leg cramps

Hey Donna! I have been on herceptin for 2 yrs now. Yes, unfortunately, the leg cramps are a side effect of the herceptin. This is the only bad side effect that I have found w/ the herceptin. Sometimes they are so bad they also will wake me up from a sound sleep. I also get spasms/cramps in my feet, the small of my back. chest area where I had the mastectomy and sometimes my neck. I have meds that I got from my oncologist and manipulative therapist just for that problem. Sometimes a hot bath or a heating pad helps. Also a massage helps, even though it hurts. lol Please ask your onco for some meds. I can give you the name of the ones that I am on if you would like.

Gentle hugs...Deb

OK,
You gals are going to think I am totally NUTS............but.........has anyone ever read the column in the paper that Dr. Peter Gott writes? He is a syndicated columnist. He claims that putting a bar of soap (yes, you heard me right) between your sheets at the bottom of your bed, will keep you from getting leg cramps. This has actually helped lots of people...........no explanation as to WHY it works, just that it does for some people and not for others. Guess you just have to be crazy (or desperate) enough to give it a try and see if it works!

Sure hope that this helps some of you lovely ladies.ARTICLE
FROM THE PEOPLE'S CORNER by Dr. Peter Gott MD
Dear Dr. Gott: This is in response to your asking for more results from putting a bar of soap under the bed sheets to stop leg cramps. I had been bothered with severe leg and feet cramps disrupting my sleep throughout the night. I was ready to try anything-so as silly as it sounded-when I read about the bar of soap in one of your columns, I tried it. It worked great! No cramps for a long time, then out of nowhere they came back, and I thought, OK, I knew that was too good to be true. But upon further investigation-I discovered that my bar of soap had fallen out from under the sheets and was on the floor. I immediately replaced it back under the sheets and have not been bothered with another cramp since. I am very careful to make sure it stays there, especially after changing the sheets. Like you and some of your readers, I can find no explanation for the wonderful results the soap bar gives. However, I am very curious as to why Dial or Dove soap bars cannot be used. Do you know why?
Dear Reader: Since the original publication of this novel approach to leg cramps, many readers have written me, indicating that they were relieved by Dial soap, but not with Dove. I have no explanation for this phenomenon. But, to be candidly frank, I have no idea about why the "soap under the bottom sheet" therapy may , in a high percentage of cases (judging from my mail), be successful in preventing nocturnal leg cramps. I have had several theories advanced, however. My favorite is that leg cramps are relieved by moving the legs and walking, so soap under the sheet leads to excercise because the soap is slippery and people have to move their legs at night to overcome this. I don't buy this conclusion but am keeping my skeptical eyes open for the ANSWER.

Well, I have never heard about the soap under the sheets but believe me I will give it a try. Thanks for the info and the article.

Donna, I have a mugga every 3 months. In fact, I have one on 10-8 again. At one point, back in 2001, during a clincial trial study on herceptin w/ A/C, it was found that herceptin was causing strokes in women that were getting it along w/ the A/C. That arm of the trial was closed for some time. Then suddenly they reopened it and herceptin was being used again. I wasn't on that particular arm of the trial. I have had no problems and all muggas have been fine.

The meds that I take for the muscle spasms are Baclofen, 10 mg or Tizanidine, 2mg. Each can be taken up to 4x a day. I have found that the Tizanidine works the best for me. And I normally only take it before bed. I HATE taking meds!

Things on the homefront have settled down somewhat. I finally got Cari home last Thurs but had to take her back to the ER on Thurs nite as she had a reaction to one of her meds and it looked like she was having a stroke. A shot of bendryl took care of that. She still isn't feeling 100% from the surgery. As for the other problems that I am afraid of, only time will help me with those. Just keep praying. I will email you later. Have to leave now for my weekly chemo.

Hugs...Deb

Actually, there was another article in Dr. Gotts column in tonights paper about this remedy. It really does help some people.

Also, he has another answer for yet another problem........and I know that it works, my doctor even prescribed it. Has anyone ever heard of using Vicks Vapor Rub on toenail fungus? If used a couple times a day for a month or more, you will see a remarkable difference.

JUST ANOTHER THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.......
Deb
^j^ ^j^

I didn't have to take herceptin so I really don't know alot about the leg and muscle pain you get from it, but in the mornings I sometimes wake up with pain in my feet and calves, I started to take magnesium and omega3 from salmon. It has helped the pain alot. I go back and forth with the omega3 I was told at that atkin store here that it doesn't have phyoestrogen in it. I have taken it for a week and had great result along with mag. I really don't know forsure if it has estrogen in it or not and was wondering if any of you would know the answer I looked it up on internet and just got more confused. I stopped taking it for now until I can find out forsure. I know I should ask my onco dr. but I really have a hard time getting ahold of him. The chemo nurses asnwer his calls and you never can talk with them direct you have to wait for them to call back and it takes forever I hate to bug them about a question like this. I know mag is good for muscles so I take 300mg daily along with my multivit. I hope someone here knows the answer about the omega3 from salmon....Yikes I start work on monday 12hrs on my feet wish me luck. That is why I want to know if its ok to take omega3 with arimidex. I want to do all I can to ensure I will do ok with long hours on my feet again. Skeeter1

bj and skeeter1,
Thank yoiu both for the info. I will be going for my next Herceptin in about a week and half and I will talk to him about all of this then. Until then I will give the soap a try I guess that can't hurt anything.
Skeeter good luck to you going back to work. What do you do? I know I have read it here some where but I don't remember where. I keep saying its chemo brain but my husband says its been to long, but I'm sticking with that.
Thanks again
My best to you
Donna

I work as a nurse on a surgical unit... yikes 12hr excited to get back to work, nerves on how good of shape I am for the 12hrs oh well won't know until you try huh!!! so gonna take my omega3 too now skeeter1