Hi kimmy13,
Thank you for posting.
It’s understandable that you have some questions as you near the end of your treatment for breast cancer. You may find it helpful to call our helpline to talk through these questions, we often find we can help people more by talking to them on the phone.
Numbness or tingling in the feet or hands (peripheral neuropathy) is a common side effect from chemotherapy. It happens when the peripheral nerves (nerves close to the surface of the skin) are damaged. For some people, symptoms are mild and go away soon after treatment stops. For most, symptoms will gradually improve over the weeks and months after the treatment has finished.
For others, the symptoms persist and may not disappear completely. Occasionally, neuropathy can get worse after treatment has stopped. You may find the numbness in your toes begins to improve once you finish your herceptin and pertuzumab (perjeta) infusions but it may take some time for it to feel better. Do talk to your treatment team or breast care nurse about this so they can support you. You may also find our Facebook Live about peripheral neuropathy has some useful tips to help manage the numbness you have.
Many people ask about the best diet to follow after having breast cancer treatment. While there is no special diet that has been shown to be of benefit, a healthy balanced diet alongside some physical activity is usually recommended. You mention having lost weight after radiotherapy, our information about gaining weight after treatment may be helpful, and our diet and breast cancer booklet also has some information about this. Your breast care nurse may also be able to refer you to a dietician for support.
Many people ask about vitamin and herb supplements as they want to do as much as possible to be healthy. There is often the belief that vitamins and herbs are safe as they are considered natural.
There is much we don’t know about supplements and herbal remedies. For many products there is a lack of research to support their use, and some can interfere with conventional medicines including cancer treatments. Do speak to your breast care nurse, treatment team, GP, or a pharmacist before taking any new supplements.
You can search this American website, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, for information about individual herbs and vitamins. Each has sections on existing evidence and what known interaction there is with other medications. They have information about vitamin D and omega 3.
You can also speak to a dietician on the nutrition helpline run by the World Cancer Research Fund.
We offer a range of free supportive services for anyone affected by breast cancer which may be of interest for you. You can find details about all of these services in the link. The Moving Forward courses may be of particular interest for you at this time.
As mentioned above, please do call our helpline if you would like to talk this through or have any further questions. The helpline team have time to listen, talk things through and signpost you to more support and information if necessary. Your call will be confidential, and the number is free from UK landlines and all mobile networks. The number is 0808 800 6000. If you have hearing or speech difficulties prefix our number with 18001 and the call will go through Relay UK. Our helpline has access to telephone interpreters if language translation is required.
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Best wishes
Cassie
Breast Care Nurse
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