Already a member? Sign in
What - Inspire is a place where you can connect with people who share your health concerns and find information and advice in groups sponsored by organizations you know and trust.
Why - As a member you can use Inspire to let friends and family know how you're doing, contact others who share your health concerns, receive personalized updates and information about participating in surveys and clinical trials, and more.
How - Joining Inspire is completely free and usually takes less than a minute. Join now!
After 8 months of stomach trouble, I have found out that I have neuropathy of the esophagus, stomach & bowel, thanks to chemo. Does anyone else deal with this? I started Reglan last week and it seems to be working. I pray that this is the answer. It's much easier to take a pill than to go through all the other 'junk' we all go through. Thanks for listening.
Cancer Surgery Esophageal cancer Velcade Alprazolam Paraplatin Chemotherapy Thalidomide Carboplatin Docetaxel Paclitaxel Stress Reglan Taxol Hysterectomy Advil Taxotere Constipation Weakness Pain Memory Lyrica Thalomid
There are three major groups of nerves in the human body.
1. The peripheral nerves that carry information to and from the limbs.
2. The nerves that supply the bowels and other internal organs.
3. The nerves of the head which connect to the ears, eyes, taste buds, etc.
Nerves in any or all of these major groups can be affected by certain chemotherapy drugs.
Nerves are vulnerable to many kinds of damage. They can be damaged by certain cancers. This may be caused by the cancer cells producing a particular kind of biological agent that interferes with the function of the nerves.
Sometimes, they can be damaged by drugs used in chemotherapy treatment. The chemotherapy drugs that most likely cause nerve damage are the vinca alkaloids, platinum drugs and the taxanes. These drugs have the potential of interfering with nerve function.
You may notice symptoms in different areas of your body depending on which groups of nerves are affected.
Symptoms in the hands and feet happen when peripheral nerve damage happens. The first sign of nerve damage is usually a feeling of tingling and numbness like what you experience when your foot goes to sleep after you've been sitting for a long time in an uncomfortable position.
If the problem progresses further, it often produces weakness of the muscles, resulting in loss of strength at the wrist or the ankle. You will notice difficulty in doing up buttons and picking up coins. You may notice that you will tend to trip while walking up stairs or dragging your feet and tend to have a wide-based gait. In severe cases, the weakness may be so severe that you will need a wheelchair.
When the nerves in the bowel are affected, constipation is the earliest sign. In a few people, the abdomen becomes bloated with a distended bowel that is basically paralyzed.
Some of the nerves in the head can also be affected. Platinum drugs can affect the auditory nerve and cause loss of hearing and tinnitus(ringing in the ears). Vision can very occasionally be affected.
A lot depends on how quickly your cancer treatment can be stopped. Sometimes the need for treatment is more urgent then the residual nerve damage. Sometimes, the balance between benefit from the drug and the side effect of nerve damage is more finely balanced.
Once treatment has been stopped, recovery is usually slow. It may take months to get even partial improvement and often there will be some residual impairment, either a motor weakness or a sensory numbness or both. Recovery is slower in the feet and legs than in the hands and arms.
There is no specific treatment that enhances nerve recovery. There are no drugs that will directly stimulate nerve regeneration or recovery. If you have severe and prolonged pain, then the pain may require narcotics often combined with antidepressants. In some cases, certain types of anticonvulsants would be helpful.
Treatment options are subjects that you should discuss with your doctor, so you have accurate expectations of potential benefits and side effects.
Chemotherapy drugs that can cause neuropathy. NCI lists these as most likely to do so:
Cisplatinum (Platinol)
Carboplatin (Paraplatin)
Vincristine (Oncovin)
Vinblastine (Velban)
Etoposide/VP-16 (VePesid)
Cytarabine (Cytosar, Ara-C)
Hexamethylmelamine (Hexalen)
Suramin
Paclitaxel (Taxol) and Docetaxel (Taxotere)
Other medications reported to contribute to neuropathy include oxaliplatin (Eloxatin), gemcitibine (Gemzar) and thalidomide (Thalomid).
Thank you for responding and for the info. It's very helpful. God bless you.
Hi Jackie,
I pray the new meds help you. I'm just sorry to hear that you have neuropathy in these areas. We normally only hear or talk about it in the limbs. Gpawelski gave us all some good information. I have read some of his other post too and appreciate what he has provided us with. Prayers are with you Jackie. Take care.
Blessings,
Joy
I was lucky my neoropathy time was short, every once in a while my feet tingle and hurt, but I try to blow it off and move on without meds, the enurotin and lyrica were good but always made me go night-night.
Good luck and keep the faith!
Linda
Thank you for the prayers and encouragement!
I suffer from neuropathy of my wrist and hands. It has been several years since I had full Chemo, only about one year since the Retuxin maintenance. My symptoms mostly effect my hands. I have numbness (not constant), and difficulty writing or picking up coins, buttoning things and using a knife when cooking. There seems to be a general weakness of the hands. My hands get tired easily, and will sometimes tremble when trying to pick up small objects. Wonder if this is part of it? I have had it checked by a Neuro guy who says chemo doesn't cause this. He says it is just Carpel Tunnel. I wonder. While the numbness isn't constant, the difficulty I have with my hands is constant.
Brigid. Perhaps you would want to see a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist instead of a Neuologist for neuropathy. Neurologists are almost the same as oncologists when it comes to these things.
What symptoms were you having to find out that you have neuropathy in the stomach? I have severe stomach pains and have had lot of test on my stomach and all my test comes out negative. I do have neuropathy in my hands and feet which I know is coming from the chemo (Velcade).
