“Burning” feet

It never occurred to me that my recent achilles trouble would be connected to 4y of letrozole. And possibly an earlier episode of wrist pain playing table tennis. Not had either before and went to physio for diagnosis and treatment. My feet feel like inflexible blocks of wood every morning. I have symptoms of plantar fasciatus from time to time. My ankles are tender, my heels were incredibly tender. My reading online and on this site suggest my discomforts are another side effect of letrozole. Calf raise exercises have helped. Ibuprofen gel does not seem to make much difference. Heat packs when I remember do help temporarily. Wedge (low) heels definitely help. I am now avoiding bare feet for too long, also flat shoes as much as possible (abandoned my ecco sandals) and have a tennis ball handy to roll under both feet, but sometimes agony to roll under the actual heel. There are some research articles on link between AIs and tendinopathies. I have temporarily (hope not permanently) stopped playing table tennis which I love. And walking is quite painful if too fast or too far. Walking on an inclined treadmill I think set off the acute achilles and heel pain. I feel from my reading that changing to a different AI will not help. I have not had an AI "holiday" as yet. I will be asking my GP about this side effect next week. I do not see oncologist for a few months. No medical person or allied health person had made the link between AIs and tendon problem. But I will certainly ask them. 

I ended up getting some subsided visits to a podiatrist through my GP.. I, too, was at my wit's end though thankfully not reduced to using a walker. I've got tender feet, achilles tendonitis, plantar fascia issues, numb toes, myalgia in my legs...blah, blah blah.
The podiatrist, predictably, wanted to sell me orthotics. I succumbed and that was a waste of $180, though I had to try. Then she taped my ankles and half way up my legs. That helped, but then I got a reaction to the tape. Ive paid for massages, bought reflexology balls and tried aaseries of stretches (worthwhile)

The thing that has given me some relief putting my feet on one of those circulation boosters. That in itself can be a bit painful but if you tinker with the settings it does seem to help. You can't use them if you have clotting issues but it is something you can try while sitting at your desk working so it doesn't take up extra time. It might be an idea to see if you can borrow one to try. I still hobble like an old crone when I get up in the morning or get out of the car, but it's made sitting at the computer more bearable.

@Barks34. My oncologist told me to be very careful NOT to use anything with topical anaesthetic on your feet, even though they are painful. You need to be aware of stepping on sharp objects, etc. 

Hi there @Barks34...I can't tell you what will work for you, but I can share what has helped me. Aside from bad peripheral neuropathy in my hands and feet, (if I can't see my feet, I don't know where they are...now use a wheeled walker for safety), I also have scleroderma which has obliterated the very small blood vessels in my body. It affects my hands and feet with them having a poor blood supply and I also get Reynaud's (google it). To top it off, I've been on high levels of blood thinners (warfarin) for over twenty years and bruise at the drop of a hat. All this whinging to explain me and my feet. After taxol, aside from the poor circulation and Reynaud's, I now had the neuropathy to deal with. My feet were initially totally numb, with skin numbness reaching to the level of long socks up my shins. At the same time, they were very painful and itched and burned. When walking, it felt like I was walking in a cobbled road or a pebbly beach. So the numbness was surface and the pain was deeper in the tissues. I found that warm water soaks and also wheat bags in the bed helped, but this was in the middle of winter, so probably not an option now for you. My severe bruising on my feet from even wearing lace up padded runners was terrible. The entire tops of my feet and the sides was black and blue. I ended up having to wear those very light,(I think they call them reef sandals), from Kmart men's section. They have velcro fastenings and are extremely light, soft soled and flexible. Wore them with socks in the winter....very flash!!!. Pain tablets, patches etc did nothing, just added to my risk of a fall, so I stopped them. So at the end of it what helped for me was warmth, and very unfashionable footwear and time. The neuropathy has improved somewhat to a lesser degree of numbness at skin level. and less of the stones under my feet as well. If I didn't have the other problems, they would probably be quite alright...not perfect, but okay.

@Barks34 
Crumbs 800k round trip is enough to wear anyone out just on a shopping trip let alone treatment!  
My feet were burning, spasmodically and as time has passed, touch wood, that too has settled!
I hope for your sake that it is an aftermath of treatment that will subside in time
Take care

Copy and paste from the net - interested in the apple cider vinegar one, wonder what that does as they say it is good for the gut, my chooks and now it seems for my feet!!

It’s a bit hard to “ do what your body allows” when there are work and family commitments. I am not wealthy so staying home all day with feet up getting fat is not an option. I have already had a lot of time off due to surgery and treatment, having to travel 800 kms round trip to do so doesn’t help.  “Stress less” I may if I wasn’t in constant pain and could get some relief. 

Hello Primek, I am not diabectic (my GP did the blood tests) and my rheumatologist arranged for an ultra-sound and x-rays which showed nothing. My skin is ok - there are no symptoms other than seriously tender feet when they are required to bear weight.

Soaking feet in an epsoms salts bucket helps. Avoid having feet in the sunlight and only walk outside of solar intensity on walks. My feet are so tender I can get blisters both on my heels and under my feet after a few kms. I get around it by not wearing shoes and limiting my walks to beach sand only. Just do what your body allows and try not to stress.

I also wake up with burning feet from time to time, it’s very unpleasant. Haven’t worked out what causes it or how to get rid of it. So interested in this topic. 

@"Beryl C." I'm curious if you have diabetes also?. There is a rare condition that can occur in the bones of the feet that is difficult to detect in the early stages that can present as you describe.