After chemo??

cahalstead
cahalstead Member Posts: 118
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hi and thanks to all of you who have shared your victories, defeats and plain out scared feelings.

My 2-month app't is tomorrow, an exam and bloodwork. My CT isn't until February.

I completed my chemo the middle of September. The neuropathy did seem to improve immediately after the treatments ended. But, I'm now having more problems with the neuropathy. My legs just don't operate right..they feel heavy and don't always move like I think they should. Weakness of my legs are a problem and my balance is off. I'm really "stiff" after sitting for 20-30 mins. Just curious to see if you guys think it's normal?

Again, many thanks.

Char

Comments

  • KierstenRx
    KierstenRx Member Posts: 249
    #2
    Hi Char,
    Good luck with your appointment tomorrow. I'm sure all will be well. What is normal anyway??? I did the exact same thing after completing my chemo. I never had any problems with my legs or feet until about 3 weeks after finishing chemo. I couldn't walk with a normal stride. Would get off balance and couldn't walk a straight line to save my life. I also had numbness, tingling, and burning in my feet and hands. A friend of mine described the feeling as having tight rubber gloves on. My oncologist said my nerves were a sleep. My question was when are they going to wake up???? Well it's been about 4 and 1/2 months and it is slowly getting better. Some days are better than others. I found that keeping my feet warm (wear socks all the time) has helped. Also I started wearing Earth shoes. They have a negative heel and took the pressure off the balls of my feet. My oncologist said that it greatly lessen in about 6 months, but I will probably always be able to notice it.
    You take care and know that you are always in my prayers.

    Kiersten
  • vinny3
    vinny3 Member Posts: 928 Member
    #3
    I too found that the neuropathy seemed to get more noticeable about 3 months after completing chemo. I found that Vit B6 helped. When I stopped it for a trip, 9 months after chemo, the neuropathy got worse again. It does eventually get more tolerable but hasn't disappeared completely, 12 months after stopping chemo.

    ****
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #4
    I agree with ****....vitamin B6. 2 plus years after chemo, I have NO neuropathy left AT ALL...but, of course, I drank GALLONS of water during treatments....helped, I'm sure.....and after the first 6 months, I could tell when I was lagging in my hydration because small reoccurances would happen....

    Hugs, Kathi
  • MoonDragon
    MoonDragon Member Posts: 183
    #5
    Hi Char!
    Welcome to our group! I'm new too and am in pretty much the same place you are. I met with my radiologist yesterday and had the CT scan and marks put on my backside. I'll have the tatoos done on Monday.
    One thing I've done that has REALLY helped me a lot is to keep a daily journal. I keep it to mostly one-liner facts such as what I had for my meals how my bowel movements were what doctors I spoke with that day and when my appointments are. This way if you're having trouble with say constipation, you can look back and notice what you at and make changes if necessary. This also helps to track your good days and bad days and see the differences and what happened on each day. I've been able to tweak my recovery based on my journal and it's been wonderful. The back of my journal I keep a running list of questions for my doctors and the answers to them right below. This has also helped me keep things straight. My memory since surgery seems to have been removed with my tumor! :) I also have a separate journal for my feelings. I can look back and see how scared I was at the beginning to how I feel now and I feel like I've made progress. I keep the two journals separate so that I don't get my facts tangled up with too much writing and make it hard to figure what's what.
    Hope this helps!

    Jorie
  • MoonDragon
    MoonDragon Member Posts: 183
    #6
    Hi Char!
    Welcome to our group! I'm new too and am in pretty much the same place you are. I met with my radiologist yesterday and had the CT scan and marks put on my backside. I'll have the tatoos done on Monday.
    One thing I've done that has REALLY helped me a lot is to keep a daily journal. I keep it to mostly one-liner facts such as what I had for my meals how my bowel movements were what doctors I spoke with that day and when my appointments are. This way if you're having trouble with say constipation, you can look back and notice what you at and make changes if necessary. This also helps to track your good days and bad days and see the differences and what happened on each day. I've been able to tweak my recovery based on my journal and it's been wonderful. The back of my journal I keep a running list of questions for my doctors and the answers to them right below. This has also helped me keep things straight. My memory since surgery seems to have been removed with my tumor! :) I also have a separate journal for my feelings. I can look back and see how scared I was at the beginning to how I feel now and I feel like I've made progress. I keep the two journals separate so that I don't get my facts tangled up with too much writing and make it hard to figure what's what.
    Hope this helps!

    Jorie
  • claud1951
    claud1951 Member Posts: 424 Member
    #7
    Hi Char,
    I am 1 month past chemo! Went to my Onc just yesterday and I don't see him again until 3 months.

    My legs hurts, too. I'm just waiting for it to go away. I need to start exercising again and hopefully that will help.

    Just wanted to let you know that mine hurt to and hope that your's will go away like mine will!

    It's great to be off Chemo, isn't it?

    Claudia

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