My last Chemo was 8 months ago, And I,ve had quite tender feet since especially first thing in the mornings. It feels like I,ve been dancing in stilettos all night and it usually wears off a bit after about 10 minutes.
Recently it has got worse and if I have a busy day or go shopping I really suffer for a few days. I had a girly weekend in Blackpool and I,m still hobbling four days later.
I,m not sure if the warm weather and wearing sandals and strappy shoes may be making it worse.
I have read that Chemo ( I had Fec ) can cause permanent nerve damage but I dont want to stop wearing nice shoes as I am only 40 and like to be fairly trendy.
I mentioned this to my Onc and she seemed unconcerned. Has anyone else had this problem.
I finished chemo Nov 07 and I also have very tender feet. I had some temporary nerve damage from the TAX [I had 3 FEC and 3 TAX] when my toes were completely numb but this has gone now.
I had a pedicure on holiday a couple of weeks ago which was very nice except she shaved the hard skin off my feet which I though would help but actually made them more painful LOL!! OH had to sit and rub moisturiser into them for me.
I also hobble out of bed like a 90 year old but I think this is a combination of sore feet and aching joints [oh the joys], I still wear girlie shoes but normally wedges with soft soles. I recently wore a pair of fabulous gold strappy sandals to my birthday party and when I got home my feet had swollen so much I couldn’t get them off!!!
I hadn’t thought this was a chemo after effect but I do crave to have my feet rubbed all the time.
Thanks for your reply, My OH rubbed my feet last night which was very nice but he is not a touchy feely type so I dont think it will be a regular thing. I might book a pedicure, I had one last year and it was bliss. I might get a facial at the same time. My local beautician is really good and its so relaxing that I always nod off, she says that she doesnt mind and its a complement but I,m always worried in case I snore.
Love Andrea xx
Hi, I also have the same problem. I finished chemo (AC and Taxol) 9 months ago. My feet were fine all along 'til about 5 weeks ago. I also wondered was it my sandals. I use to walk everywhere but now it’s a bit of a struggle. Just back from work and walked home, and a walk like that would never have bothered me before. O well, what with these aching joints, eyes and feet, I feel older than my 28 years! Ha ha, o dear! Hmmm, I wonder can I get my boyfriend to rub my feet too?!!!
You think that you are on the mend and then something else crops up, this disease is a total pain in the Ar**.
I,ll rub your feet if you rub mine. Do we live near ? Lol.
Love Andrea xx
Do you think we could do a collective foot rub? I craze my OH to rub my feet, I’ve tried rubbing them myself but its not the same. I have got a foot spa which does help and I would definately recommend them.
Surely we must be getting tp the end of the side effects of all this soon?
have just returned from my first visit to the podiatrist (Chiropodist to you and I).
I have struggled with aching feet during and since chemo (completed FEb 2008). Eventually talked to gp about the way one of my toes was curling under.
Result :- refered to foot and ankle assessment clinic. The peripheral neuropathy is causing me to walk differently causing a build up of hard skin and corns and aching ankles.
I am now being seen by an NHS podiatrist (did see a chiropodist at the end of Tx but felt that my feet had no improvement). I am also having insoles made to prevent further problems with my fallen arches.
I had a good discussion about footwear (have been wearing ecco lace ups or trainers for last few months and wanted some variety). Sandals apparently cause you to scrunch up your toes putting additional pressure on the base of your feet which is why women appear at chiropodists in the summer. The straps of sandals also cut into the feet and cause unusual pressure and resultant pain.
So i asked do I have to give up sandals . Not entirely but beware thin straps, thin leather or plastic soles (rubber with some padding are better)and have uppers made of soft materials. She recommended walking sandals from sports shops or shoes from Hotters (not cheap)and to continue using a file to keep the hard skin at bay and regularly moisturising the skin
The onc has explained that the periphewral neuropathy takes longer to disappear in the feet as the repair to the nerves starts from the spine and it is a long way to the feet. She says that supportive support from the podiatrist is the best thing at present
When I mentioned my sore feet to the Onc she was not concerned and never mentioned peripheral neuropathy.
I have even had an xray on my big toe to explain the stabbing pain I get. I was being tested for gout which apparently can occur when you have recently had chemo. That was ruled out and GP said that xray was normal so perhaps it was arthritis. So it could be this PN thing all along. I see my Onc next week so will mention it to her.
Did they tell you if it is likely to get better? Thanks again and hope your feet are better soon.
love Andrea xx
Have just bumped up a thread on peripheral neuropathy from after treatment has finished.
my Oncologist wasn’t very definite about long term effects and said it could continue to improve over a period of 18months.
