Breast cancer

FormerMember
FormerMember
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Hello I’ve just joined and not really sure what I’m doing I was diagnosed with invasive ducal carcinoma breast cancer in September 2020 told it was early stages and need lumpectomy and radiotherapy until op was done and removed 27 lumph nodes and 20 were cancerous so was then told needed chemotherapy aswell which was a shock to me couple of courses of chemo and after scans and other tests then told I have lymphoma aswell finished chemo March this year and had 15 rounds of radiotherapy now halfway through Herceptin and pertuzamab just had my first mammogram since diagnosed so feeling a bit anxious on waiting for results I take Letrazole and so far things going ok on it I however have started this itching just down lower part of left arm which is aggravating as I claw meself to bits I would be interested to hear from anyone else who might of had this problem and what to do to stop it x

  • Hi , sorry to hear abot the itching.  Itching that you can't stop can drive you mad.  It's not something I have experienced but I am replying to you so I can bump you back up to the top of the list in the hope that someone who has will see it this time and reply to you.

    I would however definitely speak to your medical team about it because they must surely have encountered this with other patients and might be able to suggest something that will help you.  I do wonder if it has something to do with the healing process if the lymph nodes were removed from that side.  I know I had a lot of unbearable itching when my breast surgery scars were healing.  

    Hope someone is able to help you x

  • Hi Jungle Woman

    I have been on more or less  the same treatments as you and similar timeline. I am halfway through the H&P as well, and on the Letrozole. My oncology pharmacist is just off the phone a moment ago and she was talking about skin rashes with the H&P. I don't get the rashes but my neck swells-up about 10 days in to each cycle..... This is around day 9 and has happened each time and lasts for about a week, before going away, so I am not worried about it now. I did have itching a few cycles ago on the back of my hands which I thinks was maybe a slight neuropathy. Also I had a very itchy back which made me need to use a wooden knife shaped letter opener to get at it properly. The back was so dementing that I could have scraped it raw to get rid of the itch, so I do understand what you are going through. 

    This itch has gone away by itself and I wonder if it was maybe the body getting used to Letrozole.....

    They have recently added in daily antihistamines for me which helps a little bit with the neck swelling but doesn't stop it.

    Maybe got in touch with your oncology nurse/helpline and see what they can offer you. What they know about, they can help us with.

    Good luck and wishing you relief from the dementing itch.

    WallyDug