Question... does anyone else but me itch like CRAZY after chemo? This time after round four is driving me NUTS!... I am having other hystemine reactions, like puffy eyes, and cloudy head, and icky stomach...
Chemo Boy
Eddie
Question... does anyone else but me itch like CRAZY after chemo? This time after round four is driving me NUTS!... I am having other hystemine reactions, like puffy eyes, and cloudy head, and icky stomach...
Chemo Boy
Eddie
Eddie, Have you tried Benadryl? I didn't have those reactions, but they gave me a bag of Bendaryl after my last chemo dose. I had problems with nerve pain and the Benadryl helped TREMENDOUSLY. Also let me go home and sleep off the effects of the chemo. ;)
I'm so sorry you're so miserable! Not fun! :(
Hugs and prayers!
Lorie
Eddie,
I had the puffy eyes, tummy problems, and some itching on my scalp. Like Lorie said, try some benadryl. If that doesn't help, call your doctor as you may need a stronger antihistamine or even low dosage of some prednisone.
Hope you feel better soon,
Bette
Hey Eddie,
I too had some itching on my scalp but it wasn't to bad and it only lasted about 5 days. You really should call your Onc's office and let them know about this. They REALLY want to be informed of things as such. Your paying good money to be taken good care of, get your money's worth!
Hope your feeling better soon. Cancer SUCKS!
My husband was told to take a benadryl and a prednisone before each chemo treatment as a preventative for allergic reactions. Ask your doctor to give you something.
Hi Eddie,
I itched like crazy after chemo. The first couple rounds it was my whole body and then it affected only my feet. I would hop in a hot bath when it got unbearable or just soak my feet in epsom salts and warm water. I wish I'd have asked about the prednisone, because the itching drove me crazy too. I thought I'd scratch my skin off! Once I was done with the chemo the itching did finally subside.
Take Care,
Sam
GET SOME BENADRYL.
That would be the best for you right now. Did you mention this to your oncologist? I would recommend calling them and letting them know your having a reaction of some kind and they really do need to be aware of it. Next time when you go for your chemo they could probably put up a bag for you.
Good Luck
God bless
Linda
My oncologist gave me a prescription for Hydroxyzine HCL 25 mg and it really works. Had a terrible rash from tarceva and this stopped the itching. Now I have switched to benadryl because the rash is less severe.
Hope this helps. God Bless
Thanks to all who answered... NOW I know what direction to go!
Chemo Boy
Eddie
Eddie,
I so totally empathize with you! I had the same problem. And unless someone else has had it, they cannot understand the maddening misery. Prednisone helped. Very hot baths were the only thing that gave me immediate relief. The itching seemed to run on a predictable course, for me. It’s been a couple of years, but I believe it started a couple of days after chemo. It intensified and drove me to the brink of insanity. (Forget waterboarding…this would be the most effective torture treatment!) Usually a week or so after treatment, the itching began to subside...until the next round. I finally had my onc change my chemo concoction. Although they would not acknowledge it, I believe I had an allergic reaction to the chemo. They said that because the itching did not start until a couple of days after the chemo, it was not related. I disagreed. They give you Benadryl through IV during chemo treatment so that could explain why the symptoms were alleviated in the beginning. At any rate, my original chemo cocktail was pretty standard: paxitaxol and carboplatin. I ceased taking the taxol and my doctor replaced it with Gemzar. No more problem with itching after that.
You can read more on the blog I wrote at that time here: http://dustydonaldson.blogspot.com/2006/01/more-chemo.html
I wish you the best. If nothing else, please know that I feel your pain. To me, the itching was worse than the surgery (which was bad)…worse than the chemo…the worst of it all.
Good luck!
Dusty Donaldson
Eddie. The cloudy head is probably chemo fog, and I have the stomach problems also. I did get some type of rash on my scalp (can't wear wigs) and I was prescribed hydroxizyne (anti-histimine) which helped but made me really tired. I used a lot of benadryl cream which seemed to temporarily help also, and then was prescribed a cream (I need to try to look through all of my records to find out what it was). It did help and I'll post what it was as soon as I can find it.
Susan
THANKS Susan and Dusty...
I bought Aveeno Oatmeal Bath, Benadryl Cream, Aloe, and Benadryl Alergy Tablets.
OH!... and I am on Taxol AND Gemzar both!
Chemo Boy
Eddie
Eddie. Ask your doctor for Biafine which is a topical ointment, and Atarax (hydroxizyne) which is a pill. They are both prescription but did wonders for me.
Susan
hey, Eddie -
you poor thing!!!
in addition to your pile, you might want to add hydrocortisone and Lanacane. the second one has a mild anaesthetic in it that kills itch on contact and then stuff to go after the underlying cause (my view is "I don't care about cause, kill the darned itch").
hope you start feeling better soon, buddy!!!
hugs
Pat
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