Its been over a year/ my last chemo treatment. Im finding it hard to just get up after I have been sitting awhile, my feet feel like they are asleep but it does go away when I start walking around, is this common?
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Q: Tingling or pain when i get up, in the feet 1 year after chemo
Answers (3)
3/20/09 8:44pm
Yes, Deborah, unfortunately this is quite common. Please read our piece on peripheral neuropathy (the official name for "tingling toes"), just posted by our expert patient Phyllis Johnson a couple of weeks ago. Hope this fades away for you soon... PJH
3/21/09 1:15am
Hi Deborah,
PJ is right. I still experience neuropathy and I'm two years out of treatment. It is not as bad as it used to be, but it is still there. I also have the need to flex my hands and feet. They feel a bit numb. This is perfectly normal...it gets better with time, but it is part of the after effects of chemo.
7/ 7/11 8:27pm
Hello Deborah,
It has been more than 2 years since your last post. Are you fully recovered from it? I was diagnosed with BC stage 2B. It has been almost 3 months after my ECF chemo. Radiation was just done with a week ago. I have been experiencing the same like you - tingling fingers and toes, back pain, arm, pains and I was hard to get up from the sitting and lying position, but it does go away after walking a bit. My oncologist has no answer on that but ordered a whole body bone scan for me to do next week. Would like to hear from you and other experts.
7/ 8/11 12:33am
Thank you Phyllis for your response and suggestions. To compare with other cancer patients treated with every 3 weeks ECF regimen (75%), besides the first 5-7 days of the usual side effects from the chemo, I got medical menopause after my 3rd cycle, hot flashes and narrowed throat after the 5th cycle and back pain two weeks after the 6 cycle and followed by hands and feet tingling (thought was carpal tunnel syndrome), joint pains when changing the positions. Out of many problems, the hot flashes are the most unbearable one. To wake up every hour, I can hardly sleep at night. I thought ECF regimen is not as toxic as ACT. Phyllis, have you seen any case like this? I am through with my chemo 3 months ago and radiation a week ago. Radiation doctor said it's nothing to do with his treatment and my oncologist said the side effects that I'm having were not observed clinically.
7/ 8/11 8:06am
ECF usually is considered less toxic than ACT, but any chemo can put you into medical menopause. Depending on your age, your periods may return; however, if your tumor is ER positive, the doctor will want to reduce the estrogen and may want to keep you menopausal. Your doctors are correct that your bone issues and tingling are not common side effects of the chemo you had; however, sometimes doctors are not up on the less common side effects. My oncologist sent me to a dermatologist for skin problem. The dermatologist took one look and said, "Are you on Adrimyacin?" I thought it strange that the dermatologist recognized my symptoms are a chemo side effect when the oncologist hadn't, but it was a rare side effect.
The bone scan will show arthritis, cancer in the bone, and other bone problems. Then you will have an idea of where to go from here. The tingling often goes away on its own, but there are medicines that can help if it doesn't. Probably most of the side effect will gradually get better, so hang on.
7/ 8/11 8:09am
I should have also mentioned HealthCentral's menopause site as a place to get some practical tips for coping with the hot flashes.
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CC, The best way to get in touch with Deborah would be to click on her name and send her a private message since it has been so long since her last post. Tingling fingers and toes are more commonly a side effect of taxane chemos than ECF. The other pains are not typical chemo or radiation side effects either. The bone scan will give your doctors some clues about what is going on. It may not be cancer-related at all. I hope you soon find out what is causing the problem.