leg weakness

Pumakitty
Pumakitty Member Posts: 652
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
My dad has finished his treatment a week ago. At the start of his treatment he suffered from dizzyness and his legs felt week. He was dehydrated and the chemo doctor took him off his blood pressure medicine and the dizzyness has went away, however he says his legs still feel week. The chemo doctor told him that it could be from the treatments. I was wondering if it could be from lack of exercise and activity. Have any of you experienced this after or during treatment?

My dad has had issues with his legs and back all of my life. I am thinking this could be part of the problem.

Comments

  • D Lewis
    D Lewis Member Posts: 1,581 Member
    #2
    I did lose muscle mass
    Kathy,

    I lost most of my muscle mass in my arms and legs. I don't have any trouble getting around, but I still tire easily (seven weeks out). I have noticed that if I squat down to get something from a low shelf, I have to struggle a bit to get back up again. This does seem to be improving with time and exercise.

    Deb
  • stevenl
    stevenl Member Posts: 587
    #3
    D Lewis said:

    I did lose muscle mass
    Kathy,

    I lost most of my muscle mass in my arms and legs. I don't have any trouble getting around, but I still tire easily (seven weeks out). I have noticed that if I squat down to get something from a low shelf, I have to struggle a bit to get back up again. This does seem to be improving with time and exercise.

    Deb

    Muscle
    Kathy,

    Same for me, a lot of my weight loss was muscle. I am doing exercises to try to gain it back. Gets a little better every day. Give it time and help him get started doing some exercise. Even small amounts will help.

    Best,
    Steve
  • Pumakitty
    Pumakitty Member Posts: 652
    #4
    stevenl said:

    Muscle
    Kathy,

    Same for me, a lot of my weight loss was muscle. I am doing exercises to try to gain it back. Gets a little better every day. Give it time and help him get started doing some exercise. Even small amounts will help.

    Best,
    Steve

    Thanks
    I was thinking it was loss of muscle. My dad had been feeling so bad before treatment that he was not doing alot then and then once the fatigue of treatment started it hit him even worse. He likes to go out an walk but it has been so hot the past to weeks where we live that I have not wanted him outside.

    We are going to the grocery store in the morning and he normally does better in there then me.

    Thanks again for your input.

    Kathy
  • Scambuster
    Scambuster Member Posts: 973
    #5
    Pumakitty said:

    Thanks
    I was thinking it was loss of muscle. My dad had been feeling so bad before treatment that he was not doing alot then and then once the fatigue of treatment started it hit him even worse. He likes to go out an walk but it has been so hot the past to weeks where we live that I have not wanted him outside.

    We are going to the grocery store in the morning and he normally does better in there then me.

    Thanks again for your input.

    Kathy

    Squats
    Hi Kathy,

    I was hospitalized and very sick for much of my treatment, hooked up all the time to IV bags of various sorts. The only exercise I managed were squats and sometimes I could walking around the corridor wheeling my stand along.

    For the squats, if he is weak, he should hold onto a bench or table and try doing say 5 slow squats and repeat several times a day and then build up to more each day. This is good exercise to rebuild the strength in his legs.

    Hope this helps.
    Scam
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #6
    Hi Kathy


    My treatment left me very weak for many months after and even today I still suffer with problems in the legs and lower back pain. If your dad had problems before in the legs more them likely the treatment only made it worse. Give him some time and get him walking again it does help with his new normal.

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