Hi Skj01

I wore cold gloves and socks throughout my chemo treatment. However, my oncologist and chemo nurse were not supportive of  the idea but I went ahead anyway and was very discrete.
I also cold capped throughout too.

I had 3 x 3 weekly EC followed by 9x weekly Paclitaxel - I started 'cold therapy' from the very first treatment

I got very slight neuropathy in both feet - toes mainly. It was tingling - I was only aware of it when I was sitting still.
When I was walking I didn't notice it.

My chemo finished 3 months ago and I have been taking VIT B12 - the neuropathy got a bit worse before it improved and now it has completely gone.

While I was researching 'cold therapy' for hands and feet ,I did contact a company offering cold gloves and socks to see if I could rent a machine but that didn't work out- they stopped responding to me.

So I searched the internet to see what other people had used and came up with my own combination of 'cold wear' .

I bought the following

SuzziPad Foot Ice Pack Cold Socks & Cold Gloves

Hilph Foot Ice Pack Slippers

KOOLPAK LUXURY REUSABLE HOT & COLD PACK

Please remember that I was having to be discrete about the cold therapy for hands and feet - things might be easier for you if you have support from your team-

I found that the SuzziPad thawed out very quickly and the freezer packs were tricky to insert so I set them up before going to the hospital and pack freezer blocks around them.
I used the Koolpack  blocks for my hands as the sizzi got warm quite quickly. I used the suzzi blocks for the back of my hands and held onto a Koolpack - swapping out when needed - some people hold onto frozen water bottles I believe. I roundwd off the corners of the Koolpacks as they were quite sharp.

The Hilph ice pack slippers were much more successful for me. I originally bought 2 pairs but one of my treatments was delayed by 2 hours, after I had been set up in the chemo suite, and I didn't have enough kit to see me through the treatment. ( I bought an extra pair after this although I never needed the 3rd pair)
I used the koolpacks to rest my feet on when I had the ice slippers on to slow down the melting. I also slipped a koolpack between the top of the slippers and my toes to keep things cool for longer

Do your own research though, and see what will work for you.

I would thoroughly recommend cold capping and hands and feet cooling - at least you would have tried everything.

I used polybalm

for all my nails and started 1 week before treatment - my nails are great

Wishing you an uneventful, speedy treatment xxx

Hi deebee60

Thanks for the feedback. I found socks and mitts with ice packs on Amazon for about £40, which I am considering buying. I was planning on getting 2 sets as you can't get the additional ice packs on their own and like you planned to pack them with ice blocks to keep the second set cold, but I will check out the ones you've used. 

I must admit if the medical team can't find a medical reason as to why I shouldn't do it then they can't stop me and I am happy to be a test subject in this instance. If we don't trial it how can they get the data to prove their position. Well that's my opinion and I am sticking to it.

I am planning to cold cap too. Scheduled my haircut for next week. Not going full buzz cut, more a step change to a shirt pixie. I know it'll only be for a few weeks, but I think the transition will be easier.

I've already bought polybalm nail treatment and started to use it today. 

I'm all over the place at the moment. The waiting to start is driving me nuts, so I am looking at what I may possibly need and researching as much as possible. It gives me something to do and makes me feel more in control of what's happening.

Thanks again!

Hi

I had a cold cap and both refrigerated mitts and bootees for my first chemo treatment (paclitaxel and trastuzumab). However I fainted on the way back from going to the loo half way through my treatment (cooling kit had been removed for the trip) and they really struggled to get my blood pressure back up. My oncologist recommended we give all the cooling a miss from then on and it has been much better. I’ve had 7 sessions now. I’d say 80% of my hair has fallen out, I have some mild tingling on the tops of my toes, and no issues so far with my hands

Hope that helps. Good luck with your treatment 

Just wondering if anyone has any tips about treating mild neuropathy 4 years post chemo. The soles of my feet, especially the right one, are numbish, feel swollen and don't have flexibility.I get the odd nerve pain but not a lot. 

Thanks 

Hi SusanHB 

Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely keep an eye out for any issues. Appreciate the contrast.

I'm not so bothered about the hair loss, but I am concerned about the neuropathy getting worse in my feet.

Hi Skj01

It's such a good idea to do your research now.
I also felt that I was hanging around waiting for chemo to start and then I had a phone call and had to be ready  to start in just over a week. There would never have been enough time to do my research and have the stuff delivered in time, let alone get my head around things.

I found that looking at the customer feedback on Amazon really useful. 
For each item I was considering I went to the customer review page and used the search bar - "search customer reviews" - and  typed in "chemo" - this came up with the reviews for people that had used it for their treatment.

I wore thin socks while I was cooling my feet and took a spare pair for my hands just in case I needed them.

You can't walk in any of the cooling footwear so I took a pair of slip on slippers to walk to the toilet in.

You will also need a headband for the cooling cap. I bought mine from superdrug
I also took my own blanket and towel and the unit gave me some as well.
I used my towel on my lap to rest me cooling hands on (to stop my legs from getting too cold), and their towel over my shoulders to keep the cold cooling cap pipe off my back....


2 sets of cooling kit wouldn't have been enough for me. I had EC and cold capped, which added even more time to the treatment.
For the best results I understand that cooling needs to start 30 minutes before and continue 45-60 mins after 

I'm sure that this is far too much info for you , sorry!

wishing you all the best x

Morning deebee60 

Any information is good. There is always a snippet I don't know. 

I checked out the links and it was the suzzipad socks & gloves I have my eye on. 

I wasn't sure if I should wear socks, but you've answered that too.  I've got the blanket and towel covered too.

I hadn't thought about the headband, but I'll look for one. 

Thanks again. As it's Sunday I'm batch cooking and planning my next knitting project. I may even cook some pancakes

Have a good day