I had all of those except the thrush. The constipation was very severe for me. It would be the next day after chemo. My bowels would turn to cement. Ugh. It was awful. The cold also. My hands would get so cold they would hurt. I would wear a hat and gloves in the house. Sometimes I would run the hot water over my hands. The aches and pains were a surprise. My legs would ache so bad sometimes I could hardly put one foot in front of the other. Constant back ache also. The total lack of energy, then the sleeplessness during the night.

It has almost been a year since the end of chemo for me. Sometimes it just feels like a bad dream. Something like labor pains. You know you went thru it, but you can't remember exactly what it felt like.

Everyone is different and experiences things differently. The good news is, you do get thru it and you come out on the other side. Cancer changes your life, and your perspective on it. I eat more healthy now. A lot of antioxidents. I excersise a lot more now too. I do water aerobics and Yoga. Both of those things I feel has made me feel better and stronger than I was before. There is life after Cancer.

I love this idea of a list. I know I have felt very alone in all of this over the past 3 years. I think that the oncologists don't tell you all the things that are probably going to happen after you finish the chemo and move on with your life.

I had all the problems listed in both posts. I also am facing terrible pain in my left lower abdomen from the numerous surgeries that have damaged my nerves. I am on quite a few pain meds for this issue. I have terrible pains in my feet. They feel like they are bruised. I was told it was most likely nueropathy from the chemo. I have always had migranes but they are now everyday and the depression is just awful. I had a break down the other night and told my husband that it is the worst hopeless feeling. The anxiety attacks never seem to end. I have been a very skinny person my whole life until now. My weight has soared after the chemo. I know I need to exercise but when you don't feel like brushing your hair, you sure don't feel like going out and walking.

I guess I thought that after a year or 2 clean from cancer I would be back to my old high energy self. Not happening. My energy is sooooo low. The smallest tasks seem to be overwhelming. I finally had to get someone in to help with cleaning the house. I just feel so guilty. Guilt seems to be another thing that affects me. I feel guilty for burdening my hubby and guilty because I can't run my household like I use to do. Guilty because many days I stay in my jamas and nap the day away. I sure hope that I have let someone else out there know that they are not alone in this overwhelming disease. I just know things will get better in the years to come.

My sister had several that you listed, Halli, as well as vision problems (the docs say this may improve once she's at the 6-month point of being chemo free).

She also had to be careful of what she touched immediately, to a few days after, she'd had chemo. Plants, food items would go 'pfffft' on her (i.e. she baked my nephew a birthday cake, which turned out beautifully, and one she'd made many, many times before. After it had cooled, she lifted it from the cooling rack to the cake plate and it deflated on her! It still tasted good though).

The side effect that is giving me the most trouble right now is chemo brain. My short term memory is shot. It's so frustrating...I walk into a room and cannot remember why I was going there...I repeat things..I have started saying "if I have told you this before, I'm sorry..." I also had problems with Restless Leg Syndrome, but that was short lived. As for the hair loss, the hair on my head and legs is returning. It has been wonderful to not shave my legs for 6 months. Food in general tastes different and I don't have much of an appetite. I found that macaroni and cheese is my comfort food, I can eat it even on the worst days. I've had a lot of muscle and bone pain. Besides pain meds, I found that taking a hot bath with the jacuzzi takes away a lot of the aches and pains.

Yes Dara, Chemo brain is very common. It does get better in time. Although I can still walk into a room and not remember what I went in there for. Now I call it a senior moment. Ha ha.

I added earlier but I also thought I would mention this problem I am having. My docs refuse to believe me. Every month I go thru the same ailments that I went thru with my period. I feel crampy, flu like symptoms, migranes, moodiness. This happens just like it did when I had my female parts. Anyone else going thru this? I really want to know if I am losing my mind!!

It was two years ago today that I had my surgery. I had most of the symptoms Halli describes, and am still dealing with extreme fatigue after doing the simplest things. I lost a lot of weight after the surgery and hoped to continue it, but have since gained it all back.

I'd forgotten about the taste buds; during chemo some friends took me out for Mexican food a few times, and I enjoyed being able to dip my chips in hot salsa, which barely cut through the chemo-dullness. Can't do that anymore, though.

As for chemo-brain, it was devastating and very scary for me because I've been a technical editor for years, and any impairment in my mind terrifies me. I've been doing hard crossword puzzles and playing online games (TextTwist from MSN, WordWhomp from Pogo, etc.) for months, and it does help. I also read difficult articles on the sciences and politics; these things have helped my ability to focus, and I highly recommend them.

I also had severe constipation ("cement" is the perfect word, Anitaama!) a few times, so I was faithful in taking the prescribed laxative and then in adding Activia yogurt, which I now eat every day.

Like Shabbychicer, even small household chores are exhausting. Most people just don't understand this fatigue. I think they just can't imagine exhaustion that goes on and on and on. How do you deal with them when they don't believe you? It's amazing how many non-medical people have such strong opinions on medical issues, isn't it? (:>)

Yes, I take good vitamins, antioxidants, organic food, purified water, etc., but I need badly to exercise and just can't.
It's too painful and too tiring. How do you get past that?

