It's been two weeks since I completed my last (6 x Docetaxel) Chemo and noticed a couple of times when I'm eating and my spoon/fork hand gets close to my mouth my hand starts to tremor/shake. Is this reaction expected or normal after Chemo?
shakes: It's been two weeks since I... - Advanced Prostate...
shakes
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Zetabow
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Do you have any tingling or numbness in your fingers? Are you able to hold on to fork or spoon, or are you dropping them? Do you have trouble buttoning a shirt? Those would be signs of peripheral neuropathy.
Zetabow in reply to
I don't wear button shirts often, yes some numbness in fingers, also my right foot 3rd toe twitches sometimes. I did mention to my Oncologist last time that I felt I've become more clumsy, like I've lost some coordination. I also have eye twitching around lids, upper and lower but it's hardly visible when I look in mirror but I feel it all the time, very annoying.
I had the clumsies, some muscle twitching, and small bit of numbness in my finger tips and toes. Most of it went away quickly, with just a tiny bit of finger numbness remaining on some days now. Exercise seems to help, walking and running made the toes better really fast. Too bad I can't walk on my hands 
Things should improve, just give it time.
Sounds like you might have Grade 1 peripheral neuropathy or close to it.
Taxanes like Docetaxel have more of a tendency toward that than other chemotherapies.
Cabazitaxel is a bit better with neuropathy, but more myelosuppressive. Hopefully things start getting better, most of the time they do.
Is this your first time with Docetaxel or a rechallenge?
Zetabow in reply to
My first time, felt like I handled it well in that I remained fairly active but each session took a little longer to recover, last one took 9 days before I started to feel more normal. It did kick off a lot of Neuropathic pain every time, that was the toughest part for me.
in reply to Zetabow
Glad you got through.
Those who need to rehallenge chemotherapy in this situation will often opt for Cabazitaxel because neuropathy can be accumulative. When I went through Docetaxel, they said they would treat up to grade 3 which is where you start dropping things on a regular basis.
I would guess things will start improving for you as time goes on.
Maybe ask for nerve conduction test
Docetaxal can cause nerve damage
Numbness in peripherals should not be ignored
Good luck
My husband did develop neuropathy after completing docetaxel and he had slight tremor in his hands afterwards as well
For shaking in the arms I would check ALL of your lab tests for anything that is not in normal range. Then ask your doctor what you can do to change it. My hemoglobin was 9.6 after 5 years of Lupron and my left arm was shaking from time to time. I went to a nephrologist who diagnosed kidney disease, gave kidney hormone shots and all us well. My hemoglobin is 10.6 to 11.3 now. My Vitamin D 3 storage was wiped out even though I was taking 2000 IU daily. Now on prescription I take 50,000 IU twice a week until I have normal levels of Vit D 3. I am no longer tired all the time. My B-12 was low and after 3 months of tablets under the tongue it is normal now. I no longer shake my arms. I changed my diet and cut out red meat and pork. I eat a lot of salads and meatless dishes and I feel better also. So i would check all my labs and just keep truckin'.
in reply to JimVanHorn
You are still on lupron and no fatigue? Some of my labs are on the low side. Which do you think helped you the most or did you change all of it at once.
JimVanHorn in reply to
I stopped Lupron 1 year ago and on Christmas Eve my oncologist called me and said I no loner have cancer. I can't say which thing helped me feel better and stop shaking because it was subtle and over a long time. You can get a copy of your labs and see for yourself what is low or high then ask your doctor how to fix the problem.
in reply to JimVanHorn
Congrats on the cure. Don’t hear good news like that often enough.
I take 1 Neurontin/Gabapentin 600mg for peripheral neuropathy twice a day. My balance sucks and I used to have great balance. My memory sucks even more. Minor shakes...
I did NOT have chemo.... just the whore-moans....
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n Saturday 05/18/2019 12:12 PM DST
I reacted badly to Neurontin and stopped taking it. I became neurotic and anxious.
in reply to j-o-h-n
I took gabapentin for neuropathy in my feet before the pc. I thought I was goig to fall down all the time. Quit it and in 2 days all was good. Neuropathy not so bad after all
j-o-h-n in reply to
I also was taking it before Pca... and it has worked for me for years and still is....
Only proves Goose and Gander theory...
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n Saturday 05/18/2019 8:40 PM DST
in reply to j-o-h-n
No balance issues?
j-o-h-n in reply to
Yep got em.... but no longer using a tightrope to travel, now I'm using my car...
my wife calls me the "whirling dervish".
