How to improvise icing hands and feet?

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sillyoldrabbit
sillyoldrabbit Member Posts: 124
edited March 2018 in Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After

I had chemo school this morning and discovered that they don't have a freezer or fridge in the facility where I'll be getting chemo. They do have an ice machine, though. Has anyone found a clever way to do the icing in this kind of situation? My first infusion is supposed to last about 2 hours. It'll be on March 20, so I've got to get this figured out real soon.

My "teacher" said they'd only had one other woman do the icing and she used a pair of large oven mitts. She put the ice inside plastic bags, and put the bags in the mitts. No idea how she managed her feet. I'm thinking maybe wear latex gloves so my hands won't be in icy water.

I'm drawing a blank about the feet. If they had a freezer, I could use blue ice in a pan of water and swap them out when they warmed up. But that's not do-able.

Ideas, please! Thank you!

:) Diane

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  • DodgersGirl
    DodgersGirl Member Posts: 2,382
    edited March 2018

    sillyoldrabbit—. I bought to ice gel socks on Amazon with enough extra ice pads to get me thru the part of chemo where I needed to ice ( for me that was 90 mins). The ice pads lasted 20 mins so I had 4 sets. I carried a small cooler with these frozen pads and frozen blue ice squares to keep them cold until needed

    For my hands, I brought Velcro strips and food safe gloves, about 4 wash clothes, and 4 silicon baggies (I used bags called Stasher which I was given as a chemo gift. They are pricey but there are cheaper knock-offs available now). I used the ice from my center to flatly fill the 4 Stasher bags. Next I put down a hand towel on the table, put 2 Stasher bags on top the hand towel. Then a wash cloth on each Stasher bag to keep ice from being Too COLD while on the ice. Then put 2 food safe hand bags on each hand and wrapped Velcro around my wrists. Hands then on the ice filled Stasher bags. Wash cloth on top of hand then other 2 ice bags on top of hands. These stayed cold for 90 min

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  • OCDAmy
    OCDAmy Member Posts: 873
    edited March 2018

    I brought large zip lock bags and the nurses or my husband filled them up with crushed ice from the ice machine there. I put on light socks and surgical gloves on my hands and they gave me towels to put under in case they leaked. The second time I went they gave me the ziplock bags too because they said they were sturdier than what I was using. I just placed the bags on top of my toes and folded them under. For my fingers I just kind of dug my fingers into the bags. I had them iced up to about the first knuckle. It gets cold so you may have to pull them out of the ice from time to time. I had no neuropathy or nail loss.

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  • sillyoldrabbit
    sillyoldrabbit Member Posts: 124
    edited March 2018

    Oh, thank you, DodgersGirl! Excellent idea and not too pricey. Looks do-able. Did you ice for the entire infusion or rotate on/off for periods of time? Did it you make you uncomfortably cold?

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  • sillyoldrabbit
    sillyoldrabbit Member Posts: 124
    edited March 2018

    Another good, easy idea. Thank you OCDAmy! So, it's not necessary to ice your entire hand or foot? I was very disappointed that my facility didn't seem to know much about icing. I'm guessing the other woman who tried it there is also a member of this forum. :)

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  • OCDAmy
    OCDAmy Member Posts: 873
    edited March 2018

    I know some people ice their entire hands a feet, I just couldn't do that, it was too cold. I was mostly just worried about fingers and toes. I was the only one icing at my cancer center but the nurses were very supportive. I only iced during the taxane infusion (I had Taxotere). I also chewed on ice to prevent mouth sores. I started 15 min before they started the infusion and kept the ice on for 15 min after.

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  • sillyoldrabbit
    sillyoldrabbit Member Posts: 124
    edited March 2018

    OCDAmy, but it worked for you anyway, which is wonderful!!! Chewing on the ice was something I planned to do, but now that think about the logistics of it... if you're hands are encased in ice, how do you get the ice to your mouth? My DH will be there, but I don't think either of us is ready for him to spoon feed me.

