Cold Therapy for Hands and Feet for Taxotere

Hi,

I did four cycles of Taxotere and did not develop neuropathy or nail problems. My hospital fills plastic bags with crushed ice and has patients put the ice bags over their fingers and toes. I cut the tops off an old pair of gym socks so that most of my feet would stay warm while my toes were covered by the ice bag.

Good luck!

I did not ice my hands or feet. I did not have neuropathy. My nails were strong during chemo. But after chemo, my fingernails became brittle and are still brittle. My toenails were, and still are, perfectly fine.

I iced during the Taxotere infusion for all 6 rounds of chemo. I made round ice balls ( about the size of a gum ball) and put them in a sandwich size ziplock bag. I had 4 Neoprene wine bags that I purchased at Target and put one ice bag in the bottom of each. I wore some thin socks and put each foot in a Neoprene bag. I wore some fingerless gloves/hand gauntlets and then put each hand in a Neoprene bag. I iced 15 minutes before the start of the infusion, one hour during the infusion and 15 minutes after the infusion (for a total of 1 1/2 hours). Yes, the idea of icing does not appeal to everyone and the first few minutes of icing can be uncomfortable. It is a personal choice to ice. I chose to ice because I thought it was worth the risk of possibly minimizing the chemo side effects to my hands and feet. I figured it would be better to be little uncomfortable during the 6 rounds rather than deal with the possible long lasting side effects. I did not experience any nail damage... no nail bed pain.... no darkening of the nails... no nail loss. I also haven't experienced any neuropathy.

I know some who did not ice and did not experience any nail damage or neuropathy. I also know some who did not ice and experienced nail damage during chemo and are still dealing with neuropathy issues. What this means is each of us reacts different to chemo and there isn't a way to predict exactly how one will react.

Wishing you the best.