how long for neuropathy

[jjlist]

my last oxi infusiion was 10/29/10. my neuropathy was pretty bad by then, and after a month it got even worse. I thought it was easing up just a little, but the last couple of days it got worse. my ONC said it will be 18 months till i know what is left of it.
how about you?

[CRguy]

I am detoxing from Nov 2/ 2010...and things are gradually improving. My guy said at least 6 months ... with up to 2 years possible, so I am not holding my breath.

Oxi neuro...the price of admission.
Nuking cancer...PRICELESS !

Stayin' strong on the Journey
CRguy

[wombat]

Finished up Oxi on 12/7/10. Neuropathy showed up in my feet *after* stopping the oxi. The numbness in my fingertips, which was never severe, just "there", is just now starting to go away, but it's still fairly pronounced in my feet. It's nothing that effects my daily activities, just feels like I'm wearing numbness slippers every morning. Slowly getting better, but I've been told it could be a few more months (and up to two years).

Doug

[cashmere]

I finished my chemo on April 4, 2008. The neuropathy peaked in June of that year and was very bad in hands and feet for about a year with slight improvement. 3 years out it has improved to the point of being just annoying. I still take 75 mgs of Lyrica daily. The specialist I see said he sees CIPN improve from 3 to 5 years out.

[Surroundedbylove]

I finished chemo in September 2009 - the neuropathy wasn't too bad at the end but it really set in about a month or two later. I took gabapentin for the pain for about a year and then found I was able to taper off the gabapentin. I still have some residual neuropathy but it is more annoying that debilitating.

[nicola smith]

For me, the neuropathy started in late July 2010. I finished chemo in October 2010. The worst neuropathy started in about November. It was Grade 2 neuropathy in the feet (going as far up as the mid-calf) and in the first two joints of the fingers. The right foot and hand are worse than the left ones (go figure). Now the neuropathy in the hands is diminishing somewhat (probably down to Grade 1) but nothing has changed in the feet/calves. I was taking 300 mg gabapentin 3x daily which helped but switched to one at night because (a) I was putting on too much weight and (b) it's worse at night, especially in the feet.

My neuropathy occurs when I apply pressure...like in the normal daily activities of walking, keyboarding, buttoning etc. It goes away completely when swimming. It's worse when I am cold.

Crossing fingers that time will ease this for us all.

[Terry]

I finished oxi in September I think. The neuropathy got a little worse after. I notice it more when the days are colder, luckily I only have it in my toes and it feels like I have cotton balls stuffed between my toes (like for painting your nails) most of the time. Every once in a while, when it's cold, I get these little "zings" of nerve pain. I'm sure glad that's not constant because it does hurt. I've heard it can take quite a while to really know what your going to be left with.

Like CRguy said:

Oxi neuro...the price of admission.
Nuking cancer...PRICELESS !

[MarkS.]

I finished up at the end of January 2011 and never had a problem during treatment, but definitely am feeling the tingling and numbness in all my fingertips and toes. It's not debilitating, but just a weird feeling. I still manage to workout and stuff so I guess I'm fine for now, but I hope it doesn't get too much worse. I just keep telling myself that each day that passes is another day that it will hopefully get incrementally better.

[RayGirl]

Mine started after round 9, when I realize I could no longer help get Barbie dressed anymore. It really peaked in January two months after the end of oxi. My onc said that 95% of patients regain feeling within a year but he refused to tell me if I was in the 95% or 5% group...

Now I only feel it in my feet when I first wake up, but once I start getting things moving the tingling goes away. I still don't have a lot of sensitivity in my fingertips. Typing is an adventure, I can't feel that little raised dot on the F and J keys, so I sometimes type a whole lot of gibberish when my fingers are shifted over. The ergonomic split keyboard at work helps keep me in position better. Other things I'm learning to do with out the sense of touch, like tieing apron behind me, fastening bra hooks, etc... It's amazing how much we use that sense, I keep wondering if one of my other senses will be heighten since this sense is down.

[helen098]

The onc and neurologist told me for most people it goes away within two years
Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones

If you read my posts you will see I am one of the unlucky ones 4 years and 4 months after my last oxi I still have real bad pain..but I found a pain management doc and am using a cream and taking methadone and feel better than I have in years

As my pain management doc says never give up

I like crguys motto maybe we could make tee shirts with his saying

Like CRguy said:


Oxi neuro...the price of admission.
Nuking cancer...PRICELESS !

[John72]

The sensations in my fingers and feet always went away 6-7 days after my IV Oxi.

I finished the last of my IV treatments over a month ago, and finished Xeloda a week and a half ago.

Got one the treadmill for 25 minutes Sunday and Monday, and yesterday walked to an from work(mile each way). And now my fingers and feet are kinda going crazy...like not untolerable, but just odd tingly feelings.

[chrissyrice]

Same as everyone above --- but the neuropathy was gone almost exactly 12 months after start of chemo Oxi.

I just waited it out and decided for me that I would not take the Lyrica... as I was already on Cymbalta and it did help.

yes, the neuropathy was miserable and I had it in my back nerves too.

[pollo65]

I had my original 12 rounds of folfox in 09, my neuropathy started to subside after a year. The numbness and tingling in my feet never went away completely and 14 months later I was back on folfox and neuropathy increased once again. My onc has taken me off for a couple of rounds to see if it helps. Wore Crocs throughout winter because the little nubs help orient my feet where they are being planted.
pollo65

[BrownBagger]

I had mild neuropathy, but it lingered for about 6 months and some new symptoms even popped up during that time, specifically, numb soles of my feet. But it was all gone after 6 months--except for the chills, which I still get periodically and blame on the oxi. It took about a year for my sex drive to return, however.

One bright note is that my bald spot re-grew hair during chemo.

[dianetavegia]

I still have neuropathy in my feet and fingertips and I completed chemo in Aug. 09. My fingertips tingle ever so slightly. My feet feel like I'm walking in wet sand. It's much worse when I wear sandals or am barefoot. There's a T section on the bottom of my feet that is VERY tingly all the time. I would not even consider the meds and chose to let it become my new normal.