Neuropathy and Walking

Hi Maria!

WOW!! Done with chemo...let the healing begin!!

I'm half way thrrough the folfox. How bad was the second half compared to the first half? What did your oncologist say to convice you to do all 12 treatments? I'm thinking of maybe stopping at treatment 10 or 11. I'm concerned about the long term effects of the oxaliplatin. Best wishes! Donna

CAMaura said:

Hi There - I am wondering if your neuropathy is becoming worse. Mine did after chemo ended; my feet had not been involved during chemo. Anyway, to anser your question about staying off of them, I would say no because xercise will help circulation. If I were you, I would think about two different supplements: Vit B6 and Alpha Lipoic Acid - both help with nerve function. It is important to think about this as a wave....it will be heavier and then it will, in time, subside. I am coming up to a year after chemo ended in May, and my hands and feet are still affected, but to a much lower amount; the first fews months after chemo were much more difficult. I hope you receive a few more posts to give other opinions, but I would still try to remain active. You might also try some sports which are not as hard on you feet, but which will still be healthy for you - like swimming or cycling. Give it a thought. All the best to you and I also hope you are feeling well and gaining strenth post-chemo! - Maura

My husband's onc. recommended the B-complex. Also, he was being treated for neuropathy by a neurologist years before chemo and he had recommended the ALA. This was after trying several prescriptions drugs for it. The ALA is the only thing that had really helped his non-chemo related neuropathy. He did struggle with chemo neuropathy at the end but it may have been because he did not take the B-complex or ALA consistently during treatments because of nausea.

I was doing some research this morning and found the following:

Many of the B vitamins have been found to help with symptoms of peripheral
neuropathy, although high levels of B6 may worsen symptoms. The ones that are
helpful are B1, B12 and folate. Try taking a multivitamin with vitamin E in it,
and a B complex to help with symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. Make sure the B
complex, sometimes called a vitamin B stress complex, has folate in it. Vitamin
B12 can also be given by shots into a muscle every couple of weeks, and this
probably gets more vitamin B12 into the body than vitamin pills. Drinking
alcohol can block how your body uses folate and vitamin B12.

I found this on nih.gov:

Anyone taking large doses of vitamin B6 supplements for carpal tunnel syndrome
needs to be aware that the Institute of Medicine recently established an upper
tolerable limit of 100 mg per day for adults [12]. There are documented cases in
the literature of neuropathy caused by excessive vitamin B6 taken for treatment
of carpal tunnel syndrome [22].

Too much vitamin B6 can result in nerve damage to the arms and legs. This
neuropathy is usually related to high intake of vitamin B6 from supplements,
[28] and is reversible when supplementation is stopped. According to the
Institute of Medicine, "Several reports show sensory neuropathy at doses lower
than 500 mg per day" [12]. As previously mentioned, the Food and Nutrition Board
of the Institute of Medicine has established an upper tolerable intake level
(UL) for vitamin B6 of 100 mg per day for all adults [12]. "As intake increases
above the UL, the risk of adverse effects increases [12]."

neuropathy

I had my 12 chemos for stage 4 Colon Cancer, then my second surgery to remove lymph node that shrunk from chemo. I have had neuropathy beginning  after last chemo too. Go ahead and walk, your feet will tell you when you need to stop as it is more annoying and yo wont want to walk any more. I never heard walking was bad. I hope your neuropathy goes away in about 3 months like I was told usually happens, mine didnt , been since end of May. I take Gabapentin, no side effects may help a little, but weaning off now as I have had diahrea symptoms since surgery and getting off certain medications may be helpful fo me. Good luck.

After my chemo with Folfox,

After my chemo with Folfox, the neuropathy bothered me a lot but I still played soccer best I could having no energy. I found that the more I walked, ran, etc the better it got. Or maybe I just got used to it. Been little over a year since I finished chemo anf the nueropathy is 95% gone. Still notice it but more in the mornings.