Completed chemo + radiation: What can I do to relieve side effects?

Posted by tymish17 @tymish17, May 26, 2023

I completed the 4 cycles of chemotherapy (etoposide and carboplatin) and 33 radiation treatments for my limited Small Cell Ca of left lung . Completed treatment 9/26/23. When do the side effects of treatment resolve??? My peripheral neuropathy is 10x worse than prior to treatment. Certain food smells nauseate me. My legs are weak,my balance is terrible. What can I do to help relieve these side effect??? It seems. the treatment is just as bad as the disease!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Lung Cancer Support Group.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jun 6, 2023

@tymish17, I'm sorry that you are still dealing with long-term side effects of treatment. I'm tagging other members like @nvmoen @lady1lake @popkorhn who have experience with carboplatin and etoposide chemotherapy with/without radiation.

You mention that the peripheral neuropathy is particularly bad. You might appreciate this related discussion:
- Need hope: Neuropathy from chemo https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/needshope/

Have you considered working with a physical therapist to get tips on balance exercises to help? How are you doing with figuring out which foods to avoid (hopefully temporarily)?