Oh it’s a thorough pain - in the feet and in the neck. I had the same fear - here I am trying to get rid of cancer and I am going to end up in a wheelchair!! First off, I didn’t - end up in a wheelchair, I mean. And I am now seven years with no evidence of disease. I don’t know how much the latter is due to Taxol. My PN was, I think, fairly severe - loss of sensation in some parts, bizarre sensations in others but the major problem was pain, particularly in my toes. Anyone stood on my toes and I screamed! Not good in trams! My oncologist was keen for me to complete the course, was happy with eleven doses and would have settled for ten. Discovering a lump under my other arm (benign, totally unrelated) made me decide that I wanted to do all if I could. I started taking Vitamin B and the deterioration halted. It may have done so without the Vitamin B, no way of knowing. The pain ended. Seven years on I still have funny feet. No pain but sensations are simply garbled. Sometimes I feel like I’m walking on hard, ridged sand, sometimes like on a mattress, sometimes pretty normal. At the speed of a glacier, they are still improving but there is an impact. I go to the gym/Pilates/yoga/etc but I don’t run - I can mentally counteract the odd sensations at a walking speed but not faster! I am 74 and have never been a runner so it’s no big deal. Most symptoms do abate after treatment stops but it can take some time and may vary depending on severity. My PN came on fast and hard, so taking a week or so off sounds like a good idea, if only to reassure you that it will improve when you stop. If another chemo is considered the better way, then worth checking side effects too! I don’t want to sound like a Pollyanna, but if anyone had sat me down and talked about side effects I actually got in detail (as distinct from sound information about what I might get, our survival instinct is good at saying it won’t happen to us!) I’d probably have had serious doubts about treatment. So I am sort of glad I didn’t - because I am here, I am well, I live a busy and full, normal life. And I just might not have had that if I had been scared off. Best wishes whatever you decide.