And I also noticed a faint echo of menstruation (without any blood) several times. I think the body is trying to maintain its past rhythms and is squeezing estrogen and other hormones from somewhere!

Woops -- I should have added the other symptoms I had: My fingernails and toenails became chalky inside and were ridgy and splotched with red. The nail on my ring finger almost came off totally; I kept clipping it because it was coming loose from the nailbed, and I thought it'd be healthier to have it out in the air. This got worse in the months after chemo as the effects of chemo intensified. Then it started to get better, though on some of my nails I never did get the half-moon back, and they're still ridgy.

I also had involuntary twitching and movements in my fingers, which kind of freaked me out. That disappeared after several months too.

Lost all hair including nose hairs, so I was never without a Kleenex to apply to the drips. I cut my hair really short when it started falling out, and then started shaving my head. The only hairs that refused to die were the ones on my chin. Dang!

An unusual effect of the chemo is that it greatly reduced my rosacea. It didn't clear up the capillaries on my cheeks, but I have to use my Azelex 20% cream only once a week now instead of twice daily. They say there's no cure for rosacea, and I guess using chemo to cure it is like using a sledgehammer to crack an egg...

Very few chest pains, but my heart used to pound so that I couldn't sleep. That happens only rarely now.

Joint, foot, and bone pains, yes, but I only had to take Oxycodone once or twice; usually 1500 mg of Tylenol were enough. Also pain in the tailbone area from the med that encourages red blood cell growth that they gave me at each chemo session.

Nausea -- some, but easily managed with the meds they gave me. I had feared that more than anything, but was relieved to find that the meds worked.

Anxiety and depression, well, I've been depressed since I was about 15, so that's nothing new (I take Zoloft). Fearfulness -- I still am afraid of what's to become of me, but I guess that's natural when you've lost your house and pretty much everything and have to just rent a room in someone's house. (Not to mention the condition of the world economy and politics!)

This is turning into quite a comprehensive list.. I forgot a few things that I would like to add now.. Reading through the contributions here convinces me that chemo following surgery can take several years to get over. My first chemo was soon after surgery and four years later I was still suffering some neuropathy, chemo brain and exhaustion.

This time, seven years later, there was no surgery.. I finished chemo last July and the recovery has been much quicker. I don't feel tired any more and my brain power is better than it has been for a very long time. Neuropathy is almost all gone. My eye sight has deteriorated lots, which is a pain, as I am try to return to drawing and get head aches and eye strain lots. In many ways the side-effects were more sever this time around, but definitely easing off at a much faster rate.

Stress has a huge impact.. Physical stress, such as surgery, but also every other type of stress.. The first time around I felt very pressured to return to work quickly.. also it was all a new experience and I knew so much less than I know now.. so more anxiety etc.. this site has helped tremendously in that respect, also the fact that I have been here before..

By facing and dealing with cancer and undergoing treatment we are put under ridiculous volumes of stress, from every conceivable direction.. Stress has a debilitating effect on the immune system. We can't avoid a lot of this stress.... but working at lessening it in our lives is a way to encourage repair and recovery. I also believe that stress brought on my recurrence.

If I had my way in how this crazy world was run.. I would see to it that every woman was given better post-chemo care.. Nine years ago side effects were so widely recognised as a problem. That seems to be changing now and the next step should be that this is addressed..

Women need peace and protection from outside pressures.. such as returning to work too soon. Though I appreciate some women prefer to get back to things sooner than other's. A recognised period of convalescence, with close monitoring of symptoms. Access to counselling would be a huge help to plan our journey back to health and to rebuild our 'new' lives. Access to nutrition advice, relaxation, exercise regimes and stress management classes.. should any of these be required. A greater amount of general support and understanding from society of what it can take to get back onto some sort of manageable track in life..

Chemo stretches the primary rule of the Hippocratic Oath.. 'First do no harm' It causes great physical damage. It's all we have and we are grateful to have it... but.. the post chemo damage needs to be better understood and addressed..

We are no longer alone in this 'pea-soup'.. we have each other.. and can realise so much more than on our own.

Please guys.. work hard at relieving stress in your lives by building lots of good things into the future.. enjoy.. laugh and do all you can to keep those spirits up and out of the doldrums... give the immune system every chance to fight back.. be patient, understanding and mindful of yourselves and your situation..

Hugest love and hugs.. xxx

Someone mentioned about nails. I didn't have any problen with my finger nails, as a matter of fact right now they are stronger then ever, but the nails on both of my big toes turned black. Of course it grew out. I completly forgot about that till someone mentioned nails.

As far as chemo brain I think I am finally over it. I went back to work after 6 months which I realize now was much too soon, for me anyway. I had to learn a new job, which was very difficult. I felt stupid and inadequate. It is only now that I realize that I was still suffering chemo brain. It is a very real thing, and can be quite devastating. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. It does go away.

