Posted 4/9/2021 1:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hello, Compiler ---
Hope you are doing well --- it's tremendous that you are looking out for your relative, as she begins chemotherapy treatments.
In addition to the experiences I posted above, I have a few more thoughts that occurred to me, and I think they might be helpful ...
BEFORE your relative's next treatment, I would encourage her to directly contact her oncologist's office, to make an inquiry about her interest in the "ice bag" idea --- to see what they recommend or endorse --- and I think it's important that she directly state she feels that neuropathy may already be occurring.
I think this is something that should be discussed BEFORE she walks into her next infusion appointment --- so they can have things "set up" to make this happen, if her oncologist feels this is a helpful mitigation strategy for her.
In my case --- and each case is different --- my chemotherapy nurses and oncologist explained the idea behind using the ice bags for my fingertips and feet and toes. They placed a towel on the floor, at my feet --- and placed a towel on my lap, while I sat in the recliner in the infusion room. They then had ice packs ready to go --- placed at my feet, and placed on the towel on my lap --- where I simply rested my fingertips, upon the ice bags.
I had never heard of this before --- this was nearly 7 years ago now --- and I recently inquired, and my treatment center is STILL using this strategy, in their belief that it can potentially mitigate neuropathy.
Each oncologist has different recommendations --- and each case is different --- and there are certainly varying types of chemotherapy --- but I did want to share my experience, because it might provide background for your relative, and a springboard for some direct questions that she will want to ask BEFORE she arrives at her next infusion.
ALSO --- this is very important to share, from my experience, as well --- to preserve my taste buds, the chemotherapy team handed me a couple of cups of chipped ice --- and told me to keep "chewing" slowly on the ice chips, during the chemotherapy infusion.
The reason for this, was that they believed this simple strategy could mitigate damage to my taste buds.
It was simple to do --- and I felt I had nothing to lose, and much to gain, by following their simple request.
A friend of mine, also a prostate cancer patient, was asked to do all these same things at a different treatment center.
However, they forgot to give him the cups of chipped ice during one of his infusions.
A few days later, he went to a restaurant and ordered Mexican food that night, and said, "I have definitely lost my sense of taste."
He regretted not asking for the ice chips during that infusion.
My team kept me supplied with chipped ice during my 18-week series of chemotherapy treatments (full-strength doses of TAXOTERE infusions, given every three weeks, for a total of 6 infusions given over the 18-week stretch from August through November).
So --- this is something else to mention to your sister-in-law --- asking about the potential benefits of cups of chipped ice, to help preserve one's sense of taste.
These are certainly simple strategies to implement, and were recommended by my oncologist and my entire team.
Each case is different, and these were my experiences, based on your post and original questions.
We definitely have some other fellows here whose doctors recommended the "ice" method during chemotherapy, in the hope that it can mitigate neuropathy and also preserve one's sense of taste.
Your sister-in-law could also send a question about these ideas to her oncologist, through her online patient portal --- my oncologist's office is very good about answering questions that way, through my online patient portal.
Wanting all the best for your sister-in-law during her treatments. This idea is certainly worth an inquiry!
With my best to you and your sister-in-law ~~~
CYCLONE ~ # Iowa State University