Neuropathy - ever go away completely?

[Stacy]

I know there are a few threads out there already about neuropathy, but I was wondering if anyone had it in their feet and it went away completely? My husband Perry had 4XEP and finished on 11/12/05. He still has neuropathy mostly in his feet and he cant stand or walk for extended periods of time. He's starting to get depressed that this will never go away entirely and he wont be able to do that much where walking is concerned. Ive read about the new drug, but was wondering if it just doesn't go away by itself in time. Thanks everyone!

Stacy

[amorgan74]

Stacy, Sorry to hear about this with Perry, Wesley finished his chemo in July and his neuropathy is minor compared to what you are talking about. We were told that it can take months for the nerve endings that are causing the problem to repair themselves. The onc did say that for most people it did get better with time but they also gave him a med for it to start taking to see if it helps. We have one of those foot baths too that have the massage and heat in it. He really liked that when he first started using it. In fact he would come in from work, which the concrete floors didn't help, and set on the sofa and fall asleep with his feet in the water. You may want to try that or a pair of those foot massagers that can be plugged in and you slip your feet into. I hope this gets better for him soon. April

[Stacy]

Thanks April, the foot massager is a good idea and hey, I can use it too!!! We'll give it a try.

[amorgan74]

That's what I thought too. I knew I would use it when he didn't. Our 8 year old even likes it, he just splashes too much in the water so I have to watch him. April

[Stacy]

HA! I have a four year old and I KNOW there's going to be a major flood!!!!

[Don]

Hi Stacy,

The new drug you are reading about I assume is Lyrica.. I have been taking it for about 7 weeks with minimal results to this piont. I would say my condition has improved buy 10-15% but many others have had more favorable results than I so it might be worth a try... The depression of this condition not getting better is also weighing on me more and more as time goes buy (13 months post salvage chemo).... All we can do is just continue to hope it corrects itself ... I have Neuropathy in both feet ,8 fingers, left calf and thigh and a bit in my left upper arm.. I have tried Neurontin, amitriptilyne, nortriptolyne, keppra and now Lyrica.. The lyrica is the only one that has had any affect at all....I have lots of info if you need it ... Take Care!!!!! DON

[rlhawk]

Stacy: Did Perry have neuropathy during treatment or did it start afterward? I had a bit of it on the tips of my fingers during chemo, but didn't feel it in my feet until about two months after treatment ended. Sometimes it's quite bad, sometimes it's barely noticeable.

[jim]

I also have really bad neuropathy from 4xEP. It stated about 1.5 months after chemo. I had no effects during chemo. I am now 5 months out of chemo and the situation seems to have stabilized. Lyrica has really helped me with the tingling that I get in hands and feet when I do any kind of stretch (like to reach for something). I would say its about 75% better. I take 225mg/day.

I would also recommend going to see an good podiatrist for an orthotic. I could barely walk more than 5 minutes before I got an orthotic for my shoes. Now it takes away alot of the pain and I can walk much more comfortably.

On a final note, my neurologist told me that nerve grow from the spinal cord to your hands and feet. They grow at 1 inch per month. SO if you need to regenerate nerve in your feet and they are 3 feet away from your spine then it could take 3 years for the nerves to regenerate. So we have to be patient.

Hope this helps.