Peripheral neuropathy after Taxol/Kadcyla
Hi, I was diagnosed late January/early February 2022 with early triple positive left breast cancer. I haven’t posted here before because I generally bottle everything up and keep everything to myself...
Forum Discussion
Dear @Ally500
My sympathies, peripheral neuropathy can be a real stinker. I got it in both my hands (very mildly) and my feet (quite badly) while still on Taxol. I nearly stopped but finding a lump
under my ‘other’ arm made me feel I should continue! The lump was nothing of concern but like you, my feet got to the stage where I started worrying about not being able to walk. I used to sit on a tram to work with my feet so far under the seat I was nearly falling off, as anyone tramping on my toes would have elicited a shocking response. My oncologist’s nurse recommended Vitamin B - I must be honest and say I have no idea if it helped or if the improvement was entirely coincidental. The bad news is that my feet are still affected ten years on. The good news is that it impacts very little, I have no pain, just occasional discomfort. The main problem is that my screwed nerve ends send screwed messages - so I may feel I’m walking on foam rubber, sand, or mud, or gravel instead of the pavement. It only affects me (confusion can affect balance) if I move faster than I can think to just mentally override it, so no sprinting. Happily, I was never a runner. Pain is your first worry so I hope you find a solution soon. Chances are that the symptoms will lessen, most people do recover but it can take longer than you like and, by and large, is not something that patients are well prepared for.
Best wishes for some rapid improvement.
My sympathies, peripheral neuropathy can be a real stinker. I got it in both my hands (very mildly) and my feet (quite badly) while still on Taxol. I nearly stopped but finding a lump
under my ‘other’ arm made me feel I should continue! The lump was nothing of concern but like you, my feet got to the stage where I started worrying about not being able to walk. I used to sit on a tram to work with my feet so far under the seat I was nearly falling off, as anyone tramping on my toes would have elicited a shocking response. My oncologist’s nurse recommended Vitamin B - I must be honest and say I have no idea if it helped or if the improvement was entirely coincidental. The bad news is that my feet are still affected ten years on. The good news is that it impacts very little, I have no pain, just occasional discomfort. The main problem is that my screwed nerve ends send screwed messages - so I may feel I’m walking on foam rubber, sand, or mud, or gravel instead of the pavement. It only affects me (confusion can affect balance) if I move faster than I can think to just mentally override it, so no sprinting. Happily, I was never a runner. Pain is your first worry so I hope you find a solution soon. Chances are that the symptoms will lessen, most people do recover but it can take longer than you like and, by and large, is not something that patients are well prepared for.
Best wishes for some rapid improvement.