The Henna Treatment Log

Started the "Henna Treatment" for Hand-Foot Syndrome

December 13, 2008 2:00 PM- My feet are starting to burn at the base of both big toes, on the outside of each foot, and on the heel of the left foot.

I made the Henna Treatment for Hand-Foot Syndrome today using the following formula from a blog ( http://xelodasideeffects.blogspot.com/ )  many people have pointed to:



1/2 Cup Boiling Water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

approximately 1/4 Cup Indian Henna powder



I mixed the above ingredients in a small glass bowl with a plastic spool.  The glop is an unpleasant greenish-brown goo.  It reminds me most of what you get from the back end of a cow who's been turned out to pasture after wintering in a feed lot.  (I'm betraying my rural roots here.)  The scent is not unpleasant - kind of an herbal aroma that isn't too bad.



I allowed it to cool to room temperature then applied a light coat to the areas of my feet that were beginning to burn.  It's soothing as it goes on.  It dries in about 15 minutes.  I put on a pair of old socks and will now go about my business.  I put a plastic lid on the bowl and have stored it in the ice box.


11:30 PM - Feet are holding up pretty well.  A little discomfort, but no burning.  I've applied Bag Balm to my feet and hands where I usually have the H-F Syndrome patches.  (Putting Bag Balm on the usual patches before they burn and peel seems to help prevent it for a bit.  It helps prevent peeling even after the burning starts.)  Put on some fresh old socks and am going to bed.

December 14. 2008 8:00 AM- Used the Goo again

General Observation:     The places I applied the goo yesterday are now a startling shade of reddish-brown.  It doesn't wash off in the shower.

                                        It helped for quite awhile yesterday.  My feet were burning again when I woke up, so I've put on some more of the goo after I took a shower.  It really feels good right out of the refrigerator!

3:30 PM - Put on more goo.  My feet are OK, but we're heading to church for the boys' Christmas Program, then over to Wesleyan to sing in the Civic Choir Christmas Concert.

10:30 PM- Feet hurt!  I had to stand for almost 2 hours for the concert and the dress shoes didn't help.  No peeling, some burning, but mostly stabbing pains at the base of my toes on both feet and on the heel of the left foot.  The sides of the feet where I usually get the H-F patches are OK  I've taken 2 ibuprofen and applied Bag Balm as usual.

December 15, 2008 - 6:00 AM - Feet aren't too bad this morning.  Applied The Goo to my feet after a shower, applied a light layer of Bag Balm over that after it dried, then socks.  Hands are OK.

10:35 PM - Feet and hands are OK.  Applied Bag Balm to feet and hands as usual, put on old socks.

December 16, 2008 - 6:00 AM - Feet hurt some this morning and burn a little.  Applied The Goo to my feet after a shower, applied a light layer of Bag Balm over that after it dried, then socks.  Hands are OK.

General Observations:  The Goo is really soothing when it's put on.  It seems to help a lot with the burning.  It cools down the burning and seems to hold off it's recurrence for awhile.  I wonder if that's The Goo itself, or is it just applying something cold from the refrigerator?  Would applying something like vanilla pudding or mayonnaise do the same thing without the stains?

                                        The Goo seems to help some with the pain, too, I think.  The real test of that will be later on when things usually hurt more. 

                                        I've discovered that the socks I wear after putting on The Goo need to be washed separately.  I now have a load of pink former-whites.  I may start wearing well-cushioned black athletic socks rather than the white ones after applying The Goo.

More on the Henna Treatment

The glop looks like something that comes out of a cow after she's been turn onto the pasture in the spring.  (I'm betraying my rural roots here, but that is what it looks like.)  Fortunately, it doesn't smell that way!  ;-)

The glop is very soothing when it's put on and I think it's helping with the burning.  Maybe it'll head off the stabbing pains - man, I hope so!

Trying the Henna Treatment for Hand-Foot Syndrome

Well, the feet are starting to burn. I've tried all the over-the-counter suggestions and everything else I can think of to help with this, so I'm going to try the Henna Treatment.

I made the Henna Treatment for Hand-Foot Syndrome today using the following formula from a blog ( http://xelodasideeffects.blogspot.com/ ) many people have pointed to:

1/2 Cup Boiling Water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
approximately 1/4 Cup Indian Henna powder

I mixed the above ingredients in a small glass bowl with a plastic spool. The glop is made is an unpleasant greenish-brown goo. It reminds me most of what you get from the back end of a cow who's been turned out to pasture after wintering in a feed lot. (I'm betraying my rural roots here.) The scent is not unpleasant - kind of an herbal aroma that isn't too bad.

I allowed it to cool to room temperature then applied a light coat to the areas of my feet that were beginning to burn. It's soothing as it goes on. It dries in about 15 minutes. I put on a pair of old socks and will now go about my business. I put a plastic lid on the bowl and have stored it in the ice box.

11:30 PM - Feet are holding up pretty well. A little discomfort, but no burning. I've applied Bag Balm to my feet and hands where I usually have the H-F Syndrome patches. (Putting Bag Balm on the usual patches before they burn and peel seems to help prevent it for a bit. It helps prevent peeling even after the burning starts.) Put on some fresh old socks and am going to bed.

An Early Christmas Present!

Hi, All - I thought you might enjoy this picture. It's a Saturday Evening Post cover made by John Falter showing our hometown, Falls City, Nebraska, at Christmas time, 1946. Most of the buildings where about the same as when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s.

I flew down to St. Louis with my good-luck charm (my Aunt Sarol) yesterday and got the results of my latest CT scan. You may remember that the largest tumor in my lung had grown after my September CT scan. Well, this time the scans showed that the largest tumor in my lung has shrunk! (Yea!) The other tumors are stable and there are no new tumors. Needless to say, I'm very relieved and grateful.

In other news, I no longer have to go down there every six weeks. They've decided I'm trust-worthy enough and that my local oncologist is competent enough that they'll give me a two-cycle supply of the drug and I only have to go down every 12 weeks. That will really be nice. It's not a bad flight from Omaha to St. Louis, but I'll be glad to save the money and the time. I'll remain on the same 4-weeks on, 2-weeks off the Sutent cycle and stay on the same dose.

I guess that's actually two early Christmas presents!

My St. Louis oncologist said it's unlikely that the study will ever let my Lincoln oncologist monitor me for the study completely, but he said he'd keep pushing them on it. I keep hoping they'll expand it to an Omaha location (they're still recruiting in St. Louis and recently expanded the study to Washington, DC), but even if they don't, I'm very grateful that I'm in the study.

The side effects were about the same this cycle. There's still research going on to help the worst of them (the Hand-Foot Syndrome and fatigue), but nothing has come of it yet. I actually had more pain from the tumor this time, but nothing too bad. (Sara says it's the tumor screaming from the drug working on it - I like that imagery.)

We got to have lunch with Sara's Aunt Rosemary, which was nice. She was kind enough to run us out to the airport after lunch, which was really nice as the airport is no where near her part of town.

I'll have C/T scans in late February and go down to St. Louis for the results and to pick up a new supply of the drug on March 4.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support. Have a Merry Christmas, everyone!

John