A friend who survived breast cancer recommended taking glutamine preventively for neuropathy. It seems like it could also work for alleviating my digestive issues, which are persisting now through this cycle (Cycle 4) mostly in the form of burping and reflux. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamine. Surprisingly, this wiki article didn't even mention neuropathy. But maybe I'll end up with muscles like Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2, since it's used by bodybuilders to build muscle. And I'll be chuffed if it helps with my memory, since I've had problems with memory all my life.
My nutritionist friend told me that melatonin might help generally against garden-variety reflux and might even have some effect against cancer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin. I take 3 mg now before I sleep. It's super-easy to take. The pills are tiny and they melt under my tongue.
I also went to an acupuncturist. She poked some needles in my stomach, gave me 3 bags of round pellets that resemble cat food, and charged me 89 euros. I'm supposed to take 13 pellets at each meal. They are very hard to swallow, and keep getting stuck in my windpipe. I was only able to stick to this for one day; then I lost interest in complying, especially as I didn't notice any dramatic difference in my stomach problems. The acupuncturist also told me that I have a 'cold' disorder, which means that I should only eat hot foods and drink hot drinks. Also, she thinks that I don't ingest enough protein or iron.
The last new treatment add-on is an ayurvedic masseuse. She comes to my apartment once a week and charges about 35 euros for the hour. She doesn't claim that she can do anything about my cancer or side effects, but it's a good way to relax and even meditate a bit.
Showing posts with label neuropathy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label neuropathy. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Treatment Against Peripheral Neuropathy
Two weeks ago, I experienced a little bit of peripheral neuropathy (tingling in hands and feet, fingernails and toenails turning black). My right thumb seemed to suffer the worst and alternated throughout the days between numbness and tingling.
I read that it's best to address neuropathic symptoms as soon as they are noticed; otherwise, more serious side effects can develop. But there is not so much information available on the web on how exactly to go about tackling the problem.
Other survivors have highly recommended taking 10 grams of glutamine daily, acupuncture, and (to a far lesser extent) professional massage or acupressure. Unfortunately, alternative treatments are not covered by my insurance policy. In some ways, this is a relief for me, because then I'd have to mount a campaign to persuade my not-so-holistically inclined doctor to refer me to one of these specialists. I don't think I have the energy for that.
In the meantime, as this particular side effect is not too bad at the moment, I tried self-massaging my hands several times a day using a combination of techniques from these videos:
Self-Massage for Hands
Ten Step Hand Reflexology Self-Treatment
Note that the Expert Village series also includes self-massage for the neck, tired eyes, bottom of feet and heels, feet in high heels, after-meal relief, arms, back, and lower back. Also, if self-massage doesn't appeal, one website recommended asking a partner or friend to learn massage and have them perform it on you (one way to test whether they really mean what they say when they say: "let me know if there's anything I can do!"). I quite liked that idea, but the nice thing about self-massage is that I can do it every day, several times a day, whenever I want.
The hand self-massaging feels good (I do it almost subconsciously now, when I'm waiting in line at the pharmacy, for example), but didn't produce any noticeable reduction of my existing neuropathic symptoms.
But yesterday, I massaged my entire body using a powerful electric massager I bought years ago from Sharper Image, focusing on the palm of my hand and all around my thumb. This not only provided instant relief, but even hours later, my thumb neuropathy has virtually disappeared.
I've also noticed recently that if I wear warm mittens and socks to bed, I don't wake up with tingling in my feet or hands. It makes sense to me that the blood should circulate better if it's kept warm, so I might try wearing my mittens around the house as well.
It could be that the neuropathic symptoms are simply waning as more days pass after my last chemo treatment. I'll have to see whether these techniques will continue to work when I plunge into Chemo Round 3, which begins next Friday.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
UPDATE: now it's Day 8 of my third chemo cycle, and I have (so far) less neuropathy than I did during Cycle 2 at the same time point. I use my massager on both hands and arms whenever I feel tingling in my right thumb, so approximately 2-3 times a day. So far, I haven't developed neuropathy anywhere else.
I read that it's best to address neuropathic symptoms as soon as they are noticed; otherwise, more serious side effects can develop. But there is not so much information available on the web on how exactly to go about tackling the problem.
Other survivors have highly recommended taking 10 grams of glutamine daily, acupuncture, and (to a far lesser extent) professional massage or acupressure. Unfortunately, alternative treatments are not covered by my insurance policy. In some ways, this is a relief for me, because then I'd have to mount a campaign to persuade my not-so-holistically inclined doctor to refer me to one of these specialists. I don't think I have the energy for that.
In the meantime, as this particular side effect is not too bad at the moment, I tried self-massaging my hands several times a day using a combination of techniques from these videos:
Self-Massage for Hands
Ten Step Hand Reflexology Self-Treatment
Note that the Expert Village series also includes self-massage for the neck, tired eyes, bottom of feet and heels, feet in high heels, after-meal relief, arms, back, and lower back. Also, if self-massage doesn't appeal, one website recommended asking a partner or friend to learn massage and have them perform it on you (one way to test whether they really mean what they say when they say: "let me know if there's anything I can do!"). I quite liked that idea, but the nice thing about self-massage is that I can do it every day, several times a day, whenever I want.
The hand self-massaging feels good (I do it almost subconsciously now, when I'm waiting in line at the pharmacy, for example), but didn't produce any noticeable reduction of my existing neuropathic symptoms.
But yesterday, I massaged my entire body using a powerful electric massager I bought years ago from Sharper Image, focusing on the palm of my hand and all around my thumb. This not only provided instant relief, but even hours later, my thumb neuropathy has virtually disappeared.
I've also noticed recently that if I wear warm mittens and socks to bed, I don't wake up with tingling in my feet or hands. It makes sense to me that the blood should circulate better if it's kept warm, so I might try wearing my mittens around the house as well.
It could be that the neuropathic symptoms are simply waning as more days pass after my last chemo treatment. I'll have to see whether these techniques will continue to work when I plunge into Chemo Round 3, which begins next Friday.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
UPDATE: now it's Day 8 of my third chemo cycle, and I have (so far) less neuropathy than I did during Cycle 2 at the same time point. I use my massager on both hands and arms whenever I feel tingling in my right thumb, so approximately 2-3 times a day. So far, I haven't developed neuropathy anywhere else.
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