with the rounds, it felt like I had been robbed again! I came to understand that for me, it was emotional not because of arrogance, but rather because I was pissed! Once I accepted my truth, it all started getting easier in my head.

I know everyone's results are different, (I feel like every comment has to be proceeded with that, lol) for me, the post treatment hair loss continued for a while and eventually tapered off. I took every hair growth vitamin I thought would help my hair. I was super careful about what I did (brushing, coloring, cold water only, no heat products, etc) and it has come back to life. The texture is different. But it is thickening up.