1. < Cancer: Managing Symptoms

Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy: What helps get rid of it?

Posted by taxlady @taxlady, Jan 31, 2023

I finished chemo April of 2022
I have neuropathy in my fingers and feet. It doesn’t seem to be going away. What are treatments I can do to help get rid of it.

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nauden | @nauden | Mar 21, 2023

Be sure to talk to your oncologist about Curcumin. My oncologist doesn’t want me using it right now because of negative interaction with temozolomide chemo I’m on.

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2 replies
erichendrix | @erichendrix | Mar 20, 2023

I found that cold aggravates the numbness and hypersensitivity in my feet and that using toasty warm Epsom salt foot baths for a half hour in the evening provides an hour or so of relief. Also, I started using toe warmers. They are thin, adhesive backed pads you apply to the outside of your socks. They are air activated (I believe oxygen is the catalyst), and the brand I have are made by Sport Temp. They provide gentle heat for up to ten hours. I put them on about 1:00pm and remove them before turning in for the evening.

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erichendrix | @erichendrix | Mar 7, 2023
In reply to @erichendrix "I have been to two pain clinics. The first one had a big sign at the..." + (show)
@erichendrix

I have been to two pain clinics. The first one had a big sign at the front desk that read “We do not prescribe narcotics”. What? Oh, I remember! We’re in the throes of the greatest opioid crisis in history. Looks like I picked a bad time to get neuropathy. Prescribed a higher dose of Pregabalin, which my GP prescribed earlier. No help. How about this - the nurse from a neurology clinic I was at called me the day before my appointment to tell me that “we do not prescribe narcotics so do you still want to keep your appointment?” What? The last pain clinic where I was seen did start a trial treatment plan with Dilaudid, but, as I found out, much to my dismay, times have changed. Their protocol is that (for every appointment) I had to submit a urine sample and sign off on their drug screen paperwork to get a one month prescription refill, which the doctor canceled at my followup appointment, because he concluded I was not making enough progress to the goals he asked me to provide during my initial appointment. He did, however, succeed in making me feel like a criminal for suggesting a narcotic. Guilty ‘til proven innocent, if that’s even possible. Not sure who actually runs the clinic, the doctor or his lawyer. They got this narcotic thing locked down so hard and the bar set so high, I’m not sure how anybody qualifies for a prescription anymore. But, not to worry – he got his $600 for eight minutes of his time as he showed me the door, sending me home with nothing. Started medical marijuana the next day.

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For the neuropathy in my hands, I found that wearing comfortably loose soft leather gloves, (I'm using dress, not work gloves), somehow provides immediate relief. Not sure how it works but I wonder if it may be as simple as the gloves insulating my hands from even slight air movement (I have hypersensitivity). The gloves also keep my hands warm which I find soothing.

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dablues | @dablues | Mar 7, 2023
In reply to @erichendrix "I have been to two pain clinics. The first one had a big sign at the..." + (show)
@erichendrix

I have been to two pain clinics. The first one had a big sign at the front desk that read “We do not prescribe narcotics”. What? Oh, I remember! We’re in the throes of the greatest opioid crisis in history. Looks like I picked a bad time to get neuropathy. Prescribed a higher dose of Pregabalin, which my GP prescribed earlier. No help. How about this - the nurse from a neurology clinic I was at called me the day before my appointment to tell me that “we do not prescribe narcotics so do you still want to keep your appointment?” What? The last pain clinic where I was seen did start a trial treatment plan with Dilaudid, but, as I found out, much to my dismay, times have changed. Their protocol is that (for every appointment) I had to submit a urine sample and sign off on their drug screen paperwork to get a one month prescription refill, which the doctor canceled at my followup appointment, because he concluded I was not making enough progress to the goals he asked me to provide during my initial appointment. He did, however, succeed in making me feel like a criminal for suggesting a narcotic. Guilty ‘til proven innocent, if that’s even possible. Not sure who actually runs the clinic, the doctor or his lawyer. They got this narcotic thing locked down so hard and the bar set so high, I’m not sure how anybody qualifies for a prescription anymore. But, not to worry – he got his $600 for eight minutes of his time as he showed me the door, sending me home with nothing. Started medical marijuana the next day.

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No one will want to hear this but as for me I am totally do not like the medical field any longer as to me it is a game with them and they don't really have a clue what is wrong and the diagnosis I think are just guessing. Mystery illnesses they don't know how to fix.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Mar 7, 2023
In reply to @susan159 "Does anybody have any suggestions about how to stop chemo caused neuropathy? My neuropathy wasn't too..." + (show)
@susan159

Does anybody have any suggestions about how to stop chemo caused neuropathy? My neuropathy wasn't too bad until AFTER my Dr. stopped the Oxaliplatin infusions. About a month later the numbness/tingling came on like gang busters and it has been with me for 3 or 4 months now. I walk, massage, my hands and feet, do finger exercises but nothing seems to be slowing it down. I had my vitimin D and B12 levels checked (D was fine B12 was very high). I am desperate to get rid of this; not only because it's so annoying, but if I can get rid of it maybe I can go back on the Oxaliplatin which was working well to shrink my tumors. (New drug is not shrinking them and they may be growing). Does anybody know of anything I cam try? I was told that if it doesn't go away in a year, it's never going away. So I want to do everything that I can to help the recovery from neuropathy along. Thanks.

