Hello, to you all. I am fairly new to this forum although I have been watching for some time with interest but would really appreciate some help if anyone can advise me.
Has anyone here encountered problems with hand and foot syndrome whilst having treatment? I have just finished my fifth week of the standard radiotherapy with chemo tablets and am based in the UK. I have been encountering a gradual build up of problems with my feet over the last few weeks but had no idea it could be related to my treatment.
Throughout my treatment I have managed to do a bit of light jogging every morning at home and have been doing this for several months now as I have problems with muscle wasting in my right leg, and need to keep working on strengthening these muscles. Therefore I just assumed that I was getting blisters as a result of me exercising.
This last week it has become increasingly painful to walk. I mentioned this at my review this week, just in passing conversation. Thankfully I was examined and then told this was a due the treatment, which was confirmed on Thursday when I saw my Oncologist. She said it would clear up soon after treatment
I was really surprised and cross with myself that I had not linked this, even though I had been told at the beginning that this may happen. I have no sores on my hands, but after reading up about the condition, I now realise I have actually caused this problem through jogging, on such a regular basis. With so many other things going on with my body and coping with treatment my feet had seemed to be only a minor issue.
Now I find that I am in extreme pain with my feet and am finding it so difficult to even walk. I cannot find a shoe that I am comfortable with and really struggled to walk from the train station to the hospital, at the end of this week. I have another three days of getting into to London for treatment as well as a scan for my leg problem on Sunday.
Does anyone have experience of this syndrome and do you know what I could use to make it more bearable to walk? I have got some ‘Aveeno’, coming today but I would like to find something to either put in my shoes that will act as a cushion or a shoe. I had a look online but it is very confusing as there is so much out there. I read that I cannot use blister plasters and should avoid anything that may cause friction or heat. Any help would be welcome.
I know it sounds crazy, but these symptoms are actually causing me more distress than the pain I have experienced through passing a BM. (I passed out with pain after a BM on Tuesday and managed to split my head on the bathroom cabinet, needing urgent care). As a result of this I have been armed with painkillers, which are really helping me to manage the BM’S. However they don’t’ seem to touch the pain in my feet when I try to walk!
You really don’t realise how much you need your feet to carry out everyday tasks until you cant use them. Even walking 15 steps to the toilet seems like climbing a mountain.
Sorry to go on a bit, but feel so frustrated that I have coped so well with the treatment only to find that something totally unexpected has literally brought me to a halt. I will be so grateful for any tips.
Serena
