how long does neuropathy last after last treatment?

lesvanb
lesvanb Member Posts: 905
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hello folks

I currently amd 5 weeks out form my last chemo (5FU, oxali, leukovorin) and have neuropathy on the soles of my feet (pins and needles sensation-no pain or numbness though there are strange sensations). It interferes a bit with balance and flexibility though yoga and foor strengthening and stretching helps the balance. My doctor said (right after the oxaliplatin vendors came calling) that it would not be permanent unless I had an underlying medical condition (sarcasm-like cancer?). Anyway, what do you all know about this?

Leslie

Comments

  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #2
    Good One
    Loved the sarcasm. Do you know what sarchasm is? It the amount of space between the person who made the sarcastic remark and the one who did not get it...

    Well, it varies I imagine but I never had intense neuropathology but I have/had it in my hands and feet slightly after 5 years. It has lessened but it never went fully away. It does not interfere with guitar playing, walking, driving, or anything else. I thought I heard that vitamin B was good for it but don't quote me on that.
    -phil
  • grandma2selena
    grandma2selena Member Posts: 199
    #3
    Feet problems
    My feet drove me nuts right after treatment especially at night. It took a good month or two before I felt better. I usually took a warm relaxing bath to help relax my feet, sometimes it helped, sometimes it didn't, but I tried.

    Hang in there, this too shall pass!

    Debbie
  • taraHK
    taraHK Member Posts: 1,952 Member
    #4
    ?3-6 months
    My neuropathy went away completely (well, let's say 98%). I'm not sure exactly how long it took. (Hey, what ever happened to that funny feeling I used to have??). It was less than a year and longer than a few weeks. I'm guessing 3-6 months. My fingers recovered quickly, my feet took longer. I took B6 during treatment but I don't remember carrying on with that after treatment....Might have.

    Good luck to you!

    Tara
  • shoppergal
    shoppergal Member Posts: 118
    #5
    Neuropathy
    The end of this month will be a year that I finished chemo and I still have neuropathy in my hand and feet. When it first started I was taking B6 and Glutamine but after trying that for several months it wasn't helping. Then my onc gave me Gabapentin, 300mg 3x a day. It didn't seem to help so after a few months I stopped taking them. After being off of them for about a week, the neuropathy got worse again. Since then I have been taking them every day.

    My onc tells me it could last for a year or possibly two. Many people tell me that it sometimes doesn't go away completely but most have it more in their feet than their hands.

    Wendy
  • Kathleen808
    Kathleen808 Member Posts: 2,342 Member
    #6
    neuropathy
    Hi Leslie,
    I see that someone else mentioned B-12. Dr. Lenz has **** on B-6 and B-12 to help with neuropathy. He's on 300 mg of B-6 and 1000mcg B12 (he takes the type the dissolves under the tongue for better absorption.) He has had 7 out of 12 treatments and some neuropathy, definitely the sensitivity to drinking cold. He's had some tingling and pain but he really pushes himself through it with yoga, running and surfing. I know these things help his spirit too.
    Aloha,
    Kathleen
  • Buzzard
    Buzzard Member Posts: 3,043 Member
    #7
    Kathleen808 said:

    neuropathy
    Hi Leslie,
    I see that someone else mentioned B-12. Dr. Lenz has **** on B-6 and B-12 to help with neuropathy. He's on 300 mg of B-6 and 1000mcg B12 (he takes the type the dissolves under the tongue for better absorption.) He has had 7 out of 12 treatments and some neuropathy, definitely the sensitivity to drinking cold. He's had some tingling and pain but he really pushes himself through it with yoga, running and surfing. I know these things help his spirit too.
    Aloha,
    Kathleen

    Tingling.......
    Finished mine in I think April and I still have tingling in my fingertips and my toes and pads of my feet are pretty numb. Trouble when I sit for a while then try to get up and walk..I think though its better than the alternative.......
  • dixchi
    dixchi Member Posts: 431
    #8
    Buzzard said:

    Tingling.......
    Finished mine in I think April and I still have tingling in my fingertips and my toes and pads of my feet are pretty numb. Trouble when I sit for a while then try to get up and walk..I think though its better than the alternative.......

