Painful Feet

Sara2011
Sara2011 Member Posts: 78 Member
in Ovarian Cancer #1
I finished chemo #8 as my last treatment in February. In previous treatments I had some numbness in my feet, but in the following 2 weeks after treatment, it went away. However, with the last two treatments, that numbness hung on. Now, I still have a little bit of numbness in my feet, and they hurt like crazy to walk on. I wondered if any of you have dealt with this problem...again, I have feeling in my feet, they just hurt all the time....and did you just have to wait it out to heal or were there any remedies that helped. I am seeing a podiatrist tomorrow to talk about it.

Comments

  • Gottalovelife
    Gottalovelife Member Posts: 45
    #2
    Mine feet still hurt
    Finished chemo in October and my feet kill me, It hurts to be bare footed. It's the neuropathy I guess, taking vitamin B6 and also Cymbalta but doesn't seem to be helping any. If the foot doctor can help let me know, I am tired of my feet hurting too. Good luck!

    Cindy
  • poopergirl14052
    poopergirl14052 Member Posts: 1,183 Member
    #3
    Gottalovelife said:

    Mine feet still hurt
    Finished chemo in October and my feet kill me, It hurts to be bare footed. It's the neuropathy I guess, taking vitamin B6 and also Cymbalta but doesn't seem to be helping any. If the foot doctor can help let me know, I am tired of my feet hurting too. Good luck!

    Cindy

    I still have foot issues
    ..from carbo/taxol too. Never really goes away. I try usung some numbing cream to desensitize the foot and it helps for awhile. I am going to try a warm foot soak as mentioned here in a post...ps..love your doggie..val
  • anicca
    anicca Member Posts: 334 Member
    #4
    B6 & Magnesium
    My doctor put me on 50mg B6 and 250mg magnesium daily, and that has helped a lot. Without it (I've tried) I get cramping and pain in my feet. I finished chemo in Sept 2010, and still have some neuropathy in my feet.
  • kayandok
    kayandok Member Posts: 1,202 Member
    #5
    Sara,
    I amsorry you are having to deal with this, and welcome to the side effects of too much chemo! I have had truckloads (lost count after 60)! I recently resumed using lyrica. I don't take it everyday, but when I do it does help. I take a 150mg pill in the morning and I can pretty much go all day with an ibiprophin added in later or another 75mg of lyrica. The reason I don't take it every day, is that is does give me a crash and/or some dizziness if I take it several days in a row. But, once i a while when I have a party or job to do, it works wonders.

    On a daily bais I am using the B6 (it is actuallya high potency Bcomplex) and message my own feet moring and night with a wonderful cream with hiparin in it. And try to elevate my feet a few times a day. That is mainly just a break for the whole body.

    The flip side of having to deal with this is that, I can ride my bike, and don't feel anything in my feet, when I am peddling with sea breezes cleansing my body and soul!

    I am interested to hear what your podiatrist has to say. Are you in remission? A break from the chemo has always brought me slow improvement, athough at this point, I know it is somehting I will have to always deal with.

    hugs,
    kathleen
  • Sara2011
    Sara2011 Member Posts: 78 Member
    #6
    poopergirl14052 said:

    I still have foot issues
    ..from carbo/taxol too. Never really goes away. I try usung some numbing cream to desensitize the foot and it helps for awhile. I am going to try a warm foot soak as mentioned here in a post...ps..love your doggie..val

    My Dog Bentley
    Val, I loved my dog Bentley! He was a dog with so much personality....I have a lot of stories about him. A year ago February he got very sick and I had to put him down...I still mourn over having to do that. The vet suspected he may have had some kind of stomach cancer....who would have thought some months later I would be diagnosed with cancer! I'm getting to a place where I would like to get another dog! I can tell you are a dog lover too!
  • Sara2011
    Sara2011 Member Posts: 78 Member
    #7
    kayandok said:

    Sara,
    I amsorry you are having to deal with this, and welcome to the side effects of too much chemo! I have had truckloads (lost count after 60)! I recently resumed using lyrica. I don't take it everyday, but when I do it does help. I take a 150mg pill in the morning and I can pretty much go all day with an ibiprophin added in later or another 75mg of lyrica. The reason I don't take it every day, is that is does give me a crash and/or some dizziness if I take it several days in a row. But, once i a while when I have a party or job to do, it works wonders.

    On a daily bais I am using the B6 (it is actuallya high potency Bcomplex) and message my own feet moring and night with a wonderful cream with hiparin in it. And try to elevate my feet a few times a day. That is mainly just a break for the whole body.

    The flip side of having to deal with this is that, I can ride my bike, and don't feel anything in my feet, when I am peddling with sea breezes cleansing my body and soul!

