I Have Neuropathy - Feels Like Pins and Needles

I hope you will all bear with me as these pins and needles attack my hands and feet. I have neuropathy one of the dreaded side effects of chemotherapy treatment. I feel like someone is poking me continuously with pins and needles at the tip of my fingertips and my toes.  It hurts and disables me from doing the simple things I love to do like typing for example. After my first round of chemo, my arm where I had the IV has been very sore for the past week and a half and I could not lift it up. This weekend, I thought now that the arm is feeling better, I can celebrate normalcy a bit. But, not so fast, three days ago, I started feeling nerve pain, tingling and burning sensation in my fingers and toes. I could not type or do simple stuff. I thought well, maybe this will go away. But, the tingling has now turned into loss of sensation.

So, I saw my Oncologist today who explained that this was a chemo side effect called chemo induced peripheral neuropathy where nerves that transmit sensation from the extremities to the central nervous system are damaged. Peripheral nerves are responsible for sensations you feel such as touch, pain or temperature. I know, it sounds like jargon, I just heard, central nervous system blah blah blah. Anyway, the bottom line is I have lost sensation in my fingers and toes making it hard for me to type. I guess, for me now the need for treatment is more urgent than the residual nerve damage. It may go away or may get worse. So, for now, I will cope with this neuropathy and make the best of my situation. With that said, I hope you will all bear with me when I delay to post as I manage and try to cope with this new neurological development. While I have lost sensation in my fingers and toes, the good news is I have dramatically experienced weight loss of 10 pounds in a short space of time. I thought wow! this cancer is doing a real "Zumba Fitness Party" number on me. When the nurse said this is too much sudden weight loss I think we should speak to the doctor about it. I was like, "Hell no! Do you know how much I have been working out in the gym before all this cancer stuff just to lose a mere pound?" We really laughed about this and it dawned on me that, I may have a difficult cancer journey but at the end of it all, I am gaining something effortlessly. Everyday holds a possibility of a miracle.... So, for everything I have missed, I am gaining something else. Until then, I will continue to walk this purple journey with much grace and determination....