Neuropathy During Chemo
- Neuropathy, which refers to pain or distressing loss of feeling in the hands or feet, is a common side effect that many women experience during chemotherapy
- Neuropathy can be a mild, prickly sensation, or it can be a more severe loss of feeling
- If a woman loses her ability to feel hot and cold, neuropathy can become dangerous, and certain precautions might become necessary
A lot of women who undergo chemotherapy for ovarian cancer will experience a side effect called neuropathy, which means a tingling pain or loss of feeling, usually in the hands and feet. The side effect can range from mild to severe depending on the individual woman and chemotherapy dose, but there are ways to help manage it. Sometimes, experiencing neuropathy in your feet can make it difficult to walk, because you can’t quite feel the ground beneath your feet.
According to Dr. Yvette Williams-Brown, a gynecologic oncologist at the LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes at UTHealth Austin, a lot of women will just feel a sort of prickly-like sensation, but in some cases, neuropathy can become severe enough that a woman cannot feel the sensations of hot and cold. This, of course, can become dangerous, making it really important to keep your oncologist and team of doctors in the loop about the loss of sensation.
“Because the chemotherapy is a medication that we know that can cause the neuropathy to progress, at times we may have to lower the dose of the chemotherapy,” says Dr. Williams-Brown, adding that in some very severe cases, it might be necessary to actually stop the specific chemo drug altogether, possibly switching to a different medication with less severe effects.
If you have diabetes, the condition may exacerbate neuropathy, says Dr. Williams-Brown, again emphasizing the importance of having open conversations with your oncologist throughout the course of treatment.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Neuropathy During Chemo
- Neuropathy, which refers to pain or distressing loss of feeling in the hands or feet, is a common side effect that many women experience during chemotherapy
- Neuropathy can be a mild, prickly sensation, or it can be a more severe loss of feeling
- If a woman loses her ability to feel hot and cold, neuropathy can become dangerous, and certain precautions might become necessary
A lot of women who undergo chemotherapy for ovarian cancer will experience a side effect called neuropathy, which means a tingling pain or loss of feeling, usually in the hands and feet. The side effect can range from mild to severe depending on the individual woman and chemotherapy dose, but there are ways to help manage it. Sometimes, experiencing neuropathy in your feet can make it difficult to walk, because you can’t quite feel the ground beneath your feet.
According to Dr. Yvette Williams-Brown, a gynecologic oncologist at the LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes at UTHealth Austin, a lot of women will just feel a sort of prickly-like sensation, but in some cases, neuropathy can become severe enough that a woman cannot feel the sensations of hot and cold. This, of course, can become dangerous, making it really important to keep your oncologist and team of doctors in the loop about the loss of sensation.
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“Because the chemotherapy is a medication that we know that can cause the neuropathy to progress, at times we may have to lower the dose of the chemotherapy,” says Dr. Williams-Brown, adding that in some very severe cases, it might be necessary to actually stop the specific chemo drug altogether, possibly switching to a different medication with less severe effects.
If you have diabetes, the condition may exacerbate neuropathy, says Dr. Williams-Brown, again emphasizing the importance of having open conversations with your oncologist throughout the course of treatment.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
