Skin

Like most people, I suspect, I take my skin for granted most of the time—until something goes wrong. Isn’t that what we do with most things? We notice when something isn’t right, rather than when something is right. A scrape, a bruise, a sunburn and then we notice our skin.

One side effect of the Sutent targeted therapy I’ve noticed is skin soreness, which particularly affects my mouth, hands, and feet. In my case, the severity also has followed that order. During most cycles my mouth, particularly my tongue and the gum areas around my teeth, get sore to the point that I have to modify my diet. I avoid hot, cold, spicy, and crunchy foods, opting for smooth and tepid. Lukewarm soup, soft meat and vegetables in sauce, soft fruit, pudding, melty ice cream all fill the bill. Fortunately, the mouth soreness resolves during my rest week.

I also deal with dry mouth, an issue of longstanding since radiation therapy 22 years ago. I use a mix of approaches, including Biotene toothpaste and Act mouthwash, both specifically for dry mouth conditions. And I use a prescription fluoride toothpaste at bedtime.

The targeted therapy also affects my nasal passages, making me prone to nosebleeds. The most disconcerting are those that spontaneously begin. Fortunately, they are fairly easy to stop, so they are more of a nuisance than anything else.

The skin of my hands during the last couple of cycles became sensitive and painful, with sore fingertips especially. Slight nail discoloration—a kind of black striping—appeared, most noticeably on one thumbnail. I have tried to be conscientious about using hand cream often, opting for old-fashioned Bag Balm, a salve of lanolin and petroleum originally designed to soothe irritated cow’s udders after milking. Don’t laugh; it works!

During the last cycle, a blister-like “thing” developed under the skin surface of one thumb pad, which was quite painful. During the rest week, it resolved, surfacing like a callus that eventually sloughed off as new skin grew under it.

My feet reacted similarly to my hands, but less so. I noticed that my big toes were a bit raw at the joint folds, which made wearing shoes uncomfortable. Summer weather, however, allowed me to opt for flipflops, which are more comfortable than sandals or shoes because there are fewer places where the footwear actually touches the foot.

Apart from these issues, which were painful and annoying only for about a week or so each cycle, I noticed an uptick in my eczema, which is usually slight but increased during the treatment period. Fortunately, I have a prescription cream that I used to ease the worst outbreaks.

Although I generally don’t give much thought to my skin, I have over the years attended to it with perhaps greater attention than some. I’m pale—a typical redhead in that way—and so I’ve always used face moisturizer and sunscreen. Those habits have served me well, and now I find that I need only increase my attention when skin issues arise. The fact that they do seem to arise as a result of the targeted treatment has made me pay attention to my skin and not take it as much for granted.