    I am interested to hear what your podiatrist has to say. Are you in remission? A break from the chemo has always brought me slow improvement, athough at this point, I know it is somehting I will have to always deal with.

    hugs,
    kathleen

    Thanks for your note
    I am currently NED and taking Aromasin for maintenance. My podiatrist today is putting me on some anti-imflammatory meds and some medicated cream to see if that helps. I'm getting the impression that nothing really takes it away completely, but there are things that help to alleviate some of the pain. I've been told it will take months for the nerves to repair themselves. The Dr. wants me to be in good supportive shoes, and wear orthodics in my shoes (I already had some) all the time. I'm fortunate to have the feeling in my feet and I am certainly thankful for that. My heart goes out to you and other ladies on this board who have had tons of chemo and have probably dealt with this neuropathy problem a lot longer than me! I realize I'm not the only one suffering, but it helps to hear how others have dealt with it. I will check out the B6...I've been taking B Complex for months, but perhaps I should add the B6. Keep up that bike riding...sounds refreshing!
  • Sara2011
    Sara2011 Member Posts: 78 Member
    #8
    anicca said:

    B6 & Magnesium
    My doctor put me on 50mg B6 and 250mg magnesium daily, and that has helped a lot. Without it (I've tried) I get cramping and pain in my feet. I finished chemo in Sept 2010, and still have some neuropathy in my feet.

    Thanks for the suggestion
    I will check out the B6 and Magnesium. I've been taking B Complex already. I hope I can get a handle on this problem!
  • Mwee
    Mwee Member Posts: 1,338
    #9
    Hi Sara
    I have lots of foot issues from having so much chemo over such a long time period. It was getting so bad that I couldn't walk barefoot without extreme pain. I was prescribed a new pre-med before infusion ( can't remember the name right now, but I'll look it up if anyone needs it). It's nasty stuff, makes me throw up, and I wouldn't continue it, except that it really has worked. That amount of foot pain would have seriously compromised my lifestyle.

    You're feet should slowly improve with time. Please be careful that you don't fall or slip in the meantime. I've taken a few tumbles because of numbness.
    (((HUGS))) Maria
  • Elarsen
    Elarsen Member Posts: 9
    #10
    Painful feet
    Hi Sara

    I am Joan, Eric's wife and I have ovarian cancer stage 4. I received 18 chemo treatments, Taxol/cisplatin 12 of them directly in the belly. I developed mermaid feet as I call them very fast.It's really painful and feels like walking on knives. My last chemo was may 31, 11 and I still have it,but it's not as bad. It helps using gel inserts in the shoes. I buy them at Walmart or CVS etc. You can buy a wooden feet roller or use a tennis ball to place under your foot, while sitting and massage them that way.
    Mine is getting better, but it takes a while! I still look like an old lady of 80 (I am soon 51)when I get up from sitting or sleeping.It goes get better, but may not disappear completely.
  • Sara2011
    Sara2011 Member Posts: 78 Member
    #11
    Elarsen said:

    Painful feet
    Hi Sara

    I am Joan, Eric's wife and I have ovarian cancer stage 4. I received 18 chemo treatments, Taxol/cisplatin 12 of them directly in the belly. I developed mermaid feet as I call them very fast.It's really painful and feels like walking on knives. My last chemo was may 31, 11 and I still have it,but it's not as bad. It helps using gel inserts in the shoes. I buy them at Walmart or CVS etc. You can buy a wooden feet roller or use a tennis ball to place under your foot, while sitting and massage them that way.
    Mine is getting better, but it takes a while! I still look like an old lady of 80 (I am soon 51)when I get up from sitting or sleeping.It goes get better, but may not disappear completely.

    I know what you mean, Joan!
    Every time I get up to walk, I can barely move! My 84 year mom is staying with me and she has bad knees....I think I crip around worse than she does! I have been doing the tennis ball thing while sitting at my desk at work...it does make it feel better for the moment. I pray it will heal up eventually...and I pray that yours will continue to improve as well. If mine is this bad at 8 treatments, I can only imagine how bad it would be after 18 or more treatments! Bless you!
  • kimberly sue 63
    kimberly sue 63 Member Posts: 421 Member
    #12
    Sara2011 said:

    Thanks for the suggestion
    I will check out the B6 and Magnesium. I've been taking B Complex already. I hope I can get a handle on this problem!

