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Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy: What helps get rid of it?
Cancer: Managing Symptoms | Last Active: 11 hours ago | Replies (107)Comment receiving replies
my name is Laura Henderson and I have peripheral neuropathy. I believe mine stems from chemotherapy and radiation for cancer. My left side (my hands while driving and the outer side of my left leg) was numb. I went to a neurologist for testing and sure enough my nerves were damaged. I took gabapentin for 2 years and it was no help at all. That was in 2013. In 2017 I learned I had a left bundle branch block and had to have a pacemaker/deliberator. In 2019 I lost the use of my left kidney. Now my feet are numb and it moves to different areas in my legs. Can't sleep at night for the pain and tingling. Does anyone have any idea of what I can do for help?
Replies to "my name is Laura Henderson and I have peripheral neuropathy. I believe mine stems from chemotherapy..."
If you can tolerate warm water get in a warm water therapy pool. I get tremendous relief by just walking and floating in the water at the YMCA
Hi! You have really been through a lot in addition to Peripheral neuropathy. I have not tried Scrambler therapy yet, but I am anxious for my husband to. It is a series of 10 one hour treatments that treats the receptors in your brain not to recognize the pain that is being caused by certain nerves causing the neuropathy. Look up Calmare Scrambler Therapy or Scrambler Therapy. There are support groups on line………said to help 70-80% patients and is used at the Mayo Clinic; papers written on it by doctors at Johns Hopkins hospital. It’s something to look into.
I've got peripheral neuropathy in my feet too, due to chemo. My bedside table and bathroom counter are like display cases for so many lotions, potions and creams I've tried to alleviate the pain and annoyance of neuropathy.
Here's what I have found that are most effective in providing some relief for me. And although it's temporary, it does provide some relief. When it wears off, I just apply more.
This is my greatest hits list as of right now.
Penetrex. It comes in cream and a roll on. I use both but the roll on is easy to apply.
https://www.amazon.com/Penetrex-Pain-Relief-Therapy-Experience/dp/B0026HDURA/ref
https://www.amazon.com/Pain-Relief-Roll-Penetrex-Accelerate/dp/B071NWDQQ7?ref
Wise Men Healing Balm.
https://www.amazon.com/Wise-Men-Healing-Frankincense-Essential/dp/B01BW9YW9C/ref
Frankincense & Myrrh Foot Pain Relief Cream. This comes in oil form too. It's messier but provides good relief as well. I use both.
https://www.amazon.com/Frankincense-Myrrh-Foot-Relief-Lotion/dp/B08HPGPSJX/ref
I've also a bunch of CBD balms. I've found these two from BATCH, a company in Wisconsin to be most effective. I got them both to try them out. They both work well. And, they come in roll-up container like deodorant which makes its easy to apply.
https://gethellobatch.com/collections/all/products/cbd-balm-fire-ice
https://gethellobatch.com/collections/all/products/cbd-balm
I know! So many. You should see the ones not on this list. I'm an impatient patient. I wanted to find things that worked for me. I have a saying I use a lot to help explain my manic behavior with such things: Desperate people do desperate things. When it comes to this darned neuropathy, I have been desperate to find how best to deal with it.
Check out this string of comments on Mayo Clinic Connnect for lots of good info too:
Neuropathy: What works and what are scams? ... misleading adverts and down right scams.What ... which were useless/helpful or obvious scams
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-works-and-what-are-scams/
I also did acupuncture which seemed to be somewhat effective and a physical/occupational therapy program designed for chemo patients that used a series of exercises, ultrasound and lasers. It helped some.
Still waiting for that cure all that will make all the neuropthy go away---immediately. It's that impatient patient thing.
Hope you find something that helps. SOON!
Hi,
I have polyneuropathy with numbness and tingling on my feet and legs. I use Magnalife Relaxing leg cream on my legs at night and the Magnalife Pain Relieving Foot Cream on the bottoms of my feet at night. It helps me sleep. I purchase them from IHerb - they are very inexpensive and the shipping is fast. Hope this helps!
Susan
@sh0rtie, you've received many helpful replies. I moved your question about cancer-treatment related neuropathy to this related discussion so you can read more tips shared by members:
- Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy: What helps get rid of it?https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chemotherapy-induced-neuropathy/
Not getting a good night's sleep must be hard.
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@sh0rtie
My suggestion is to do everything you can to learn about nerve health and healing. You may benefit from seeing a dietitian/nutritionist who knows about neuropathy and nutrition to heal nerves and reduce inflammation.
You can also try Acetyl l carnitine and alpha Lipoic acid supplements plus magnesium to help calm nerves. It works for me (I have small fiber neuropathy and spinal stenosis/spinal cord injury causing full body nerve sensations that disrupt sleep).
You can use neuropathy creams and lidocaine patches to help with localized nerve pain (like in feet, legs, back, etc.). Here are some of the things I have bought on Amazon that helped me. I hope you find relief soon.
Have you been to a pain management center to help you manage pain? Have you ever been prescribed Cymbalta or Lyrics for nerve pain?
https://a.co/d/hqD3VnJ
https://a.co/d/0YcSwGx
https://a.co/d/h3DTpAI
https://a.co/d/7POG60g