My situation is a little different from most people's since my major complications were from the blood disorder I developed as a result of my surgery. It was called disseminating vascular coagulation (DIC). Essentially the blood in the body clots throughout the vascular system using up all the clotting factor and so the person "bleeds out." DIC is a systemic problem since micro clots are everywhere. My kidneys failed, my lungs were full of clots, I was in a coma. As a result of the treatment for DIC I developed a syndrome called critical illness myopathy (CIM). I ended up going from the hospital after 24 days to a nursing/rehab facility for 8 weeks. I could feel but couldn't move at all when I got there but continued to have chemo every 3 weeks.

It's hard to sort out what side effects came from the chemo and what came from the other stuff. I only had carboplatin since my condition was so bad. I didn't realize at the time that one of the side effects of carboplatin was loss of appetite. I had complete loss of appetite, and nausea. My worst brain issues had to do with the DIC. I had to have speech therapy for language issues for a short time. I absolutely forgot some things I knew but once I relearned the words they were back. I also had swallowing problems and needed to do voice exercises to recover the ability to drink plain water.

I also had problems with chemo reducing my red blood cell count. It was already low and after my fourth chemo I needed 3 units.

My surgery was in November 2007 but the incision did not heal until the middle of April 2008 a week after I finished chemo. Everyone medical said that this was because chemo can interfer with healing. After I left rehab I had daily homecare nurses for 9 weeks. They had to repack my incision every single day. Apparently there is a huge cadre of people out there on home nursing who are getting "wound care." Most of the incision healed but there was one area that was about a two inch deep "hole."

The other terrible complication I had that was a combination of both chemo and the other issues was that I developed C-diff. This is an intestinal bacterial infection that caused awful diarrhea. One week after a chemo session I lost 7 pounds and could barely move - they found C-diff. This was the second time I had had it. I ended up being hospitalized again overnight and getting IV potassium and magnesium.

Dara, like you, I have something like restless leg now - actually it is more like a squeezing in my legs - especially around my knees.

I continued with PT and OT until my incision healed. Then with my doctor's encouragement, I've been exercising on my own. My joints and musles were very achey for a long, long time. I never ascribed this to chemo until I read everyone elses' posts. I would tell friends that it felt as though someone put me in a barrel and rolled me down a steep hill.

I've continued to work on recovering my motor skills. I think they are almost completely back to normal except for some slight weakness in my central core and upper body. My mood is good - thanks to therapy and everyone's wonderful support, and my energy level is 100%. So, even from the clutches of death - you can come back. I am now about 30 lbs down and need to not lose anymore weight.

I'm left with post-surgical issues - constipation,I think because I did have a portion of colon removed (and which I'll take any day over C-diff) and discomfort from extensive scar tissue.

Janet

I developed horizontal ridges in my finger nails.. one for each chemo session, which stopped appearing when chemo ceased and have now grown out. It's the finest tissue which is most vulnerable to chemo damage, such as hair and nail follicles.. the lining of the gut.. fine nerve endings.. we sense the obvious effects.

There are also less obvious effects such as liver damage.. I have non-alcoholic-fatty-liver-disease. I neglected to mention it, because I don't really understand what it is, or what sort of effect it is having on me. I wouldn't have even known if I hadn't read a letter sent by the hospital to my GP. It was mentioned casually in the report of a scan. In fact I forgot I had it and must remember to take the Milk Thistle tablets.

Milk Thistle is tops for helping the liver to regenerate, aiding detoxification of the whole body.. and after chemo we are all pretty toxic. Omega3 or cod-liver oil is tops for fine tissue repair. I will start taking it again to see if it improves my eyes and my drawing..

I have just started with my chemo treatment. I first sideeffect was hives, iching, fred and fire face. Then I have been nauseas. I have been nauseas all the time. I take the medication. I am constipated also. I eat about 15 pures a day and take senna plus. This seems to work. If I don't go every day I also take milk of magnisa.

Friday-Monday I have had server muscle and joint pain. I take baths, move as much as I can, tylanal, motrin and ativan at night and nap so I can sleep.

To help me with my brain I take omega three. The for the numbuss and tingaling in feet and hands I take B12 and L-glutamine.

I do have fatigue. I have sleeplessness. So I take a nap every day or at least lay down and medicate. Tell me myself to relax and most of the time it works.

I also have received a massage and a phycial. We need to make sure that we do what we can to help us better as much as week. The side effects are only temporary and we can take care of them, not let them take charge of us.

Thanks
Cassie

Well done Cassie.. You have made a fantastic start to your treatment and you attitude is spot on. and you have us here too.. I can remember some very difficult nights when my friends here helped to keep me amused and relatively sane.. It's tough.. but it is all do-able, we are all in it together and we are all survivors.

It took me a few goes to get the nausea under control.. it involved asking lots of medical staff, including nurses and pharmasists and trying several different combinations.

Thanks! I have received so much information from everyone. I eat and take medications, if they work then I keep taking them or if they don't I try something else.

Right know I am having a hard time sleeping. I used to be a person who would sleep 7-9 hours a night and know I am lucky to sleep about 5 hours a night. I am taking the nausea medication before bed that make you dowsy, which is helping. Part of my reseason I have issues is that one of the nausea medicaitons cause sleeplessness. I only have to take in for three days and today is my last one. I know that I will be able to sleep again, it is hard to find things to do at 2 am in the morning. And hoping to having my husband to sleep again also.