Chemo-Induced Nerve Damage: Prevention and Treatment
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A common side effect of chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer is a nerve-related condition in which patients may experience pain or numbness in their extremities following treatment. This is known as Peripheral Neuropathy.
Causes and Symptoms
Peripheral Neuropathy is caused as a result of the nerves in your hands and feet being damaged through chemotherapy. Damaging these nerves can cause a variety of symptoms that vary in intensity and duration from person to person. The most common symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy include:
Pain or numbness in the outer extremities (most common in the feet)
Tingling sensation
Burning or shooting pain
Weakness
Loss of balance
Change in sensitivity to temperature and touch (can increase or decrease)
Symptoms can arise anytime after chemotherapy treatment begins and can become worse as treatment continues.
Neuropathy can also occur as the result of cancer related surgery, radiation treatment and diabetes. If a cancerous tumor is pressing up against nerves, this can also cause Neuropathy. Neuropathy as a result of these conditions can occur almost anywhere in the body and can even affect nerves that control the heart, stomach, bladder and eyes. For breast cancer-related tumors, if a tumor were to press on nerves, it would most typically occur in the axillary lymph node region.
Prevention and Treatment
Typically, the easiest and best thing you can do to prevent a detrimental health condition from developing is to live a healthy lifestyle by having a good diet, exercising regularly and avoiding alcohol. However, being healthy is often not enough to avoid neuropathy from chemotherapy.
One preventative measure you can take is to have your hands and feet wrapped in frozen gloves and socks, or submerged in ice baths during chemotherapy treatment. This protects your nerves from damage by reducing blood flow in the outer extremities, meaning that far less of the chemotherapy drug that is injected into the bloodstream reaches sensitive nerves in the hands and feet.
If you develop any of the symptoms associated with neuropathy, talk to your doctor immediately. Changing the dosage of chemo medications is a common step that doctors may take in order to try and help alleviate peripheral neuropathy. Medications that are used for epilepsy and depression may also be prescribed due to their ability to lessen pain in damaged nerves.
We've found that the MedMassager, a high-speed oscillating massager that's been approved by the ADA for peripheral neuropathy in diabetics, can also help with chemo-induced neuropathy. These massagers are designed specifically for the feet and the vibrations cause the legs to be stimulated and blood flow to increase. This can help improve mobility, sensitivity and reduce the tingling and pain associated with neuropathy. These devices can be expensive, but depending on the severity of the symptoms, they may be well worth the money. Click the image on the right to see the MedMassager on Amazon. As always, talk to your doctor regarding diagnosis and treatment related to peripheral neuropathy before making any changes to your lifestyle.
For more information on Peripheral Neuropathy, check out Cancercare.org here