Community Connection: Ovarian Cancer Canada is looking for volunteers! Could you help?
OVdialogue – consider joining our team in the role of Community Champion. Over a few hours each week, you would be part of a team that helps connect people, support conversations and are thought leaders for OVdialogue. This is your opportunity to give back to those who have/continue to support you through the tough times, share your unique experiences, and help celebrate successes. For more details of what this entails, please reach out to @Mfallis (mfallis@ovariancanada.org).
OVdialogue – consider joining our team in the role of Community Champion. Over a few hours each week, you would be part of a team that helps connect people, support conversations and are thought leaders for OVdialogue. This is your opportunity to give back to those who have/continue to support you through the tough times, share your unique experiences, and help celebrate successes. For more details of what this entails, please reach out to @Mfallis (mfallis@ovariancanada.org).
Ovarian Cancer Canada is thrilled to share that we have some exciting updates on the way for OVdialogue. These enhancements are designed to strengthen our community and make your experience even better.
Stay tuned for more details, and feel free to share your thoughts below. Let’s make this community even stronger!
Stay tuned for more details, and feel free to share your thoughts below. Let’s make this community even stronger!
Laser Therapy for Peripheral Neuropathy
As a result of chemotherapy ending in July 2021, I was left with very painful neuropathy in both my feet. 8 months after chemo I was still in pain (level 6). I decided to try acupuncture and after 13 session over several months my pain was reduced (level 3). I was able to comfortably wear shoes and bend my foot without much pain. A year and a half after chemo I became aware of another treatment for my foot neuropathy, namely Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). It was offered by a physiotherapy practice in Ottawa specializing in oncology. From January 26 to February 20, 2023 I had 7 treatments of 15 minutes on both feet. There was a noticeable improvement bringing my discomfort down to level 1. The literature I received stated that light therapy entails light applied to the skin being absorbed by the body. The result is increased energy production to stimulate increased healing, increased circulation, decreased inflammation and decreased pain. The cost of acupuncture and laser therapy are comparable. The major difference is that there is no pain with light therapy. I also found that the small wand used to apply the light is better for treating the underside of the toes, which for me was one of the major sources of pain. The next time I have to have chemo for ovarian cancer I am going to try to see if I can use laser therapy to keep the pain under control between each chemo session. I hope this information is helpful to others suffering from foot or hand neuropathy.
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Comments
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@jmbarrhaven
Thank you for posting this it was very informative. More importantly I am happy that it reduced your pain level from your initial 6 to a 3 with acupuncture and then down to a 1 with the LLLT. It also sounds like it brought more function to your feet as a result of treatment. I bet that felt wonderful for you. It would be interesting to know if this would work as well for any hand neuropathy as well.
Thank you for sharing and posting this and that you are feeling better overall as a result. I will cross my fingers for you that you don't experience a recurrence in the near or distant future.0 -
@jmbarrhaven
Thanks for this information. i'm going to discuss with my care team to see if it's offered here in Kingston and might be helpful to me. My neuropathy runs from my knees down through my feet. Not painful unless I step on something but the bottoms of my feet have almost no feeling and impacts my mobility greatly. Even a partial improvement would be liife altering for me.0 -
Great information. I have very painful neuropathy in both feet and up to my mid calf. Thank you0
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Round 2 with laser therapy for neuropathy. In 2023 I had ten chemo treatments for both breast cancer and reoccurring ovarian cancer. My last treatment was on Dec. 13, 2023. I did have 2 laser treatments midway through my 6 ovarian cancer treatments in an effort to try and minimize foot neuropathy. It helped, but I'm not sure it was worth it, and likely won't do it again. At the end of 10 treatments the neuropathy in my feet was not nearly as bad as after 6 treatments for ovarian cancer in 2021, which was about Level 8 pain.
I'm not sure why it was better this time, even with more chemo treatments. Possibly because they reduced the chemo dose from the start to 75%, instead of after 3 treatments at 100% in 2021. It could also be that I continued to keep my consumption of very cold food and drink to a minimum (as per the advice of an acupuncturist) which I feel definitely continued to result in improved leg circulation. In any case, the pain and discomfort level at the end of 2023 was Level 6. From Jan. 16th (approx. 1 month after my last chemo treatment) to Feb. 1, 2024, I had six 15minute laser treatments (twice per week) to my feet. I had an immediate, noticeable reduction in the pain and numbness to my toes and soles of my feet after the first treatment. Improvements continued, and after the sixth treatment there was no significant pain and the numbness was Level 2. For now, I am good with that, and likely won't have any further treatments until after my next chemo treatments, hopefully later than sooner.0 -
@jmbarrhaven Sounds like you found a very viable solution to the neuropathic pain you had/have been feeling. Your acupuncturist sounds great and that you were able to do some things proactively prior to (reduction in cold foods/drink) a treatment and have it work is fantastic. It must make you feel so better in many ways. Constant pain is very wearing on a body and mind. Thank you for sharing your info and hoping it may help someone else in the future too.
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