Peripheral Neuropathy resulting from chemo

Hello Mini me

I had chemotherapy from May to August last year. During the chemo I experienced numbness and tingling sensations in my hands and feet. Because of this my oncologist reduced my dose of paclitaxel (one of the drugs I was having). Unfortunately it was not enough to stop the neuropathy. 

I am not sure whether a podiatrist/chiropodist would be the best person to seek advice from. I wonder if a referral from your doctor for some physiotherapy or even neurologist would be better. It's caused by damage to the nerves so I would have thought that they may be better people to consult? Perhaps it's something you could ask your GP whether they think it may be worth a referral.

With my neuropathy I have been told it is permanent but that doesn't mean that there is not things that can be done to help. I find being active and walking daily helps. To me it makes sense to get the blood flowing to the nerves in the area. The days that I don't move so much, I definitely feel the difference. I also am thinking of trying swimming as I think that may help for similar reasons. One thing I would advise is to try not to go bare foot a lot- I can tread on things and not notice.I also find that sometimes I stumble if I put my foot to the ground and it's  numb. Almost like the sensation of when you have sat on your leg and its gone to sleep and then you stand up. Apart from the numbness i also get some pain, sometimes shooting and sometimes cramp like. Again, keeping moving helps. And stretching exercises. Maybe a physio would be able to recommend something specific to you.

My hands are also affected. I get tingling, aching and sometimes cramping pain. Anything fine motor helps- knitting, doing puzzles, playing the piano. I have also got some soft and spiky balls that I hold in my hands and do squeezing exercises. 

I think the best bet is to speak to your doctor about the current symptoms you are having and see whether it is worth being referred to be assessed and possibly be given some advise on treatments/exercises etc. 

Hope this helps a bit.

Jane

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me such detailed advice. 

I was advised to try L-acetyl carnitine and hyperbaric oxygen as it had worked for them. And a good b vitamin complex . To my surprise, it has also helped me. It’s recovered slowly and is much better than it was.

Hello...

I have neuropathy from the taxotere dose too.  I was fortunate to be referred to the correct specialists by my GP. At the start I had an MRI scan which showed most of the leg pain was being caused by damage to the sciatic nerve. I had an operation by a neuro surgeon for decompression on the vertebrae to help with that. Then I was referred to the neurologist who did tests to determine which nerves in my feet and hands had been damaged. The feet were worse with several being destroyed definitively. So now I have six monthly appointments.  I take B12 every 10 days and now 900g of gabapentine daily. Unfortunately this dose has had to increase over the years . I also take zinc, B1 and B6. There has been an improvement in the numbness and the  pins and needles have lessened. Previously I was awake almost all night and had cramp too. 

I understand exactly the sensations you are feeling. I described it to the neurologist......my feet feel like blocks of ice but are burning and the skin cushions underneath. He knew exactly what I meant and told me before he tested that this is a sign the nerves are unresponsive. I have to have another set of tests at beginning of October as my hands have got worse and I am dropping more.

Like jane2511  suggests activity is helpful. I knit whenever I sit down to watch tv. I do a lot of gardening. Weeding is good for the hands. I walk a lot too and look after my mother who needs a wheelchair but enjoys to be outside. But I think the B vitamins have had the best results.  

So, my advice would be to insist on a neurologist. I have been told oncology like to deny the connection but my neuro surgeon  told me so many people are referred after chemo, there has to be a link.

I have had physiotherapy in the past but that was for specific related problems. I think you need an accurate picture of exactly which nerves have been affected first. 

Hope what I've written helps a bit. I realise it may sound a bit depressing but I have learnt to live with it and really only the cramp catches me out these days.

Take care and I hope you get some proper medical advice soon.

Another great detailed reply. Thank you so much for taking the time. I wish you the very best on your road to recovery. 

Thanks for this. I've been taking the vitamin b complex for about a year now. Difficult to say whether it has helped or not. 

I was referred to a physiotherapist for peripheral neuropathy in the front part of the feet, and at the finger tips. I am seeing a bit of improvement but the issue as a whole persists. Others may see better results than mine from physio, so I would suggest asking the team or the GP if this might suit your circumstances.