Some time ago I developed a Morton's neuroma in my left foot. This is a swelling of the nerve which runs along the foot towards the toes. The effect of this is a numb toe. The treatment for this is to inject the neuroma with steroids. Having an injection between the toes is every bit as painful a you might imagine. However, it was worth it as the steroids did their stuff and the numbness went.
Fast forward a year or so and Morton's neuromas are the least of my worries.
At every assessment the nurses ask all about all and any side effects. The list can appear endless. I'm never entirely certain what is a direct side effect of the treatment and what is just "one of those things".
Up until recently the weather has been such that I have been wearing shoes, socks and slippers. Not all at the same time obviously. Now that the weather has improved slightly I have taken to wearing my beloved flip-flops. Not having my tootsies corralled into various footwear has led to my noticing that my Morton's neuroma had returned.
I think I may well be wrong because not only is my original toe numb but I also have numbness in my other foot and a little bit in both hands. This is peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral - at the edge, neuropathy - nerve suffering/disease/disorder.
At the moment it is not a problem and it is one of the many side effects of the chemotherapy element of my treatment, which I have just finished. I am hopeful that now I am no longer being treated with docetaxel this along with the other annoying side effects will disappear leaving no long term damage.
This highlights one of the many problems of treatment, I never really know what is and what isn't a side effect. Some are very obvious, such as hair loss, fatigue and loss of taste. Others, such as mild numbness and pins and needles are more difficult to pin down until they become very, very obvious.
Added to this, even telling the nurses about every little perceived side effect seems like a tick box exercise, as this is literally what they do. I am uncertain as to what happens to the sheet they complete each visit. Do the team look at it and chart the progress and severity of the side effects until a particular line is crossed? Or is the sheet just filed away in my medical records never to be consulted again? I suspect the latter.
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