Anybody got nuropathy

sweetvickid

I finished 18 rounds of chemo a year ago and am still having problems with nueropathy. I finaaly had to make the oncologist address the issue since before she would always blow me off saying it would go away.

She has put me on gabapentin but I don't think it is really helping. Has anybody found a med or suppliment that actually takes the pain away?

Gabe N Abby Mom

Yep. Me too, fingers and
Yep. Me too, fingers and toes. I haven't found a solution, but I agree that movement generally seems to help.

Hugs,

Linda

MAJW

Gabe N Abby Mom said:

Yep. Me too, fingers and
Yep. Me too, fingers and toes. I haven't found a solution, but I agree that movement generally seems to help.

Hugs,

Linda

Yes...
Yes, I have neuropathyIn both breasts...mine was caused from rads...nerve damage,.due to my recurrence.....in my lymph nodes..an area that was radiated the first time was overlapped for the first 10 rad treatments this time....my RO warned me it could happen...and it did! At times it was almost unbearable....felt like someone poured gasoline on me and set me on fire! It was present, always, to one degree or another...was finally put on Gabapentin...it has changed my life!

Vicki, what is the dosage of your's ? Mine are 300 mg...I take one in the morning and two at bedtime...it also comes in a higher mg...I sometimes have some break through pain and I take another one...I could take 3 at a time if needed or they told me they would increase the dosage of each pill...as I said, it has changed my life...ask about increasing the dosage or taking more if you're on the 300 mg....I have a good friend who has severe neuropathy from contracting Guille- Barea (sp) syndrome 7 years ago...she takes 2700 mg a day...she has said the same thing...changed her life..
Maybe a higher dosage would help you...check with your physician....hope this helps.

Hugs, Nancy

linpsu

Neuropathy
I developed this fun side effect during my chemo treatments (4 A/Cm 4 Taxol) - can't remember exactly which treatment since I had so many other side effects that had my oncologist stumped. Anyway, I finished all of my treatments in late 2010, and still have the neuropathy. My oncologist told me that if it hadn't gone away in a year, then it probably wasn't going to go away. I did have it in hands and feet, but now it's just in my feet. I am on Vicodin for another pain-related issue, so the Vicodin works well for me. But I really wouldn't recommmend starting Vicodin for neuropathy. Several different doctors recommended gabapentin (Neurontin), but I had tried that before for my pain issue and it hadn't worked. All of my doctors have just told me to use the Vicodin if it works and not to add gabapentin too. But you might want to talk to your dr. about increasing your gabapentin. Good luck to you. Chemo - the gift that keeps on giving! ha-ha
Hugs,
Linda

carkris

linpsu said:

Neuropathy
I developed this fun side effect during my chemo treatments (4 A/Cm 4 Taxol) - can't remember exactly which treatment since I had so many other side effects that had my oncologist stumped. Anyway, I finished all of my treatments in late 2010, and still have the neuropathy. My oncologist told me that if it hadn't gone away in a year, then it probably wasn't going to go away. I did have it in hands and feet, but now it's just in my feet. I am on Vicodin for another pain-related issue, so the Vicodin works well for me. But I really wouldn't recommmend starting Vicodin for neuropathy. Several different doctors recommended gabapentin (Neurontin), but I had tried that before for my pain issue and it hadn't worked. All of my doctors have just told me to use the Vicodin if it works and not to add gabapentin too. But you might want to talk to your dr. about increasing your gabapentin. Good luck to you. Chemo - the gift that keeps on giving! ha-ha
Hugs,
Linda

I had neuropathy in my hands
I had neuropathy in my hands feet up to my knees, arms, face, and eyes. It resolved very quickly in the eyes, face and arms. but remains in my hands, feet/legs. It has lessened as it was difficult to walk, (staggered) as chen says like a drunken sailor. shoes , sheets, anything on my feet so painful. I can tolerate the sheets and my sneakers now. Work is tough. I also wrote so terribly I thought the bank should have questioned my checks. Slowly ot has all improved. I still have trouble putting on necklaces but dont have to ask people to open things anymore. I wear socks for neuropathy, can only wear certain shoes, but its all good. B6 is recomended, I didnt tolerate neurontin, lyrica is similar but also helpful.

sweetvickid

MAJW I am taking 100mg 3X
MAJW I am taking 100mg 3X daily. I think I may talk about upping it. I also had a friend say her Aunt started taking 2500micgrams of Biotin daily and it also helped. So I guess I'll hit the Drugstore and get some of that.

gami43

linpsu said:

Neuropathy
I developed this fun side effect during my chemo treatments (4 A/Cm 4 Taxol) - can't remember exactly which treatment since I had so many other side effects that had my oncologist stumped. Anyway, I finished all of my treatments in late 2010, and still have the neuropathy. My oncologist told me that if it hadn't gone away in a year, then it probably wasn't going to go away. I did have it in hands and feet, but now it's just in my feet. I am on Vicodin for another pain-related issue, so the Vicodin works well for me. But I really wouldn't recommmend starting Vicodin for neuropathy. Several different doctors recommended gabapentin (Neurontin), but I had tried that before for my pain issue and it hadn't worked. All of my doctors have just told me to use the Vicodin if it works and not to add gabapentin too. But you might want to talk to your dr. about increasing your gabapentin. Good luck to you. Chemo - the gift that keeps on giving! ha-ha
Hugs,
Linda