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  • DodgersGirl
    DodgersGirl Member Posts: 2,382
    edited March 2018

    sillyoldrabbit— I chewed ice during 15 mins of Adriamycin And iced hands and feet 15 mins before the start of Taxol, all thru Taxol, and 15 mins after Taxol

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  • OCDAmy
    OCDAmy Member Posts: 873
    edited March 2018

    You will have to pull your fingers out to get the ice in your mouth. I would just alternate hands. I just couldn't keep them in there continuously anyway, my Taxotere infusion was an hour, plus the 15 before and after.

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  • DodgersGirl
    DodgersGirl Member Posts: 2,382
    edited March 2018

    sillyoldrabbit— yes, hands got cold. Usually had to pull hands off the ice bags in the first 15 mins as hands were cold but as infusion continued, I was able to leave them on the ice most of the time.

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  • Denise-G
    Denise-G Member Posts: 1,777
    edited March 2018

    My sister and I both iced during Taxol. We wore those lightweight cotton gloves and socks. Bought 2 dishpans at

    dollar store, but hospital provided them so didn't need them. Put hands and feet into hospital tub, took them out

    periodically. We neither one lost are nails, and I SWEAR it helped neuropathy. I only have a tiny bit as does my sister.

    GOOD LUCK!

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  • sillyoldrabbit
    sillyoldrabbit Member Posts: 124
    edited March 2018

    Denise-G, what kind of ice did you use?

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  • wrenn
    wrenn Member Posts: 2,707
    edited March 2018

    My centre supplied mitts like these. I never had to take them off because of being too cold but I was frustrated to not be able to use ipad. ...priorities. :-)

    https://www.amazon.com/Elasto-gel-Hypothermia-Mitts-nail-onycholysis/dp/B000URFIJ6

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  • sillyoldrabbit
    sillyoldrabbit Member Posts: 124
    edited March 2018

    LOL, wrenn. I, too, have been wondering how to manage without being able to fuss with my iPad if my hands are in ice. Thinking of bringing a laptop and binge watching Netflix if at all possible.

    I've been looking at those gloves, but don't think they'd work for me because there's no freezer at my clinic and my session is two hours. I need to use their ice chips somehow.

    --Diane

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  • DodgersGirl
    DodgersGirl Member Posts: 2,382
    edited March 2018

    Ref wanting to use an iPad during icing — I iced hands and feet only during the Taxol part (well, 15 mins before the actual Taxol thru 15 mins after) so during the pre-meds and flushes, I could use an iPad, if desired... but instead just watched tv (each infusion chair has its own tv). And, with Taxol, I had Benadryl as one of the pre-meds and that made me sleepy so sometimes I just slept during the icing portion

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  • Egads007
    Egads007 Member Posts: 1,603
    edited March 2018

    Use the cheaper methods suggested here, they work well! I only dipped my ziplock encased fingertips and toenails in the ice because I was paranoid about getting knuckle cancer if the chemo didn’t get to work on them lol! In the end I didn’t lose nails but they were pretty rough after I was done....lots of coconut and olive oil helps before, during and after to minimize the damage. Geeze, talk about priorities lol...ain’t nothing stopping me from being a woman

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  • sillyoldrabbit
    sillyoldrabbit Member Posts: 124
    edited March 2018

    So many great suggestions. Thank you, everyone. I will just have to experiment with these and see what happens. Really glad to know I don't have to locate some kind of exotic, expensive equipment to get the job done.

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  • Meg101
    Meg101 Member Posts: 175
    edited March 2018

    I used CryoMax ice packs from Amazon. They are cheap and stay frozen for 8 hours!!! No dripping, no ice. I put them on my finger tips and toes.... fifteen minutes on, fifteen minutes off. I didn't get neuropathy. BTW, I used them during both Adriamycin and Taxotere (similar to Taxol). I also chewed on ice during each infusion. The nurses appreciated the CryoMax ice packs because they don't drip and stay frozen, and they are easy to put on hands and feet. They come with velcro to wrap around your hands and feet. Just go to the Amazon website and type CryoMax Ice Packs into the search bar. The size of these particular ice packs is approx 6" by 6" square. This is a good size to wrap around hands and feet. As I recall they came with 2 per package so I bought 2 packages for a total of 4 ice packs to cover 2 hands and 2 feet. It cost about $20 total. Wishing you the best of luck with your infusions. Welcome to the club that no one wants to be in.