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Hi @susan159, this must be disappointing. You probably thought you were out of the woods during treatment and getting neuropathy. Unfortunately neuropathy can sometimes appear as a late term side effect after treatment. It can take a while to see improvement and sometimes the neuropathy doesn't go away completely.

To help you discover what others are doing, I moved your message to this existing discussion:
– Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy: What helps get rid of it?https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chemotherapy-induced-neuropathy/

Like @nbkod7b mentioned, there is an entire support group dedicated to Neuropathy here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/neuropathy/

You may also be interested in these discussions:
– Chemo-related Neuropathy https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/1st-time-at-mayo-for-neuropathy/
– Need hope: Neuropathy from chemo https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/needshope/

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nrocpop | @nrocpop | Mar 7, 2023
In reply to @susan159 "Thanks so much for your kind reply. Mine also seems to fluctuate which gives me hope..." + (show)
@susan159

Thanks so much for your kind reply. Mine also seems to fluctuate which gives me hope that it can improve. The fact that your husband has made it 2 years out from chemo also gives me a little hope. If I can keep kickin' for 2 more years I will try to just be grateful and live happily with this nuisance.

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One more thing. I don’t know if you are on curative or palliative chemo. My mother had a different type of cancer, had palliative chemo and also had some neuropathy. If you are in that situation, I want to encourage you that my mom was very glad she got the palliative chemo and we, her family, treasured the extra time we had with her. I will be praying for you.

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nrocpop | @nrocpop | Mar 7, 2023
In reply to @susan159 "Thanks so much for your kind reply. Mine also seems to fluctuate which gives me hope..." + (show)
@susan159

Thanks so much for your kind reply. Mine also seems to fluctuate which gives me hope that it can improve. The fact that your husband has made it 2 years out from chemo also gives me a little hope. If I can keep kickin' for 2 more years I will try to just be grateful and live happily with this nuisance.

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I don’t know what kind of cancer or the specific treatment you have had but my husband has grastric adenosquamous carcinoma. That is a tough diagnosis. If he can keep going for two years, I have great hopes that you can too. Never give up hope of small, slow improvements in your neuropathy. He is not all the way back, but I do agree with him that I see gradual improvement. There have been times that he has been very down and discouraged, but overall he is glad he has undertaken the very aggressive treatment plan to prolong his life. If I can answer any other questions for you, I will answer or ask my husband for you

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susan159 | @susan159 | Mar 6, 2023
In reply to @susan159 "Does anybody have any suggestions about how to stop chemo caused neuropathy? My neuropathy wasn't too..." + (show)
@susan159

Does anybody have any suggestions about how to stop chemo caused neuropathy? My neuropathy wasn't too bad until AFTER my Dr. stopped the Oxaliplatin infusions. About a month later the numbness/tingling came on like gang busters and it has been with me for 3 or 4 months now. I walk, massage, my hands and feet, do finger exercises but nothing seems to be slowing it down. I had my vitimin D and B12 levels checked (D was fine B12 was very high). I am desperate to get rid of this; not only because it's so annoying, but if I can get rid of it maybe I can go back on the Oxaliplatin which was working well to shrink my tumors. (New drug is not shrinking them and they may be growing). Does anybody know of anything I cam try? I was told that if it doesn't go away in a year, it's never going away. So I want to do everything that I can to help the recovery from neuropathy along. Thanks.

Jump to this post

Thanks so much for your kind reply. Mine also seems to fluctuate which gives me hope that it can improve. The fact that your husband has made it 2 years out from chemo also gives me a little hope. If I can keep kickin' for 2 more years I will try to just be grateful and live happily with this nuisance.

REPLY
2 replies
nrocpop | @nrocpop | Mar 6, 2023
In reply to @susan159 "Does anybody have any suggestions about how to stop chemo caused neuropathy? My neuropathy wasn't too..." + (show)
@susan159

Does anybody have any suggestions about how to stop chemo caused neuropathy? My neuropathy wasn't too bad until AFTER my Dr. stopped the Oxaliplatin infusions. About a month later the numbness/tingling came on like gang busters and it has been with me for 3 or 4 months now. I walk, massage, my hands and feet, do finger exercises but nothing seems to be slowing it down. I had my vitimin D and B12 levels checked (D was fine B12 was very high). I am desperate to get rid of this; not only because it's so annoying, but if I can get rid of it maybe I can go back on the Oxaliplatin which was working well to shrink my tumors. (New drug is not shrinking them and they may be growing). Does anybody know of anything I cam try? I was told that if it doesn't go away in a year, it's never going away. So I want to do everything that I can to help the recovery from neuropathy along. Thanks.

Jump to this post

My husband has exactly this experience. His neuropathy definitely got worse after the oxaliplatin was stopped. They do recommend that he keep his B12 levels up and take B6 daily. They told him that it could take a long time to help. I don’t know how long.

His personal experience is that he does notice some small improvement. It is going on two years since his chemo and he says he is finding it easier to write now. He did have a lot of trouble with that. He says that both his hands and his feet have better and worse days. He says that he finds that keeping active seems to make them somewhat better.

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