Tell him to be on his toes and monitor them (toes, and fingers too.) Many of the chemo agents (Cisplatin, carboplatin, taxol, taxetere, Xeloda (pill form of 5FU), to name just the ones I experienced) will take a toll on the nerves.

Any numbness tingling, or just plain unusual feelings in the toes or finger tips should be reported to your MO ASAP! That means the you are experiencing neuropathy (death of nerve cells) that can be permanent.

I've got a bad case of it in my toes because they only warned me about numbness or tingling, and that's not what I experienced, my warning (which I ignored, thinking it was bad fitting new shoes) was just a strangeness, sort of like I had a wrinkle or a twig in the bottom of my socks.

I got some in my fingers too, but caught it early and only have a small amount of numbness in my finger tips. Papers slip away if I don't watch it and concentrate on holding tight.

This neuropathy is what is happening when tinitus is experienced; the tiny hairs in the inner ear are being killed, and this is usually permanent. I personally have lost about 50 of my hearing, concentrated mostly in the upper registers. When I reported it, they changed chemo agents and life went on, but the loss stopped.

On the other hand, I've always seen these side-effects as just something of a distraction. Before I'd allow them to change chemo agents, I always asked if the switch would compromise the treatment and reduce the efficacy of the treatment; because if it would, I'd accept the neuropathy as the price of the best shot at survival, and well worth the price.

Good luck to you both!