WOW, I didn't realize that when we get chemo, and I know it's poison, can affect soo many things, and I guess from what I am reading, years down the road. I have been suffering with weight gain, IBS, recently extreme pain in my neck and shoulders, and it has been 2 years since I had chemo. I am glad I got to read this info, and thanks so much for putting it on Team Inspire. I am on soo many different drugs for different things, I get soo down about it, but you try to make yourself healthy, so you can function you take one drug and it messes up something else, it's soo frustrating, Happy Memorial Day guys, and again thanks for this posting! Hummer
Thank you ALL for the info on Neuropathy. I also have tingling of my feet and hands. Not too bad. Treatment for Hodgkins was having chemo for six months. and followed by radiation of my lower pelvis area(where cancer was indicated). I have had pain in upper legs and buttock area. My oncologists has referred me to a neurologist. I am in remission at this time. I try not to stress around my blood tests time. Can you believe my "hiney" feels numb. I do have some problems with balance when walking. Does anyone have this problem? Blessings. Katie
i have it in my hands and feet chemo is the gift that keeps on giving. my feet are colder now thanin the winter it goes up into my knees, my left knee is off so i use a cane on occasions. but this to will pass just keep on trucking. i have my friend work on it and it clears out the gunk each time i go through a clearing out its getting better natural healing is a wonderfulthing
Bertkaty I also have severe neuropathy both hands and feet from Taxol and Taxotere (i took both due to reaction to Taxol). I have been out of treatment since Dec 06 but it actually seems to be getting worse and onc has referred me to Neurologist next month if I don't like his suggestions I will try Physical Medicine as gpawelski suggested. I have severe balance problems already have one knee surgery and have fallen twice since then so actually waste of time. Now suffer pain and swelling in both knees and torn tendon in wrist all due to falling. I also sleep with heating pad for pain in foot but still wake up 2-3 times a night in pain although Advil PM does help.In the hands I have cut myself so much my husband doesn't like me using a knife so does all the cutting and alot of the cooking plus working fulltime. Last week while shaving I cut my leg by the ankle vein and did not realize it until saw the water turning red.So this is definitely a problem but hope everyone else's improves over time I'm just glad I survived chemo and still able to enjoy life as we all have our burdens to bear. Memory loss is another burden but a story for another time.
God Bless
Cindy Bear
Hi Journey,
Sorry I didn't reply sooner, but my computer has been down for about 3 weeks.
The symptoms I was having with the neuropathy of the digestive system was severe stomach pains (thought I was having a baby, but at 60 and after a hysterectomy, I knew that wasn't the problem). Lost about 18 lbs., which was ok, but I couldn't eat anything, which wasn't good. I have both constipation and very loose bowels. After many tests and doctors, my oncologist gave me a prescription that they give to patients with this problem (Reglan) and it worked. The relief from the pain was so good. I hope this is what you were asking. Would love to hear how you are doing. Stay strong, Jackie
I still have a little tingling in the feet and hands sometimes, neck pain too, but I am glad to be alive, a little neurotin every once in a while, a little wine and some margaritas and as far as the "hiney" with no feeling, let's go dancing and shake our booties, which I almost do weekly, BECAUSE I AM A CANCER SURVIVOR AND HAVE BEEN FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS,
Keep the faith and I love everyone
Hugs
Linda
Hello. After reading your post I decided to write on behalf of my father. He is a Esophageal Cancer survivor, whom I believe is suffering terribly from Neuropathy of the stomach, bowels, intestines, etc. How are you doing on the Reglan and do you have any advice? His pain is very severe and seems to occur after eating. Is that the pattern you have found?
Can you give us any advice?
Much appreciated,
Jennifer in CT
Hi Jennifer,
Sorry my reply has taken so long, but I've had computer trouble.
I had severe pain (thought I was having labor pains, the pain was so bad). The reglan has helped me greatly. I take one in the morning and one in the evening.
I had tried an anti-spasmodic medicine before the reglan and that helped with the spasms but did nothing for the other problems (bowel, etc).
I would recommend your dad to try it. Let me know how thinks go. Take care, Jackie
Hi,
Thank you all for this discussion and especially to Dr Pawelski. I finally have a name for my "condition" (besides Ovarian III-c plus). I kept thinking it was the tumors pressing on the stomach for who I couldn't eat or drink more than a few mouthfuls! I also started on Reglan and it was helped altho is making me terribly weak/ fatigued. I'm showing this to my Oncologist and
Hospice team.
Georgi
Georgi
I'm sorry. I do not have a prefix to my name and I have never presented myself with one. A scientific communication should be judged on the quality of its content and only secondarily, or not at all, on the qualifications of its author.
I want to tell you that you are not alone. I have post chemo symptoms, most notably complete numbness in my feet coupled with shooting pains in my toes. The pains are slowly disappearing, but my feet are still numb and swollen. I have also had bowel problems since chemo - I go the other way. I eat something and I am in the bathroom 15 minutes later eliminating anything I have eaten. I am told this should go away over time. I also have a racing heart since chemo - alprazolam seems to help. Palpitations are worst during nighttime.
Hang in there. We are all here to help, if we can. From what I have read, certain dugs used in chemo can have long lasting effects on your body long after chemo ends. While I am unhappy with the side effects, I keep reminding myself how very ill I was with the symptoms of n on Hodgkins Lymphoma - I literally couldn't take care of myself for a while. I slept for four months being totally physically drained. I would rather be alive with numb feet than suffer the symptoms of Lymphoma again.
Add to the discussion