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  • Diveslikeagirl
    Diveslikeagirl Member Posts: 74
    edited March 2018

    Silly Old Rabbit: I am icing before, during and after my Taxotere infusion and my center does not have ice. I have large, 8" x 11" flexipaks (gel-based cooler paks) from when I was a "team mom" for my boys' athletics. I bring 5-6 of them in an insulated bag, each in a ziplock. My husband wraps them around my feet using hand towels and secures them with heavy duty plastic clothes pins. I switch from having my feet on top of the pak and putting the paks on top of my feet because they get my feet very cold. For my hands, I make a "sandwich" by layering my hands and the packs. Then I switch off when the cold is too much. I think the general idea is to keep the overall temperature low so the taxotere doesn't flow to the tips.

    My PA also recommended taking two supplements to counter nerve/cell damage in general. They are alpha-lipoic acid and acetyl-l-carnitine. I have been using them since my 3rd cycle and I think my hands and feet feel much less painful. My PA said to keep taking them after chemo as well, because the neuropathy can take a while to go away (some women have it years later) and the supplements help build back the nerves. The idea of permanent neuropathy freaks me out so I'm trying everything.

    Another thing to consider: my neuropathy was VERY painful at the start and my MO dropped my taxotere concentration by 10% after my 2nd cycle. When I asked, he said that they calculate dosages based on factors like age, weight and general health (I was in pretty good shape when DX). Then they give the highest dose that doesn't give the "average" person unacceptable side effects. So, I guess they maxed me out and only dialed it back because of the neuropathy. They assured me that my dose was still high enough to kill everything.

    Good luck. Maybe during icing, you'll have to trade off iPad for some podcasts?

    Mindy

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  • Denise-G
    Denise-G Member Posts: 1,777
    edited March 2018

    sillyoldrabbit - the ice I used was from my cancer center. It kind of looked like ice you get at a hotel.

    I would rather be at a hotel. GOOD LUCK!

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited March 2018

    Hi there, I could only ice my fingertips through about 3-4 songs on my I-tunes. I'd take them out and let them warm up a bit, then push them in the frozen peas bags again. It wasn't fun, but it worked. I didn't expect to be able to use my computer or anything, really, during this time. My husband was there to get things for me.

    I laid the other frozen bags on my feet and wrapped them with towels to keep them in place.

    One time one of the bags spilled, and although we got most of the peas picked up I always wondered about the ones that rolled under the chemo-chair and what the cleaning people thought. "Someone getting chemo wanted PEAS, of all things? Weird." :)

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  • sillyoldrabbit
    sillyoldrabbit Member Posts: 124
    edited March 2018

    Again, thank you for the suggestions since the last time I said thank you. :) I think for the first session, I'll go with the ziplock bags and their ice and see how that goes. Meg101, the CryoMax looks like it might be an excellent choice but I'm not sure Amazon can get it me on time. The clock is sure ticking away. Claireinaz, how long do frozen peas stay frozen?? The peas rolling around on the floor is mildly hilarious. Denise-G, I would certainly prefer a hotel, too. Diveslikeagirl, I have packs like that, too, but I live in a hot climate and it's almost an hour's drive to the clinic. Might work to transport them in an ice chest loaded up with ice. Hmmm.

    Everyone, just how cold do these cold packs need to be? We are talking ICE, right? As in frozen?

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  • Legomaster225
    Legomaster225 Member Posts: 672
    edited March 2018

    I used the cold socks from m Amazon as well. For my hands I used Ziploc bags of ice or just held on to a frozen water bottle. I also drank a frozen coke or sucked on ice chips during infusions. Good luck to you.

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