Taxol and numbness...scared and I'm freaking out.

Braveheart

Hi again,

I'm writing today because I'm afraid of what taxol is doing to my body.  I finished my 3rd Taxol and feel uncomfortable numbness and hot feeling in my fingers. My other side effects seem to have lessened except the numbness in the fingers. I'm scared that it'll never go away. I have 1 more Taxol in a few days and I don't know what will happen to me. I know this side effects happens to most people on taxol. I'm scared that it's permanent and not sure I'm doing the right thing by continuing. Did your numbness go away? Please help me. I'm freaking out.

ebann

Yes the numbness eventually goes away. Ask your Dr for Lycia. That is what the Dr prescribed for my neopathy. It will go away. Just something you go though. Any kind of chemo is going to have some kind of side effect. Your doing this to kill the cancer that is lurking in your body...numbness is a temporary thing.

Omaz

braveheart - I have numbness from taxotere.  I was told that most likely it will go away but for a small subset of women it doesn't.  I am hoping I am not in that group, I am 5 months out from my last chemo and still have numbness.  It is somewhat better and then gets worse again.  My onc says that is an expected pattern, like waves.  I do take L-glutamine to help, I think it does. 

Have you talked to your onc about it? Since my numbness started right away I did have a consult with a neurologist and had a nerve conduction study.  From that the neurologist felt I could go ahead with chemo.  Many of the women in my chemo group have had their numbness get better.  I feel that mine will with time too, it just may take a while.

Braveheart

Thank you ladies for your reply. I had my last chemo june 1st and I'm hoping my numbness doesn't get worse. (fingers crossed) I asked my onc if I can take something, he said there's nothing, that it'll go away on it's own. I hope so.