Good morning Pippin, glad you've done your second round and not feeling too bad. I think I'm struggling a bit as I'm still recovering from abdominal surgery in November, had a few stomach issues after my tummy tuck/reconstruction so that's maybe why I feel a bit rough.

That's very commendable doing that much walking, I think I'll have to try that to help get my insides moving a bit more too. We're off to the zoo today so that's a good walk around.

By the way, I bought a second pair of Suzzi Pad cold therapy socks on Amazon, about £20 and they lasted a whole hour. I know EC doesn't tend to cause neuropathy and its the T that does but I decided I may as well wear them every session. Surprisingly the chemo unit nurses said they didn't know anything about them but were happy for me to wear them.

What meds do you think is causing your constipation? Anti sickness?

Have you been checking your temperature with the hot flushes just in case? I'm already through the menopause so don't have hot flushes.

take care Liz x

Sorry you are still struggling with your recovery from the surgery, must make things a little more difficult to cope with. I think that is the surgery I'll be having after the chemo is finished. Do you have to buy the gloves and socks for each session or are they reusable? It's definitely the meds causing the constipation, so will hopefully go once they're finished in a couple of days. My injections start tonight, hoping that goes as well as last time. Have started to get a few shooting pains in my boob, which I did get last time too. Hope this us a good sign that treatment is working.I have been taking my temperature regularly and all has been fine so far. Good that you are no longer getting the hot flushes, this has been the worst bit for me. Hope you have a lovely Easter, always here if you want to chat. Xx

Good evening Pippin, I had a 5 year delayed diep reconstruction, that's when they found the new/old/hiding breast cancer behind my rib, they don't seem to know if it was missed last time round. If you want to know more about diep when the time comes please ask anything, I'm not shy. I have to say after 5 years of wearing a prosthesis I'm still amazed every day with my new boob, it's been fabulous, and now I'm smaller I only need to wear crop bras or pull on ones which is amazing, no more digs in my shoulders. I also had a mastopexy to reduce my normal boob so I'm lovely and symmetrical now.  I was treated at Whiston Hospital and they were an amazing team.

The cold therapy socks/gloves have compartments in them and come with resusable ice packs, just freeze them before your chemo and put them together before you leave home, I've got a picnic freezer bag that I took with me to keep them frozen.

I realised today that most of my stomach problems happen if I overindulge, which I did today as I had no sickness at all. Now I'm just struggling with wind pains. Totally my own fault and won't be doing that again.

Happy easter and best wishes Liz x

Thanks so much for all the info regarding the reconstruction. Will definitely talk to you more about that later. I will be looking into the cold socks and gloves, as concerned about the risk of neuropathy. My mum had a couple of chemo sessions, after surgery for bowel cancer. She still suffers the neuropathy slightly, a few years later. Hopefully, now you know what is causing your stomach problems, you'll be able to control it better. Take care and have a lovely weekend. Xx

Hi Liz. I know that it is 8 months since you posted your question and I hope that you are well. Can you tell me please who advised you about the freezer gloves and socks? No one told me about these before my chemo and the resulting peripheral neuropathy has ruined my life. I only learned about them from the support group that I joined but that was far too late to be of help. They should be standard issue by the NHS or, at least, we should be asdvised to get them privately.

Hello jukebox frankie, I'm really well, thank you for asking. Nearly four months post chemo and returning to work soon albeit with a rather funky hairdo!

I'm really sorry this has happened to you, has your oncologist suggested anything to help?  They are your best person to ask and to monitor and advise you.

No medical personnel told me about the cold gloves and socks, I think I just read as much as I could about chemo treatment and things that could make it more tolerable. I realised quite early on that support groups/sites like these are much more knowledgeable that any BC nurse I've come across, the nurses are very kind but I think they can't  recommend some things in case it comes back and bites them on the behind, as what works for one person may not work for another. I took the stance of throwing everything  I could at my treatment and hoped for the best.

I have to say I wore the socks/gloves religiously to each session and I didn't suffer any neuropathy.  Like you the nurses claimed not to know about them but I'm not sure I believed them as I couldn't be the only one who's tried it.  I decided against polybalm as it was expensive but wore nail ridge No 7 protection and I didn't suffer any lost nails or discolouration.

take care and feel free to message me, I lurk a lot x

Hi Liz. Many thanks for replying so promptly and I am so pleased to hear that you are well.

My surgery was successful, I now have no tumours or irregularities, but the chemo was a nightmare and the resulting neuropathy continues to be a major issue. The oncologist discussed the ice skull pack before the chemo but advised (correctly) that the drugs that I would be on did not cause hair loss. No mention was made of neuropathy but the drug used on me is the major cause of CIPD (chemo induced peripheral neuropathy). Between months 6 and 12 after the chemo, a number of things were tried but then the direction turned towards pain management. Most drugs that are used, such as duloxetine, were first designed as anti-depressants. They stop the messages to the brain but can equally stop the pain messages from the feet and hands. But even duloxetine, which is the most successful with CIPD sufferers, only helps less than 10% of folk and turned me (and others in the support group) into zombies. Just like being in a fog. I had to be taken off it. 

I have tried compression socks, Acupuncture, Thai Foot Massage, TENS (electric stimulation), Vibrating massage plates but all to no avail. Reflexology gives short term respite but it is short term, hours not days.

You did really well to find out about the socks and gloves before hand. Because of the surgery, I was not expecting to need the chemo and I was still in hospital when I was told that chemo would be recommended. So, little time to gather information. 

It seems that the gloves and socks are more routinely used in the US, hence my original question to you to see if you had been advised of them by the Cancer Clinic.

Thank you for listening.

Frank

That's why this forum is so great, always someone to listen to you Frank. It sounds as though you have really suffered badly and I'm truly sorry. I can only speak from my experience, this was my second time around with cancer but first time having chemo, I think that I was in such a panic/shock I literally spent hours on the internet researching what to expect but I had the luxury of time.  

I don't understand why, as cold capping is routinely offered, why ice gloves/socks are not seen in the same light.

Yes, the US seem to be more open to their use and we can only hope that forums like these can prevent someone having the same issues that you are suffering from.

I was told that the EC part of my chemo would not result in neuropathy but the Paclitaxol treatment could, I didn't risk it and wore the gloves/socks for both parts of my treatment. 

I really hope that you and your doctor can find some relief for your pain, it's terrible what this disease does, especially when once you're deemed 'cancer free' you are expected to jump back into your previous life. It's so cruel, I'm never going to be the same person I once was (physically and mentally) and find it ridiculous people expect me to be my normal happy self.

We are allowed to grieve the life we had.

I'm not cancer free, I'm at a wait and watch stage but to all others it's over...not in my blinking head it's not!

take care, Liz

Hello Liz,  

                Best add a good helping of stubborn determination to help you through the bad patches, 

smooth journey,

David

Hi Liz. I am saddened to hear that this is your second episode of cancer. I hope that your road to recovery is short and straight.

You will have gathered that I am a newbie to these forums on Cancer Research UK. You might be interested to hear how I found your particular thread. As I said earlier, all my online research was done after the event because of the timing. I have found Microsoft’s Copilot to be particularly useful as you can have a “conversation” with the AI robot. Yesterday I asked whether the ice gloves and socks were available in the UK to lessen the effects of PN.  After answering my question, the robot offered me a link to get further information and that link was to your opening question on this thread. So, you are considered to be the authority on the subject by AI. Fame!

Thanks again for listening.

Frank