I'm not sure which one to blame? Father has had both drugs during 2 chemo regimes. Finished last treatment 2 weeks ago. States that for about the last month his hands and feet are tingly. To the extent that they hurt. Has anyone experienced this?


VickieM

My friend had Cisplatin and also experiencd this.It was in his legs & feet. Especially his feet, they felt like they were asleep????Very tingly. I did read somewhere on line that it is a side effect of cisplatin. It was shortly after treatment ended. I hope this helps! God bless.Maureen:)

I have a friend who is a year out from breast cancer and she sent me an article on something called neuropathy. It sounds like what you describe. I understand that it can cause numbness, tingling and even paralysis. You should check with the doc.

Basically it is when the nerves that go to organs, tissue and muscle are damaged from chemotherapy. In some cases it can be severe. My friend can't feel anything in the tips of her fingers and she has bad problems with her legs.

She gave me this warning because her doc told her that she should have told him about the symptoms sooner. The docs can do things to help with this problem. I am no doc but I would recommend that you do some research and have a conversation with the doc.

Hope this helps.

Cindy

Hi VickieM, when I finished my chemo-radiation treatment, all my limbs were perfectly all right. However, 2 months later, my left hand and leg started feeling tingly as if there were some ants were crawling on them. I told my oncologist who tested the strength of my hand in holding things. He didn't see any problem with it and said it was a side effect of treatment. Nothing could be done to get rid of this tingly feeling. I tried acupuncture for half a year but there was no obvious improvement. Only the left limbs are affected since I received more dosage of radiation to the left tonsil and lymph nodes. I am over 3 years post treatment now and the tingly feeling is still with me but if I am occupied with work or my attention is drawn to something interesting, the tingly feeling is not there. A side effect I can quite easily cope with.

Karen.

VickieM, I had two doses of Cisplatin, then switched to Carboplatin, and for about a year I kept feeling like there was sand in my socks. That eventually went away, and I understand that I was fortunate in that regard. And yes, the terminology is neuropathy. Do consult with the doc!

Because it hasn't been mentioned for some time, remember that anyone taking Cisplatin who notices any change at all in his/her hearing, should tell the doc right away. For a very small percentage of people, Cisplatin can result in total deafness. That is why I was switched to Carboplatin and now my hearing is just fine.

I found the email from my friend and I am cutting and pasting the article she sent me. It is fairly short.

Hope this is helpful.

Cindy


What is peripheral neuropathy?*
Peripheral neuropathy is a term used to describe sick or injured nerves.
The word peripheral means away from the center. In this case, it means
the nerves that connect the central nervous system (brain and spinal
cord) to the muscles, skin, and internal organs.

*What causes peripheral neuropathy?*
Many diseases and conditions can cause nerve damage. The common causes
are diabetes, alcoholism, vitamin deficiencies, HIV infection, and
cancer. In persons with cancer, radiation treatments, chemotherapy or
the cancer can be the cause of the nerve damage. This article is written
primarily for persons who have developed peripheral neuropathy in the
setting of cancer.

*How will I know if I have peripheral neuropathy?*
Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy depend on the type of nerve(s)
affected and where the nerve is located in the body. More than one type
of nerve can be damaged.

If nerves to the skin are affected:

* Numbness and tingling (pins and needle feeling)
* A feeling you are wearing an invisible glove or sock
* Extreme sensitivity to touch
* Burning feeling in toes or fingers
* Freezing feeling in toes or fingers
* Can

Cindy,
That is a very useful and interesting post. Thank you.

Take care,
Eileen

VickiM, I had 3 treatments of cisplatin and had the tingly, cold feeling in my left foot. The three toes in the middle to be exact. After a year, it has pretty much gone away. The feeling has returned and the cold feeling is no more. Hope your father has the same experience.