Guest gwamakawen Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 Hi, My 71 yr old father was diagnosed in March '03 with Stage IV NSCLC. He has asthma and emphysema so was not a candidate for surgery. He had 6 chemo treatments and 5 day/week radiation tx together for 6 weeks. When that was completed, his scans said that the cancer areas "seemed" to be smaller and not active. His Dr. ordered 4 more chemo tx, just to make sure. He finished that the last week of Oct. Dad has begun experiencing neuropathy in his legs and feet. It started with the last round of chemo. I'm not very impressed with his oncologist, from the beginning he has not been concerned about anything other than doing the chemo...never asks him about his pain levels, never has asked him about his home-care or discussed nutrition, etc. Dad lives alone, I'm currently in another state, and have made three trips to visit and help Dad. We finally got Dad back to regular visits with his Pulmonologist, who has taken more interest in Dad's welfare than the oncologist. I'm sorry, this story goes on and on, but my primary concern at this time is the neuropathy and the general weakness and malaise that Dad is feeling. He has one good day, without much pain or dyspnea, which is followed by 2-3 days of shooting pains up his legs, and feeling weak and dizzy when he stands up. From what I've read, I understand the neuropathy can last for quite some time, maybe forever. What I'd like to know is if others have had this problem as well, and if anyone has tried anything that will help with the tingling and numbness in his feet, particularly the pain that comes with it. He has been given Valium, Hydrocodone, Neurontin - none of which work very effectively without making him very groggy. He doesn't like that feeling, he has always been very active, and is - I think - becoming depressed because he wants to get back his regular lifestyle. Can anyone shed some light on this neuropathy? Thanks for listening! gwamakawen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadstimeon Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 Hi Gwamakawen, Sorry to hear about your father. I have neuropathy also, but not as bad as your father. So far I have been able to tolerate it. Try this website it gives a lot of info on http://www.chemocare.com/managing/fulls ... itype=1875 on neuropathy. Also ask the doctor to give your father something for the fatigue. If you’re not happy with your father’s oncologist seek a second opinion ASAP. Your father’s health and well being is priority number one. Be pro active with your father treatments. Learn (The Power Of Knowledge) as much as you can about lung cancer to help your father. Stay with this board. Stay positive. Take one step at a time and one day at a time. Lots of good people and good information. Hope this helps. Peace, take care and God Bless. Rich ************************************************************* The Power Of People Helping People / The Power Of Knowledge / The Power Of God / The Power Of Believing / The Power Of Positive Thinking / The Power Of Never Taking No For An Answer / That’s The Key ************************************************************* Questions To Ask The Doctor About Lung Cancer http://www.plwc.org/plwc/MainConstructo ... 08,00.html With Every Breath A Lung Cancer Guidebook / From ALCASE / A Wealth Of Information / Free http://www.alcase.org/education/publica ... reath.html The Cancer Survival Toolbox / Free / From NCCS http://www.cancersurvivaltoolbox.org Clinical Trails Listing Service / Center Watch http://www.centerwatch.com Lung Cancer In The News / GOOGLE http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&editi ... ung+cancer The Wellness Community / National Cancer Support, Education And Support / Free http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org/pro ... /guide.asp Drug Information Online http://www.drugs.com ALCASE / Alliance For Lung Cancer Advocacy, Support, Education http://www.alcase.org Unites States / National Library Of Medicine http://www.nlm.nih.gov Health Information / Medical Encyclopedia http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html Google / Great Search Engine http://www.google.com R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, Inc. / Please read: A Letter to all newly diagnosed cancer patients http://blochcancer.org American Cancer Society / No Matter Who You Are, We Can Help http://www.cancer.org Cancer Information Service / NCI http://www.cancer.gov Cancer Research Center / A Cure For Cancer... http://www.cancerresearchcenter.org American Institute for Cancer Research; Nutrition Hotline / AICR http://www.aicr.org Cancer Hope Network / Cancer? http://www.cancerhopenetwork.org Association of Cancer Online Resources / Free Online Lifeline For Everyone Affected By Cancer & Related Disorders http://www.acor.org Lung Cancer Information Library / Electronic Library Of Comprehensive Educational Materials On Cancer For Healthcare Professionals And Patients. http://www.meds.com/lung/lunginfo.html ************************************************************* The Power Of People Helping People / The Power Of Knowledge / That’s The Key With Every Breath A Lung Cancer Guidebook / From ALCASE / A Wealth Of Information http://www.alcase.org/education/publica ... reath.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karen335 Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 Hi Gwamakawen, I too have nueropathy. It is caused by the chemo. I don't know what your dad's chemo was, but what I was being given was Taxol/carboplatin. What seemed to help me was vitamin B-6. Also, did your father get Procrit shots? If so it and the Taxol cause pain in the legs. It feels like electrical shocks in the legs and hips. I took Tylonol for Arthritis and it really worked. Hope this helps... Prayers for you and dad. God Bless Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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