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n Saturday 05/18/2019 8:50 PM DST
in reply to j-o-h-n
Upsets my wife when my foot slides off the gas pedal in traffic. For some reason she thinks I’m going to get hit in the rear. Bumper.
j-o-h-n in reply to
Sorry, stepped away for some apple pie alamode...
My foot slips off sometimes. A couple of times I ran into the parked car in front of me while parking... Just bumper to bumper but no real damage... We need rubber cars, that's what we need indeed.
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n Saturday 05/18/2019 9:38 PM DST
in reply to j-o-h-n
Yea that’s right. She is sitting right by me. Not smiling.
j-o-h-n in reply to
Wanna make her smile??? This will make her beam... Tell her this is your song for her:
youtube.com/watch?v=ng3XJnC...
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n Saturday 05/18/2019 9:48 PM DST
I used to muse that "Nerf" cars might be good. Very safe in collisions. Never got around, though, to solving the strength issues for carrying around the heavy engines/motors and other hardware, nor what to do when when it rains! Ha. Ha.
I get the shakes also, but it's just part of the day. Most of the time I'm normal. At my age it's difficult to determine the cause whether it's permanent damage from the docetaxel (ended chemo a year ago) or some age-related cause. And you can't fix it if you don't know what caused it.
I've found putting the fork down and starting over frequently works. If I try to continue or use both hands, it just gets worse.
Whore-moans are a thing of the past. Great laugh. I got neuropathy of the feet AFTER chemo was done. Gabapentin seems to do little for it, and it seems to be getting worse. It is very annoying, especially in cold weather and trying to sleep. I am right now rubbing my feet together. Do not believe there is a known cure. But why should I ever have anything that has a known cure. Good luck. Hopefully it is something that just goes away.
in reply to monte1111
Heated socks. Sweet
monte1111 in reply to
Heated socks sound good. Just googled it and got all sorts of things pop up. About time for it to hit unbelievable hot temperatures here, but will definitely try something for this next winter.
in reply to monte1111
Where are you. Rained for days here. Could use some heat to dry it out. Don’t care how hot it gets. At night my feet are cold.
monte1111 in reply to
Central Valley California. Yes we've had a cold and rainy snap. When summer finally hits, it hits with a vengeance. Over 30 days in a row over 100 degrees last summer. No breeze, no nothing. 100 deg. at midnight.
in reply to monte1111
We will get the heat but not 100 dg for more than a day or two. However the humidity could be 85 % here in Kansas. We always hear about the dry heat out there and 100 feels like 80 here. Truth or false?
monte1111 in reply to
True. I think. Lived in interior of Florida for a while and it was just like a sauna. In a constant state of sweat. Had a friend move to Colorado, I said sounded pretty cold there. He said it was, but it was a dry cold. Very funny. Sister just moved to Missouri and I had some running jokes on the size of mosquitos there. Unfortunately she has a complete lack of the sense of humor, but I was laughing my ass off. Good and bad where ever you live. Enjoy.
in reply to monte1111
I’d like 80 degrees 24/7. Is that asking too much.
Forget chemotherapy or hormone injections. Cause of tremors or shakes is unknown. There is no cure. Part of the aging process. About one in five people over the age of 65 years will be affected. Known causes include: stress, physical activity, fatigue, lack of sleep, caffeinated drinks. Best advice is to talk to your Family Doctor. There are medications to help.
Usually question at every Physician office visit. Have you fallen in the last 3 months..... Why? As we age there are three areas that tell the brain to maintain balance. Inner Ear, Joints, and Eyes. One of these areas is usually related to falling when the brain can not process information.
It’s hell to get old....
GD
Zetabow in reply to
I'm only 56 and was very fit pro sportsman before this beast hit me
in reply to Zetabow
Discuss with your doctor is the best course. I made a career in the outdoors as well; lean and fit at 56. My shakes started to manifest about that time. I was concerned about early Parkinson’s and discussed with many doctors over the years. Today I am 72, retired and carrying 50 pounds more due to hormones and a six month chemotherapy trial where I gained initially 80 pounds and added another 20 within a year.
Note: Essential Tremors can start at any age! But they usually hit those 65 and older.
GD
Congratulations completing your six rounds! I completed mine March 12th and you will start feeling better in around four weeks. Maybe the shakes will go away as well. Stay strong!
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