    feet
    Also try L-Glutamine 10-20 gm/day. It is an amino acid and I have read multiple case studies that it has helped. Most start it with chemo to prevent neuropathy. But it won't hurt to start now. I did a lot of reading prior to starting chemo. I really wanted to prevent neuropathy before it started. I am currently taking B complex, folic acid, L-glutamine. I am doing chemo-dense carbo/taxol and I am in it three weeks now. No neuropathy symptoms yet. Kim
  • Sara2011
    Sara2011 Member Posts: 78 Member
    #13
    kimberly sue 63 said:

    feet
    Also try L-Glutamine 10-20 gm/day. It is an amino acid and I have read multiple case studies that it has helped. Most start it with chemo to prevent neuropathy. But it won't hurt to start now. I did a lot of reading prior to starting chemo. I really wanted to prevent neuropathy before it started. I am currently taking B complex, folic acid, L-glutamine. I am doing chemo-dense carbo/taxol and I am in it three weeks now. No neuropathy symptoms yet. Kim

    Thanks, Kimberly
    I did take some glutamine during my chemo week....but I really wasn't faithful with keeping it up on the off weeks. The neuropathy in my feet didn't really start settling in until after the 7th and 8th treatments. I probably should have been more faithful, but I didn't like mixing it with drinks. I have also taken Alpha Lipoic Acid to help, which I am better at taking since it is in capsule form. Keep up what you are taking and I hope it continues to prevent you from experiencing this problem.
  • kimberly sue 63
    kimberly sue 63 Member Posts: 421 Member
    #14
    Sara2011 said:

    Thanks, Kimberly
    I did take some glutamine during my chemo week....but I really wasn't faithful with keeping it up on the off weeks. The neuropathy in my feet didn't really start settling in until after the 7th and 8th treatments. I probably should have been more faithful, but I didn't like mixing it with drinks. I have also taken Alpha Lipoic Acid to help, which I am better at taking since it is in capsule form. Keep up what you are taking and I hope it continues to prevent you from experiencing this problem.

    Online
    Online I found glutamine in capsule form. Your right I too struggled with the powder form. Talk with your doctor about the Neuropathy. I am a nurse practitioner in a pain practice, so I have a lot of people with neuropathy. I use Neurontin and now a long acting Neurontin called Gralise. It does help and it is a safe drug. Your doctor can order and instruct you on it. There is no need to be in pain if you don't have to be. Kim
  • Sara2011
    Sara2011 Member Posts: 78 Member
    #15
    Update to Painful Feet
    The podiatrist I went to see had me try an anti-inflammatory drug called Meloxicam. I've been on it over the weekend and do notice a difference in the level of pain in my feet...much better.
  • whiterose
    whiterose Member Posts: 89
    #16
    Acupuncture
    I haven't tried this myself, so I can't speak from experience. But, I'm a member of several bulletin boards and some people have posted they've tried acupuncture for neuropathy (mostly foot-related) and it's helped them. I'm going to try this because B6 isn't working for me.
  • kimberly sue 63
    kimberly sue 63 Member Posts: 421 Member
    #17
    Sara2011 said:

    Update to Painful Feet
    The podiatrist I went to see had me try an anti-inflammatory drug called Meloxicam. I've been on it over the weekend and do notice a difference in the level of pain in my feet...much better.

    Meloxicam is good too
    I'm glad meloxicam is helping. But I would ask your Dr. about Neurontin (Gabapentin) it is specifically designed to help with Neuropathy. If he does not know about it ask to be referred to a pain specialist. Kim
  • Sara2011
    Sara2011 Member Posts: 78 Member
    #18
    kimberly sue 63 said:

    Meloxicam is good too
    I'm glad meloxicam is helping. But I would ask your Dr. about Neurontin (Gabapentin) it is specifically designed to help with Neuropathy. If he does not know about it ask to be referred to a pain specialist. Kim

    Thanks, Kim, I will check it
    Thanks, Kim, I will check it out!
  • AnneBehymer
    AnneBehymer Member Posts: 738 Member
    #19
    no taxol since October
    I have not had any taxol since October and I am still using a cane due to the pain. I am a little worried that I am starting chemo again next Thursday and it will be taxol again but at a lower dose so we will see.

    Love, Hugs, and Prayers.
    Anne
  • AnneBehymer
    AnneBehymer Member Posts: 738 Member
    #20
    Sara2011 said:

    My Dog Bentley
    Val, I loved my dog Bentley! He was a dog with so much personality....I have a lot of stories about him. A year ago February he got very sick and I had to put him down...I still mourn over having to do that. The vet suspected he may have had some kind of stomach cancer....who would have thought some months later I would be diagnosed with cancer! I'm getting to a place where I would like to get another dog! I can tell you are a dog lover too!

    Lord Mactavish "Mac"
    I had to put my Mac down because he had bone cancer and about two months later I found out I had cancer. It was so hard to put him down but I got my new dog a month after I put him down because I could not be without a dog and it helpped since a month later I found out I had cancer.

    Love, Hugs, and Prayers
    Anne

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