Question on finger and foot pain/tingling

k4katz

I posted this question at NoSurrenderBreastCancerHelp.com, too.  It has been worrying me for a couple of weeks now.  I don't know if it is really something to worry about or just to chalk it up to s/e's.
 
Quick background....dx'd 6/2006, ER-neg/PR-slightly-pos/HER2-off-the-charts-pos.  Went through surgery, chemo, rads over a year ago.  My last AC was in Dec 2006.  My last taxol/herceptin was in March 2007.  My last herceptin-only was in October 2007.  I have been on tamoxifen (20mg/day) for about a year now.  Been dealing with hot flashes, which seems to be the main s/e for me, although they have lessened a bit over the last few months.  
 
A few weeks ago I started having pain in my fingers.  It is weird, when I am not touching anything, it is more like a tingly pins and needles thing.  But, in certain areas, even the lightest touch is really painful.  Some areas are consistently painful to the touch, but some other areas come and go.  It seems to have been getting a little worse over the last week, but maybe that is because I am thinking about it and looking for it now.  I never really had neuropathy with the taxol, but I am thinking this is maybe what it would have felt like?  I am over a year out from my taxol treatments so I don't think that could be it, or could it?  It is weighing on my mind and I am all stressed out as a result!  Do you think I should call my onc?  Or my GP?  Or wait a while and see what happens?

Funny part...the good news is I am no longer focusing on a pain I have been having in my rib (which seems to be getting better anyway...I guess I pulled a muscle or something).  It is like my mom used to do when I would tell her I had a headache or something...she would tease me by telling me she could cure my headache, and then indicate for me to let her stomp on my foot!  (That way, my foot pain would take my mind off the headache...sounds awful, but it made me laugh!  And that did help the headache sometimes!)
 
Thanks in advance for anything you can share!

bluewillow

Hi K4katz,

I am about a year out from your schedule so we are similar except I am ER and PR negative and also had Taxol (my last Herceptin is next Monday).  I had very little problems with neuropathy, but lately I have had finger pain, plus tingling and foot pain (I also have plantar fascitis) long after my Taxol ended.  I am beginning to wonder if there is a delayed reaction to all the drugs!  My fingers and hands have cracks and splits in them and are very sore-- not sure if that would be from any chemo or Herceptin though.  I have also noticed that my grip is not like it should be-- I drop things all the time and just today, I was shopping for cosmetics and everything I picked up went right to the floor.  I got out of there fast for fear of breaking a $20 bottle of makeup! 

Just to ease your mind, you might want to ask your onc about it.  I have a feeling the chemo stays in our system longer than we think.  By the way, what your mom said about stomping on your foot to ease your headache sounds exactly like something my mom would say too!!  Good luck to you and let us know what you find out-- hope you feel better!

Take care!

Mary Jo 

TXBadboob

Hi K4Katz,

    I am going through neuropathy now, being on Abraxane chemo, and it feel a lot like you describe.  If I were you I would call one of your doctors.  Remember, neuropathy is a symptom of diabetes also, so you want to get checked soon.  Hope it goes away soon, because it really sucks.:)  Deen