Chemotherapy is most effective at killing cells that are rapidly dividing. Unfortunately, chemotherapy does not know the difference between the cancerous cells and the normal cells. The "normal" cells will grow back and be healthy but in the meantime, side effects occur. The "normal" cells most commonly affected by chemotherapy are the blood cells, the cells in the mouth, stomach and bowel, and the hair follicles; resulting in low blood counts, mouth sores, nausea, diarrhea, and/or hair loss. Different drugs may affect different parts of the body. We shed our skin all the time. Chemo can increase dryness of the skin in some people. My whole body, including my eyes & nosewere extremely dry. I found coconut oil to work wonders, including in my eyes at bedtime, a practice I continue to this day.

Yes, I agree with coconut oil for dryness. I have even use it on my eyebrows and a little on my lashes to keep them conditioned. I also use Vanicream sunscreen and Skin Cream (a little heavy but good for dryness). I mix the sunscreen and cream together for easier application.
The first two rounds I developed a rash on my hands (a less common side effect). For the 3rd round I put ice bags on my hands during the taxotere infusion and didn't have a rash that time. I heard the ice works for preventing neuropathy and might even help with discoloration and weakening of fingernails which sometimes happens. I heard sucking on ice ships during Taxotere can also help prevent mouth sores.
Hope I didn't scare you with this list of side effects, but it might be good to know.

I also soaked my feet and hands in ice water while being infused with taxol. I had hand and foot syndrome. It's when Chemo leaks out of your vascular system and into the tissue. I didn't have problems after doing this.

Hi, DianeA27. I had mouth sores, too, during chemo. I would rinse my mouth several times a day with warm water adding ~ 1/4 tsp of baking soda & even less salt using roughly 1/2 cup of water. Sometimes I rinsed afterwards but not always. I also switched to Biotine toothpaste for awhile as well. You’ll find what works for you. Drink as much water daily as you can. Your dentist might be able to suggest a good mouth wash if you have pain. This too shall pass. I promise.

I've only had 1 treatment so far, 2nd this Wednesday, but I did get some mouth sores. I'm definately going to try the ice chips. Thanks for the info!