Cinco Vidas

Everyone says you look great in your wig. Or your scarf. Or that adorable peach fuzz. But maybe you don’t feel so great.

“I noticed that when neighbors stopped in…I would forget I was naked on top and start conversing,” says survivor Michele Corey. “It wouldn’t be until I saw their eyes talking to my forehead that I remembered I was bald and wanted to run in and get something to cover myself.”

Baldness can be one of the most emotionally difficult cancer-treatment side effects to deal with. According to research published in Patient Education and Counseling (Issue 3), “Chemotherapy-induced alopecia is one of the most distressing side effects of chemotherapy.” (more…)

Essential oils can do wonders to help you relax and reduce stress while you’re going through chemotherapy or radiation, but according to aromatherapy experts, you need to be choosy about which ones you’re using. Some, apparently, have the ability to interfere with cancer treatments.

We posted earlier about how aromatherapy can help with many side effects. Peppermint and ginger ease nausea. Lavender and aloe can soothe radiation burns. Cedarwood can help you sleep. Grapefruit and juniper boost energy. All these are tremendously beneficial in the battle against cancer. However, just because something is natural doesn’t mean it’s inactive. In fact, essential oils can be very powerful—which is why sometimes, they require a little caution. (more…)

It grows wild in a lot of locations. Many people think of it as a pest encroaching on their yards and gardens. Allergic reactions to its spiny thorns can be serious. But hiding inside this spiky plant is a substance that may help treat inflammation of the liver in cancer patients going through chemotherapy.

The liver works as an efficient processor of toxins in your blood; a “purifier,” so to speak, that sends clean blood back into your system, and toxins out through bile or urine. Unfortunately, some chemotherapy drugs—because they are, in essence, toxins that the liver struggles to get rid of—can overly stress the liver and cause damage (called “hepatoxicity”). In other words, toxins accumulate in the body faster than the liver can process them, and it breaks down—forcing patients to delay or stop their chemotherapy treatments. (more…)

“My husband had chemo last year and he still has pain in his feet caused by it,” says caregiver Lpfiner. “Is there anything that can help him?”

“I completed my chemo 1/4/09,” says fighter CTML. “For the last 5 days I have been having numbness/tingling in my feet.”

Foot problems and discomforts that linger after treatment is over are fairly common in the post-chemo world. They differ from person to person, however, depending on the drugs that were used, how long chemo treatment is given, and the person’s individual response to the treatment.

Here are a few side effects you may experience in the feet after treatment, and some potential solutions. (more…)

After chemotherapy treatments, you can have lingering side effects. Several, unfortunately, seem to hit the hands—things like numbness and tingling, rough skin, split nails, and even carpal tunnel syndrome.

To help you deal with these troubling symptoms, we’ve gathered a few recommendations. Whatever you may be experiencing, be sure to tell your doctor. Even if you don’t think it could be connected to your cancer treatments, it often is, and your doctor may be able to help.

Lingering Numbness & Tingling: According to Dr. V. K. Gadi, writing for Everyday Health, Taxol (paclitaxel) is associated with neuropathy (numbness), and also weakening of the reflexes. Sometimes just waiting it out will result in an improvement. Physical therapy may also help. Other survivors recommend massage, acupuncture, and supplements like vitamin B and glutamine (10 grams 2-3 times a day). Mark Stengler, MD and contributor to Daily Health News, recommends acetyl-L-carnitine, a natural substance that can have a regenerative affect on the nerves, along with a B-complex vitamin, vitamins E and C, selenium, and pycnogenol (an antioxidant). Read our other post for more natural recommendations. (more…)

Heidi Floyd, breast-cancer survivor, and her son, Noah.

Breast cancer was in her family. Her mother had passed away when she was only in her 40s. So she knew she was at risk—but she never expected to be diagnosed while she was pregnant.

Her name is Heidi Floyd, and today she serves as Breast Cancer Development Ambassador for the Very Bradley Foundation, traveling the nation raising money for breast cancer research. But when she was diagnosed, she was working in IT sales, and didn’t know where to turn. “The first oncologist I spoke to didn’t know how to treat a pregnant patient,” she says. “He told me my options were to terminate the pregnancy, or carry the baby to term while not addressing the cancer.” (more…)

Find yourself unable to taste food after chemotherapy? Does meat seem to have a metal flavoring? It’s not a side effect to take lightly. According to Sarhill and colleagues, in a study published in Support Care Cancer (2003; 11:652-659), for as many as 20% of cancer patients, the primary cause of morbidity was malnutrition, not malignancy—and Jae Hee Hong, lead researcher on a recent study published in the Journal of Supportive Oncology (2009;7:58-65), says disturbances in taste and smell caused by cancer treatments could have a lot to do with that malnutrition. (more…)

“Does anyone know anything about the use of ayurveda in treating cancer?” says caregiver auberon. “My brother-in-law has cancer…I just want to know all alternatives.”

Ayurvedic medicine is no magic bullet for curing cancer, but it may help some cancer patients better manage side effects. An ancient system of medicine that originated in India over 5,000 years ago, ayurveda (meaning science or knowledge of life) is a holistic way of diagnosing illness and bringing the body and mind back into balance to help restore health. Treatments and techniques can include special diets, medications, detoxification, herbal medicines, massage, meditation, Yoga, and breathing and relaxation techniques. (more…)

If you lose your hair during cancer treatments, you may be a little confused over how to take care of this new skin. Vin Diesel and Chris Daughtry have it down, obviously, but if you’ve never before taken care of the skin on your scalp, how do you go about it now?

All skin is fragile during chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and the scalp even more so, as it’s probably never been so “naked” before and may be a little tender and sensitive. So forget regular harsh shampoos and opt for a more caring approach—one you would take toward baby skin. (more…)

Some of us, when going through cancer treatments, can end up looking like we’ve been in a bad fight. Of course, it’s not back-alley conflicts causing the problem, but blood platelets that just don’t want to stick together. In other words, a shortage of clots.

“I finished my last chemo,” says a fighter on inspire.com, “and my skin seems like it’s getting more and more fragile. My dog jumped on me, barely touched me, and I got a bleeding scratch on my leg. Today, I looked down at my arm and it was bleeding…” (more…)