On 7/13/2006 Johannah15 wrote:
My dad had surgery for rectal CA and the tumor was a T2-Stage III tumor. He just got his port and will start chemo (FOLFOX) on Monday. My concern for my dad is the neuropathy. He is a bartender and was planning on working throughout his treatments, but when they gave him the gloves that he would need to wear anytime he needed to go into the refrigerator, he was shocked. He did not realize that the neuropathy would be that dangerous for him. He is worried that he will not be able to grab cold beers from cooler chest or make chilled drinks for his customers. They say for the 7 days after your treatment that you have the sensitivity to cold. How soon does this start happening? Right after your very first treatment? Should he consider not being able to work because of the neuropathy? He also golfs and they told him that he could not be in the sun for long periods of time and that 18 holes would be out of the question. They have told him that all of this is only for the next 6 months, but it sounds like it will affect him longer than that. He is 64 yr old and unfortunately did not plan well for the future and he and my mom both still work and rely on their incomes to live. I read about the Glutamine, B-complex and B12 suggest. Any other ideas to help with this matter. We would also be glad to hear about things he should be aware of or things that he could do to make it more comfortable during this time. Thanks for helping.
Please tell your Dad to listen to his doctor about the cold sensitivity!! I did not listen and started drinking cold drinks and touching colder things even when I knew I shouldnt. I ended up with a bad case of peripheral neuropathy which I think I made worse by not staying away from cold items.
Tell him not to touch or drink anything cold no matter how bad it gets! Nothing is as bad as dealing with the neuropathy, trust me on that!
Good luck to you and your Dad, I wish you both the best!]
John