Hi everyone,I was diagnosed with Her2 positive BC in April. I have been having AC dose dense chemo for the past six weeks (3 x 2 weeks) and have my last one on Thursday. I've tolerated it well which I credit partly to walking every day, between 30-40km a week. I start Paclitaxel chemo 12 x weekly two weeks later and I have been reading about Taxol based chemos being very likely to cause neuropathy. I'm keen to do as much as I can to avoid this. Online there are some new studies showing cold gloves and booties reduce these effects. I can see that it is commonly discussed on the UK forums.Has anyone used cold therapy while having chemo? I know that there is much discussion and use of cold capping but I can't see anything on the forums about using it to prevent neuropathy. (I considered cold capping but was told by my oncologist it didn't work well with AC.)The gloves and ice packs that are recommended (Elastogel, Chillpain) all seem to be made and sold in the US and not here, and they cost so much after the exchange rate, taxes and postage. I was wondering if there were any local alternatives people knew about, or if they had made their own alternatives, frozen peas, ice trays or ice packs?Thanks

Hi @poodlejules,Fantastic information, thank you :) That's very encouraging. I like your homemade hacks!You were obviously committed and I'm so glad to hear your efforts paid off. I'm very encouraged that you ended up with no neuropathy.Fascinating too to hear you succeeded despite minimal support from the hospital. It is obviously easier to go with the flow, so good for you. I think it will be more common in the future, as the studies say it works. I'm just surprised that it doesn't get more exposure when cold capping is now so well known. Hair will grow back but neuropathy can be permanent.I will now persevere even if they don't have experience safe in the knowledge that it will one day be common practice.And I have a port so that won't be an issue.I'll make sure I use this week's chemo to sort things out in advance.Thanks for your message.Susie x

Hi @SabbraThat's great, I'm glad the information helped you. I have ordered gloves and socks too. That's a great price. Mine were a bit more because I got them separately. I'm a bit scared about the cold!I'm nearly at the end of my AC chemo journey so message me if you have any questions. The injection and chemo make you constipated so I take coloxyl tablets for the first few days, and I read that Claratyne can help stop the bone pain that can come from the second day injection, so I take that too.TMI lol?Susie

My Chemo was 4xdose dense AC followed by 4xdose dense Taxol (all fortnightly), last one was eight days ago. I have lost four toenails, the neuropathy is definitely worse on my feet than my hands, the tingling and numbness tends to be worse at night. I was offered gloves at the hospital which I didn’t take, but not socks, Tbh after cold capping for two sessions then giving up I didn’t want anything else cold, especially as my Taxol infusions took 3 1/2 hours. The neuropathy started for me as soon as the Taxol did, I spoke to my oncologist about it as I saw him between cycles but it was never bad enough to delay Chemo for (I have Inflammatory Breast Cancer so I am very keen for no delays). Hope what you have bought helps.

Jenny @jennyss what a great homemade hack! Great you could show us pictures of it. Very resourceful. Thanks so much for sharing your experience x

Hi @strongtogether,I would definitely recommend the socks with some extra ice packs around them - they last well, the full hour and a half with the extra ice packs to keep them cold. I rest my feet on the esky I take. The gloves lose the cold quite quickly and are very expensive. I think you could save money and not get them. I use them and then add ice gel packs inside and then use the medium bodichek gel packs on their own, gripping them so they cover both sides of my fingertips especially. I have a photo of this I think, I'll see if I can find it to post. Its great you are going to help out with this because its a bit of a two person job.I would invest in the Bodicheck small and medium icepacks and the socks personally. Ebay and Ubuy are the sites to find the socks, see above.I take an esky with a range of gel icepacks and use most of them by the end of the session. Feel free to contact me directly if you want more info.@Afraser just from reading forums here and overseas, I think that neuropathy from Paclitaxel and Doxacetal is actually a big problem and affects a lot of people permanently or for years, like you, and also that many people lose their nails and have ongoing problems with them, but that its not spoken of as most people are sent off from treatment with the promise it is going to improve and by the time they realise it isn't that isn't recorded.

Anyone tried Cold Therapy to prevent neuropathy in Taxol Chemo

82 Replies

Mazbeth
Member
5 years ago
Great idea @shs14 - I found all of this information so helpful and the best part is I don’t have any ongoing effects from the chemo - don’t start me on the daily tablet! I wish I could find some solutions to those side effects 🥴
Love the pic @Locksley, it helps so much to see what the actual set up looks like. I used the same sock set up and also buried my feet in ice packs as well.
shs14
Member
5 years ago
@Locksley thanks for your inspiring pic! <3 I had occasional pins and needles on the tops of my fingers for 6-9 months after but it’s all gone now.
Locksley
Member
5 years ago
Hi, I did try icing for a fair amount of the 12 taxol sessions. I had to stop on my feet as my big toe nails lifted. My hands I was able to do for most of the sessions. I have a little pins and needles in my nails now I have finished and some in my toes. I can only imagine this would have been 10 times worse for me if I didnt do the ice therapy. I got the jugs from the $2 shop and was gifted the socks and ice packs. I returned the socks and icepacks when I had finished with them. The staff were very helpful in getting my ice. I have attached not a very glamorous photo.
Abbydog
Member
5 years ago
Not everyone gets Peripheral Neuropathy. I didn't, I was lucky. There is no way of telling who gets it and who doesn't.
But I'm sure that it couldn't hurt to try, some of these suggestions.
shs14
Member
5 years ago
Bumping this for @Tasia and for anyone going else going into Taxol chemo or part way through and having adverse effects, Lots of us have had good results with Cold therapy.
shs14
Member
6 years ago
Bumping this thread for anyone new starting Paclitaxel.
Mazbeth
Member
6 years ago
Hey @Caz1 if only! I am in quite a newish and small treatment centre and I am sure everyone is wondering what I am doing when they hear the ice cubes clinking. 😂
Caz1
Member
6 years ago
Hi @Mazbeth, the nurses used to to me “ yay: the champers has arrived!” when I turned up with my esky :D
Mazbeth
Member
6 years ago
@shs14 I am spreading the word to my friends who are also doing treatment. I took your advice and also use the gloves at the hospital. Thank you again for providing such good information you have definitely helped me. Thank you also for keeping this discussion near the top for those of us who are starting treatment.
I hope you are doing well. Take care x
shs14
Member
6 years ago
Hi @Mazbeth,
Hooray! So glad to hear the information helped you.
I ended up using latex gloves nicked from the cubicle and a tupperware container of ice from home along with the ice socks which are great. I love your margaritas line, wish I'd thought of that lol.
Good luck with treatment. I did end up with a tiny bit of pn on the tips of my fingers but that was from one session where my fingers didn't stay cold, it dragged on due to a dodgy drip. So I know the cold made a difference for me.
Its all cleared up now though hankfully. Thanks for your message. xx