Don M Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I have just noticed some weird peripheral flashing patterns on my field of vision and was wondering if it has anything to do with the tarceva. Comments anyone? The patterns just stopped. Maybe my computer screen is too bright. Maybe I am just paranoid. It has been 9 days and I have a subtle rash on my forehead and an itchy scalp. Gee, I wonder if I will have to shave my beard? It itches under my beard too. Maybe i can just trim it very short and apply some kind of goo. Don M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyr Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Hi Don, cannot speak to the peripheral vision thing but I sure am glad to hear of the rash. Only on this board is a Tarceva rash a great sign. Hope you get to keep the beard, I kinda like it. wendyr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recce101 Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Don: Well, I decided to START a beard because of the Tarceva rash -- trying to shave through all those bumps was just too much. First one I've had, and I'm beginning to like it (but mine is more gray than yours). Maybe you could just clip it shorter so you can get whatever medication you're using down to the skin without creating too much of a mess. I use Clindamycin 1% gel for the red bumps, wherever they are, and a good lotion like Cetaphil keeps down the itching everywhere else. By now the skin is pretty well conditioned and it doesn't take as much lotion as it did at first -- just a thin coat on exposed areas after a shower. The period you're getting into now was the worst for me. If I had it to do over again I would start putting lotion on my hands and especially fingertips early, before the ends started cracking and the nails started separating from the skin folds. That's been my biggest problem and I'm still not quite out of the woods on that, but everything else has subsided. I did have some peripheral vision "artifacts" which began last year with the chemo -- like a floater but fast -- looks like a little bug darting out of view, but if I turn and look where he's headed there's nothing there. No flashing lights, though. Aloha, Ned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaminkw Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I've been hearing about this tarceva on this site and have been planning on googling it. There's been no mention of it for me but I'm still early in the program. If so many people are taking it, it must be worthwhile but there sounds like a lot of unpleasant side effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Don- Keep using a good moisturizer on your beard and rash. If you still have problems with your vision get it checked. We had one member severely damage their vision from a side effect of the Tarceva. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.C. Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Don, Can't help with the skin but for the eyes, what you have is floaters, ---------- In most cases, floaters are part of the natural aging process and simply an annoyance. They can be distracting at first, but eventually tend to "settle" at the bottom of the eye, becoming less bothersome. They usually settle below the line of sight and do not go away completely. Most people have floaters and learn to ignore them; they are usually not noticed until they become numerous or more prominent. Floaters can become apparent when looking at something bright, such as white paper or a blue sky. Floaters occur when the vitreous, a gel-like substance that fills about 80 percent of the eye and helps it maintain a round shape, slowly shrinks. As the vitreous shrinks, it becomes somewhat stringy, and the strands can cast tiny shadows on the retina. These are floaters --------------- I have those floaters for more than thirty years and usually nearsighted people get them. Was told they start after a major stress in your life???????, actually mine started just after my mother died.... If you see an eye specialist ask him about floaters. Hope this helps you. Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don M Posted January 19, 2008 Author Share Posted January 19, 2008 Thanks for your explanation Jackie. It sounds reasonable to me. So my eyeballs are starting to sag along with the rest of my body. I can live with that. "Floaters" Don M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mary colleen Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Don, I have a friend whose fingertips dry out and ulcerate severely due to scleroderma. He swears by the moisturizer Aquaphor to keep it from happening. It's OTC at the drugstore. As for your sagging body and eyelids, I don't think I can help you:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mary colleen Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 By the way, Don, it's the Aquaphor Healing Ointment - there's more than one product in the line. MC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don M Posted January 19, 2008 Author Share Posted January 19, 2008 Thanks MC. I will give Aquaphor a try. Don M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaze100 Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Hey Don, did these flashy lights look kinda zig zaggy like lightening bolts? I've had those once in a while after doing lots of reading/driving. My eye doc says they are eye migraines - they don't hurt. Good luck with the itchy hair. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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