numb hands and feet

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dmj101
dmj101 Member Posts: 527 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1
If they had told me that my hands and feet would go numb to the point of discomfort.. I would nwever have taken the oxcaliplatin.. I have to use a computer and type for a living and this is totally disheartening.. you know the doctor could have cut this off prior to it getting this bad.. I am furious.. they way it will go away in time.. just hope before I loose my job or have to quit because i can't do my job.. if I loowse4s my job I will be on the street suffering far worse.. I am so angry.. this side effect got worse as the drug was cut back at the 9th and 10th treatment. .. I cannot believe the extent od this side effect was never really explained...
I will not take this again.. I would rather die than have this effect..

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  • karen40
    karen40 Member Posts: 211 Member
    #2
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    Neuropathy
    I can relate. I'm having a hard time with my neuropathy,as well. I find myself contemplating whether or not I should have done my last and final infusion. I feel,it did me in. Well, what's done is done. My onc. doesn't believe that any of the supplements out there can help. He just stressed that I keep my hands and feet warm and in time the feeling should come back. Sorry,I wish I had more to offer you.
    Good Luck,
    Karen
  • Kenny H.
    Kenny H. Member Posts: 502 Member
    #3
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    karen40 said:

    Neuropathy
    I can relate. I'm having a hard time with my neuropathy,as well. I find myself contemplating whether or not I should have done my last and final infusion. I feel,it did me in. Well, what's done is done. My onc. doesn't believe that any of the supplements out there can help. He just stressed that I keep my hands and feet warm and in time the feeling should come back. Sorry,I wish I had more to offer you.
    Good Luck,
    Karen

    In the same boat.
    Had my
    In the same boat.
    Had my last treatment in early april (5fu) & still no feeling in hands/feet.
    But no pain & have been dealing with it. Hard to do alot of small tasks. Hope the numbness will go away soon.
  • steveandnat
    steveandnat Member Posts: 886
    #4
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    Terrible
    The pain and discomfort is really horrible. My feet and legs are the worse..there are times it is really hard to stand and the burning sensation is really bad. At night it takes a long time to get to sleep because of my feet. I do have a compound that my onc prescribed that helps a little. I have been getting treatment since June 09 non stop so I'm sure my feeling will never come back. Hang in there though there are enough reasons to keep going! Pray for a cure!!
    Jeff
  • TMac52
    TMac52 Member Posts: 352
    #5
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    steveandnat said:

    Terrible
    The pain and discomfort is really horrible. My feet and legs are the worse..there are times it is really hard to stand and the burning sensation is really bad. At night it takes a long time to get to sleep because of my feet. I do have a compound that my onc prescribed that helps a little. I have been getting treatment since June 09 non stop so I'm sure my feeling will never come back. Hang in there though there are enough reasons to keep going! Pray for a cure!!
    Jeff

    I hear ya DMJ
    I had 6 treatments of folfox post op. Then the onc stoped the oxy I continued the 5fu for another 4 treatments. That was 7 months ago whn it was finally over. Now my feet hurt so bad I wear slippers the second half of my work day. I tried nurontin didnt work now im on lyrica that doesnt seem to be doing anything. My hands are fine but the feet are so painful. When is it going to stop? I hope you (and I get some releif soon).
    Tom
  • relaxoutdoors08
    relaxoutdoors08 Member Posts: 521 Member
    #6
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    Gets Worse before it gets better
    I finished Folfox April, 2011. For two months I had difficulty walking with numb and burning sensations in feet and numbness in hands and fingers. Six months out it started to get better and now each day my hands and feet feel better. I notice that I must wear warm socks and gloves to prevent the numbness but the burning sensation is just in my big toes and a little in the ball of my left foot.

    Hope you too find that it gets better. My oncologist said there is nothing except time to help with the healing. I think that TAi Chi does help with balance and has made a difference in my hands and feet.
    NB
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #7
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    Numbness
    I'm sorry you are experiencing this. When asing my doctor about this particular side effect from this drug she said it wouild be a minor nuisance. Well this is no minor nuisance. I've been experencing this since ending chemo two years ago. Although my feet and hands did get somewhat better, they still burn and hurt. While typing I miss so many letters because the pressure isn't in my fingers anymore. We live in MI and when the weather gets cold for me it gets worse. Try Vitamin b6, and also she put me on some prescription that helps somewhat (not much), but something is better than nothing. It might get better in time and most people do so keep your chin up. Good luck.

    Kim
  • Daffodil324
    Daffodil324 Member Posts: 59
    #8
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    numbness
    I finished 12 Folfox treatments in April 2010. When I finished treatment the ends of my fingers, my toes, and the pad of my foot behind the toes were all numb. Now, a year and a half later, my fingers are just about back to normal and my feet are much better, though still with some numbness. I always keep my feet warm with socks, slippers, etc. and that seems to help. I hadn't stopped to think about my fingers recently, and after reading your message I was very aware of them as I was typing and doing other things. I was pleasantly surprised to realize that they had improved so much that they're almost back to where they were before. So for me at least a lot of the numbness did subside with time.

    I really hope that with time your hands and feet will feel better also.
  • janie1
    janie1 Member Posts: 753 Member
    #9
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    Daffodil324 said:

    numbness
    I finished 12 Folfox treatments in April 2010. When I finished treatment the ends of my fingers, my toes, and the pad of my foot behind the toes were all numb. Now, a year and a half later, my fingers are just about back to normal and my feet are much better, though still with some numbness. I always keep my feet warm with socks, slippers, etc. and that seems to help. I hadn't stopped to think about my fingers recently, and after reading your message I was very aware of them as I was typing and doing other things. I was pleasantly surprised to realize that they had improved so much that they're almost back to where they were before. So for me at least a lot of the numbness did subside with time.

    I really hope that with time your hands and feet will feel better also.

    I plan to try accupuncture
    I plan to try accupuncture in a couple of weeks (several times, maybe). I read about it helping neuropathy, i think on Sloan-Kettering's site. Seems like most people's neuropathy does get some better in time, by reading about it here (i don't mean with accupuncture), but in general, with time.

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