Mine is improving but didn’t like the hot weather.
Have been on my feet all day so am off to take the weight off my feet. It is worth finding some really comfortable shoes otherwise life just becomes miserable. Clarks airsprung have been suggested (they do have some nice styles ) so i’m off to the sales!!!
Hi all - been away for a few days and just found this thread.
I’m being given taxotere at the moment and my feet have been terrible - up in blisters the size of a £2 coin in all sorts of strange places. BUT…someone suggested Crocs to me and I managed to get hold of some half price. Elegant they ain’t, they’re a size bigger than I normally take and fluorescent pink as well, but I found they have helped a great deal, as they really cushion your feet and don’t squash the toes up. You can wear them in the shower, too.
Well, i have been wearing my asics trainers that I use to use for running nearly everywhere lately and my achy feet are much improved. Unfortunately can’t say the same about my fashion sense, ha ha! Might try the ecco and Crocs like ye have mentioned. O and thanks for the tips crispy. Andrea, still haven’t got my boyfriend to rub my feet though…
I still have sore feet 4 years after chemo - I had FEC and Taxol. My toes are still quite numb and my feet feel about 30yrs older than the rest of my body! I did find though that walking on the beach when the tide is out and the sand has risen up in hard little waves works wonders and I’m back to pre chemo feet for the rest of the day! Just the thought of it now makes me want to go find a beach and take my shoes off - even in this weather!
Oh yes my feet esp toes are so numb after finishing tax in May 2007.Must find some ridgy sand!The numbness creeps up my legs if I am really tired,of course I thought I had bone mets as also have occasional ‘numb bum’ after long sit but onc says it is common with p n and the bone mets tingling/numbness is different.I do try to have faith!
I know it’s a bit late but just wanted to add that I have been having terribly painful feet. Finished treatment end of 06, had surgery/FEC/rads, tamoxifen 2 yrs, ovaries removed 1 year ago, just started Arimidex 6 weeks ago. Well - i remember my feet aching a bit in the mornings after chemo and whilst on Tamoxifen, but since Arimidex it has suddenly become SOOO much worse!!! I can barely walk when I get out of bed and have to hobble on the side of my feet, grabbing whatever I can to steady myself - lasts about 10 mins then gradually goes away (feels like bottoms of feet are badly bruised and incredibly tender), also get it after sitting down at all - when I stand up and try to walk!! I never know what side effect to attribute to what treatment? Just wanted to let you know you are not alone - sometimes think that I feel worse now than when I was going through the treatment!
I am sat here with a lump of ice clamped to my little toe. I am breaking in a pair of heels for my daughters wedding and this dam toe is causing them not to fit properly. I stubbed that toe a few weeks ago, then again about 4 wks ago and since then it has been swollen. Pretty sure it’s not broken but why wont swelling go down? Could this be an after affect of chemo?, never given it much thought before.
I’ve been suffering from unbearably sore feet and hands - side-effect of Capecitabine. My onc. tells me it is due to the skin thinning, and is not neurological. It has been agony the past two days, with splits in the tips of fingers and toes. I religiously anoint them with all kinds of things, but I am told that it is a matter of the skin regrowing, which takes around 4-5 days.
Hey, Irene, it may be that you have broken your toe but if so there’s probably not too much you can do apart from ice etc. Mine took a long time (about a year and a half) to recover after tripping over ladder a few years ago. But all the best for your daughter’s wedding and I hope those drop dead gorgeous heels are sorted in time!
Re Taxotere and feet: heading for final cycle (tomorrow, and am fizzing with dexomesothane at the moment, hence v. late post) muscle and joint pain has been a bit of a prob so far, but not unmanageable. Now that i know when it’s going to happen i can get in quick with the Ibuprofen and that makes a bit of a difference, but after cycle #2 skin fell off the ball of my right foot (yuck, ow) and last time round was left hobbling after it had got into my left heel and left me with nasty limp.
Fingers numb and (slightly) painful for a couple of days and this seems to be the bit that medical science is most interested in.
I sometimes wonder whether I’m over-reporting, For me the worst bit about Tax is tiredness and muscle pain. The neuropathy hasn’t not stopped me going in to work, although prodding the Digilock to let me into my work area is a bit of a laugh for a couple of days.
I don’t think swelling post-Tax is a recognised after-effect. You’re probably doing all the right things, but maybe talk to BCN or see GP?