BC Becky

Never thought I'd want to be a breast cancer survivor

Tag: blisters

  • Mouth sores & First cycle symptoms

    For the last few days I’ve been discovering what chemo mouth sores feel like. Earlier I had a few canker sores. I usually get them when my iron is low, which also happens with chemo, so I was supplementing iron which mostly kept the cankers to a minimum. Then I got a true chemo mouth sore. It is nothing like a canker sore. It formed on the side of my tongue, which apparently is particularly sensitive (ouch).

    There are many mouth wash recipes on the Internet, so I asked Scott to find one and make me a mouth wash from a recipe for treating mucositis (he made it in a small nalgene bottle for me):

    • 14 oz of warm water
    • 1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
    • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt

    It seems to be working. I used it last night and this morning (and after anytime I eat) and the sores are starting to get better. I now know why the doctors ask “can you eat”, as the concern isn’t the sore itself (that is a chemo side effect, and it will eventually heal), their concern is that you are eating enough so that you stay healthy overall. Fortunately, among the odd prescriptions I got from emergency (even the dermatologist was confused by this one) was a bottle of oral viscus lidocaine (like the dentist uses before putting in a needle), which is used to help provide symptomatic relief of the mouth sores to allow you to eat. So, for this one, I was prepared in advance.

    I’ve created a little chart for my oncologist (and myself to allow for planning next cycle) of my various chemo symptoms in the first cycle (if you think something similar would be useful for yourself, send me an email and I’ll send you the template – it is done in Powerpoint). I will use it when I next see the oncologist to get him to write in the preventative section at the bottom information about when I should not swim, and any other activities I should be limiting at various times, as well as when I can and cannot take NSAIDs. I’m finding that I need the visualization to better understand things – and I want to make sure that I’m not being too cautious about swimming, as it is something that I need for my mental health – especially if biking may involve blistering.

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  • So a little more detail …

    My post this morning was a little rushed, so I missed a few interesting details. The big question for everyone was why is this happening on my hands and not anywhere else. Most people who have this complication see it on hands and feet or hands/feet/mouth. Several doctors were looking for other locations for the sores, and not seeing any.

    It was the on-call dermatologist (happens to specialize in chemo related derm complications so I picked a good night to be in the ER with this issue) that made a comment about ‘motor biking’, that had me saying – on Friday morning I went for a nice long (1hr+) bike ride on my folding bike. The blisters started about two hours after the bike ride. Of my three bikes, this is the one with mountain-bike style handle bars. And that is when the ah-ha moment came. The bumping associated with riding (I do wear gloves but still) didn’t align well with day chemo+4. There is a range in the chemo cycle where I’m more susceptible to this type of thing happening, and any trauma can set it off. The places on my hands where the blisters are align with sweat glands – and trauma to that area when my body is expelling chemo drugs can cause this toxicity effect (at least that is what I currently understand).

    She asked if I had been warned about this complication – not that I can think of. That being said, many of the warning have been overly cautious and lacking details. Telling me not to ride or swim is useless, but telling me that I shouldn’t ride an upright bike on days 4-8 is a lot more useful (I now know this is when the chemo is leaving your system, so toxicity effects are most likely) and telling me I shouldn’t swim days 8-12 is also useful (this is when blood counts are low). The overly cautious recommendations would have me sitting on the couch watching TV the entire time – which is actually contra-indicated – exercise has been shown to improve chemo effectiveness as well as decrease side effects.  So, I am looking forward to a discussion with the dermatologist on Tuesday where we can actually go through the best times and worst times for specific activities in order to reduce the likelihood of a re-occurrence in the next cycle.  I’m also kinda happy that I’m presenting an interesting case for at least one of the doctors at Stanford 😉

  • More extreme reactions

    I’m discovering that my allergic reactions to things are heighten now that I’m on chemo. I have this odd reaction to kale. When I eat it (or chard) within 24hrs I get little blisters on my hands, they start small and painful and over a day grow into blisters about 5mm across. Once they reach there maximum size (usually within 36 hrs) the pain stops and within a day or two they are gone. If I accidentally have kale in my salad or some other food item, then I usually get a couple of blisters the next day.

    Last night my hands began to blister, and not just one or two blisters, but 9 on the left hand and and least 4 on the right hand. Ouch to the point that they wake me up because I cannot spread my fingers nor clench my hands without pain. I can only guess that some of the random lettuce mixes (seeds and plants) that I picked up to grow in my box garden contain strains for kale. I am reminded that I must be extra diligent with foods that cause my body to react poorly (absolutely no tomato). My bodies negative reactions to them seem to be much more extreme as my immune system weakens a little more as the chemo starts to set it.

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    In theory my weakest time should be around days 8-10 (or Tuesday – Friday next week). This low point is known as ‘nadir‘. In many people it aligns with the days where they are more fatigued. If this is the case for me, I will be extra happy to have my mother here to help ensure that I’m eating enough and getting out for at least a little exercise (although swimming which sounds perfect, isn’t advised when you have higher risk of infection).

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