Sweetvickid, I, too, have a
Sweetvickid, I, too, have a severe neuropathy since chemo. The bottom
of both feet, lower legs, fingers of both hands and a slight bit around my
mouth. My feet being so numb causes me to be off balance and I was
falling a lot, so I now use a cane. I had a mild idiopathic neuropathy
prior to chemo, but during Taxotere it became severe. Fortunately, my pain
is sporadic and doesn't last long; so unless it becomes prolonged i'm not
taking any medication; if it does last beyond what's tolerable I take a
Vicodin which does stop it. My neurologist says Gabapentin will not help
my balance. but if my pain ever becomes problematic he would prescribe the
Gabapentin. I have a SIL who takes high doses of Gabapentin for neuropathy
which is very painful in her legs, and she says she could not do without it.
Like Nancy indicated in her above post, it's life-changing for her.
I agree with Nancy's advice that a higher dose may help you; it would be
worth it to speak with your M.D. about. Anyway, I hope you can find an answer,
this mess can be so debilitating. Good luck. Love & hugs.

Teresa

cinnamonsmile

I take 2100 mg of gabapentin
I take 2100 mg of gabapentin a day. The doctors wanted me on more, but I just can't handle anymore than that. I found that Tramadol works much better for me than vicodin. I was told that gabapentin doesn't work right away, it has to build up in your system, but I started on it a year ago and can't remember how log the dr said it would take.

creampuff91344

Neuropathy
Vicki, I was diagnosed in January 2008, had a lumpectomy, 8 rounds of chemo, and finally 40 rounds of radiation. Neuropathy started developing after the second round of chemo, and eventually affected my fingers on both hands, and all ten toes. After completing chemo in August 2008, my fingers and left foot toes cleared up. Today I still have neuropathy in the four little toes on my right foot. My oncologist says I may have continuing problems with this area, mainly because more nerve damage occured on that foot. I am using massage and walking to help alleviate the pain, and it is working. Everyone is different, so keep moving those areas. Hopefully the nerves will revive themselves. Goood luck...and hugs coming your way. Judy

MAJW

cinnamonsmile said:

I take 2100 mg of gabapentin
I take 2100 mg of gabapentin a day. The doctors wanted me on more, but I just can't handle anymore than that. I found that Tramadol works much better for me than vicodin. I was told that gabapentin doesn't work right away, it has to build up in your system, but I started on it a year ago and can't remember how log the dr said it would take.

Gabapentin...
It takes a week or less to build up in your system depending on the dosage.....higher the dosage, the less time it takes...I was put on Vicadin first...didn't do a thing for the neuropathy...found out it doesn't work for true " nerve pain " ....as I stated previously, Gabapentin changed my life...

Wishing us all pain free days..
Hugs, Nancy

DebbyB

neuropathy
What is helping for me is massage and water aerobics. Water aerobics have helped the most.

Phoenix chick

creampuff91344 said:

Neuropathy
Vicki, I was diagnosed in January 2008, had a lumpectomy, 8 rounds of chemo, and finally 40 rounds of radiation. Neuropathy started developing after the second round of chemo, and eventually affected my fingers on both hands, and all ten toes. After completing chemo in August 2008, my fingers and left foot toes cleared up. Today I still have neuropathy in the four little toes on my right foot. My oncologist says I may have continuing problems with this area, mainly because more nerve damage occured on that foot. I am using massage and walking to help alleviate the pain, and it is working. Everyone is different, so keep moving those areas. Hopefully the nerves will revive themselves. Goood luck...and hugs coming your way. Judy

It gets better
Neuropathy in fingers and toes drove me INSANE. After full mastectomy and lymph clearance, I had 4 rounds of A/C treatment and 12 rounds of Taxol (which finished in March 2011) and 25 R/T.. I'm still taking Herceptin and Arimidex. Soles of my feet were very painful, especially walking across the cold bathroom floor without slippers. Try getting coins for the bus out quickly!!!! The fingernails on my thumb, index and middle fingers when black and smelly... on both hands. Toenails stayed relatively healthy. I can now open and close buttons when doing the ironing, thread needles, count the change( slowly) and break a pill in half... I can now walk comfortably in bare feet. We are all different. Hopefully your miseries will be short lived.

carkris

DebbyB said:

neuropathy
What is helping for me is massage and water aerobics. Water aerobics have helped the most.

100 mg three times a day is
100 mg three times a day is a starting dose. so I would talk to my doctor about increasing the dose. I could not tolerate it as it made me severly depressed.
i just went to the neurologist, some of my sensation is improved yay! My balace is still offf and my concentration (not neuropathy related) it will be two years this January and some things are slowly getting better.

jonahrex98

NEUROPATHY AFTER TEN YEARS
I just know I have it. It has disturbed me for ten years, and I've had that long to look it up on the internet every day. They said it would go away, but it never did. Maybe I'm just an exception. They blow it off because they are just concerned with the protocol and saving lives. The rest is for a neurologist to deal with, but they don't acknowledge it either. I think that they are scared because nothing is official yet. I need a diagnosis now because it is interfering with my job. I've had test after test, and everything has been negative. These doctors keep giving me the run around and outruling everything, but never diagnosing the neuropathy. I might not be communicating with them as completely as I should since I have Chemobrain after all these years also. Maybe you won't ever have to deal with this on a long-term basis.