Can We Talk Neuropathy?

I suffer from chemo induced neuropathy in my hands and my feet. My hands are not to bad, sensitive fingertips and pain only when I hit something hard with my fingers. My feet are a different matter. The ball of my foot is almost constantly tingly, my toes are sometimes like that but often numb feeling, my heels are occasionally tingly. And on this trip, add a bout of plantar fasciatis, in my left heel. Put these together and I am frustrated by it being sometimes painful, always uncomfortable to walk. And, what do you do when you are on vacation in Stiges, Barcelona, Paris? Walk.
I am upping my intake of ibuprophen and thinking of picking up a cane at the Chinese store. The ibu should help reduce inflamation and the can will take pressure off of my heel. This morning coming down stairs I stepped a bit to the side on my left foot and a sharp pain shot from my heel up my leg and into my calf. Not fun. I also read that I can get a heel cup of some sort. I'll have to track that down. The neuropathy numbness and tingling I just have to continue to live with. When I see Melody and she uses the Ondamed I do get neuropathy relief. I'll be back in Chicago in June.

And Now On A Serious Note

In 2010 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and went through chemo. You can read all about it in the beginning of this blog or by going to my original blog. It is now just over five years from my original diagnosis and I no longer have Hodgkin's. I do have a form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma but it is slow growing and, though a concern, not a major concern. Regular oncologist visits with blood work and occasional CTs keep me informed as to where I stand.

This evening I was reading some of a friend's cancer blog and ran across his post treatment "Chemo Survival Tips." I had not read Bev's tips before but they are spot on. His chemo cocktail was similar to mine and his experiences were similar - but not the same. I suspect that everyone does not react to chemo in the same way. Bottom line, his tips if they were available to me when I went through chemo would have made my experience easier. I found that providers don't prepare us enough and sometimes do not fully understand what we are going through. Find and use every available resource to help you through - and those of us who have been there are important resources.

You might wonder why I was reading Bev's blog and his tips. I have Adult Attention Deficit Disorder and I never know where I will end up when I am online. Tonight it was to Bev's blog.

Also, you may wonder why I am in Spain for about six weeks this year. It is because my wife, Sharon, is a saint and knows that since chemo I do not do well with cold - temperature regulation is a continuing problem. She felt that time in a warm climate and in the sun when it is still cold in Chicago would be good for me. So here I am.

 

Cataract Surgery

I just got back from a visit with my opthamologist. Her first question was "Are you ready for surgery now?" I think I am, because three years after chemo the cataracts are not getting too much worse but they are bothering me. Thank you steroids! NOT.

I am bummed about the whole thing. First, that I did not have cataracts before chemo. Second that because of chemo I have cataracts. Third, I need cataract surgery. And fourth, I have to go without contact lenses for at least two weeks before they can do some measurements on my eyes. I am thinking that the last of these, two weeks or more with glasses is the worst. I feel my vision is best with contacts and I am uncomfortable out of the house with glasses. The doc checked my vision and I am legal to drive with my glasses, but still legal to drive and comfortable and confident to drive are different.

On the positive side, when the surgery is complete it is quite possible that I will only need glasses for reading. Because I have worn glasses for 64 years and contacts for 50 years, this will be life changing.

But, there are risks. I have short eye balls. This increases the risk of hemmorage and blindness as a result of the surgery. Research is in order.

I am drinking bourbon to help digest and cope with the situation.

Two blog posts in one day may allow me to keep up with January's good start.

 

Neuropathy Update

Happy Left-Handers Day!

Neuropathy. The worst bane of my recovery from chemo. I felt that my recovery from neuropathy had hit a wall. My fingers continued to hurt every time I touched something and were sometimes numb, sometime tingly and my feet gave me a combination of numbness and pain. The combination of pain and numbness in my feet makes it sometimes both painful and difficult to walk. The combination in my hands made it difficult to pick up things and made it impossible to play the ukulele!

In July I finally did something about it. I have been seeing a Naturopath since about mid June. She has recommended exercises, which I am not following as I should (surprise), a couple of supplements that I am taking, and she has a machine, an Ondamed, which I am thinking is magical. I don't know quite how it works but it does work. Example - when I first visited Melody she was in the process of using this machine and my left hand began to cramp. I have been having cramps in both hands for quite a while and they have become worse and more frequent. Melody pointed what I call her magic wand at my left hand and the cramping eased. She used the wand on both hands and the cramping which had been a problem multiple times a day is now almost gone. I now have minor cramps less than once a week. The fingers of my left hand, while still experiencing some tingling, are no longer painful and I have been playing the ukulele almost daily since these treatments began. The fingertips of my right hand are still tender and a little painful but not as much. My feet are much improved and I have been feeling all of my toes and the numbness in the balls of my feet is slowly going away. I even walked barefoot in my driveway and in grass recently. Bottom line, I've seen progress since seeing a Naturopath.

Melody did try a couple of new things on me last week - a toxin cleansing foot bath and a vibrating platform. While I felt better immediately after our session I lost ground within hours. I will not do either of those treatments in the future. If you are in the western suburbs of Chicago and having no luck with traditional medicine for a number of issues, go visit Melody Hart! You will not be sorry you did. I do not pretend to understand what she is doing but it is working and I trust her.

Sharon has noticed an improvement in my energy level and my walking - and she also notices immediately when my feet are hurting. Interestingly when my feet hurt, my knees and eventually hips hurt also as I try to compensate. We were able to make a trip to Ann Arbor recently to visit Audra. Sharon thought my being willing to make the trip was a positive step! We had a great time.

My feet!