    Beachy Feel
    Finished my chemo in December and have it in tips
    of my fingers and my toes......feels like I am
    walking on a sandy beach......feel it most at night
    after a lot of activity during the day.....my GP
    suggested B6 but it does not seem to be helping....
    onc suggested Gabapentin which I may go to next....
    but so far it is tolerable....I also seem to be
    more achy all over at times....think that may
    be arthritis in shoulders, I already know, but
    think it may also be in my hip....notice more
    pain after walking, gardening....I take an
    ibuprofin and so far that helps....think Cheryl
    may have said her arthritis seems worse now than
    before....anyway, as Buzzard says, it is much
    better than the alternative :)

    Barbara
  • califsue
    califsue Member Posts: 80
    #9
    dixchi said:

    Beachy Feel
    Finished my chemo in December and have it in tips
    of my fingers and my toes......feels like I am
    walking on a sandy beach......feel it most at night
    after a lot of activity during the day.....my GP
    suggested B6 but it does not seem to be helping....
    onc suggested Gabapentin which I may go to next....
    but so far it is tolerable....I also seem to be
    more achy all over at times....think that may
    be arthritis in shoulders, I already know, but
    think it may also be in my hip....notice more
    pain after walking, gardening....I take an
    ibuprofin and so far that helps....think Cheryl
    may have said her arthritis seems worse now than
    before....anyway, as Buzzard says, it is much
    better than the alternative :)

    Barbara

    14 months and counting
    My oncologist says that oxaliplatin induced neuropathy can last up to 18 months post treatment, or in some it can be permanent. I'm 14 months post treatment and I still have it pretty bad in my feet. Although the numbness has worn off some, I still can't do balance poses in yoga or wear shoes without backs (they slip off without my knowing it). Night time is the worse. If I've walked a lot that day, my feet ache and tingle to the point that I have to put cold packs on them before I can go to sleep. Each one of us is different, I hope that yours resolves faster than mine. Oh yeah, I tried glutamine, B6, B12, gabapentin.......

    Someone on another board said that Reiki therapy helped her along with toe exercises that she had adapted from finger exercises for playing the piano.

    Best of luck....as Buzzard says, it is much better than the alternative.

    Susan
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #10
    Magnesium Sulfate
    Hi, I was doing Oxaliplatin, Avastin, and Xeloda and had bad neuropathy in my feet more than my hands. The Oxy gave me real sensitivity to cold where I had to have gloves on to touch cold or frozen objects. Just running your hand under cool water would just make you hit the roof. Another bad side effect was for about 7 days after each treatment, I could not drink anything cold as it hurt my throat really bad - had to drink at room temperature only.

    As my treatment progressed, they introduced Magnesium Sulfate. This lessened my side effects from the chemo meds signifigantly and I was even able to drink cold drinks again.

    Xeloda hurt my feet real bad and made them crack and split open and they would peel like onions. We found a product called Bag Balm, which is an udder creatm that has good emollient properties that keep your feet moist, which helps.

    I've been off treatment for about 8 months and mostly have recovered. They told me it could be permanent but might not be. I was fortunate that it eased up.

    I'm 5-years into my fight now.

    Hope this helps. Craig
  • lesvanb
    lesvanb Member Posts: 905
    #11
    Thanks for all the replies
    I too have been doing B12 sublingual, B6, glutamine, calcium and magnesium before and after infusion. the neuropathy is bothersome but nor debilitating, thank goodness, though stiffness and some numbness a bit of a proble. Also seemed to get worse after my last treatment now 6 weeks. And yes! I agree better than the alternative :-). Foot exercise and stretching seem to help along with massage. My acupuncturist also uses moxibustion. All help temporarily so hopefully will diminish over time. thanks again!'

    Leslie

Discussion Boards