No I Don't Have Hoof and Mouth Disease!

The burning and itching sensation on my hands and feet were getting stronger so I did my homework. 

Seems I have Hand and Foot Syndrome or Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesiak. Say that fast three times!

It's a side effect of my chemotherapy. Paclitaxel  is one of the chemo drugs that cause it. Lucky for me my next series of chemo with Anthracycline (Doxorubicin) can also produce this effect; so I can't expect any relief soon.

This site has a pretty good explanation of the syndrome and some suggested ways to relieve the symptoms of Hand-Foot Syndrome

The night after my ninth infusion I couldn't sleep. My whole body burned as the little capillaries under my skin died off. Their screaming must have been keeping me awake. 😱😱😱

 I just ordered a full-length icepack that will unfold like a blanket. Ice packs do at least give me some relief. Since friction aggracvates the symptoms, wearing socks does seem to help. Not what I planned to do in the SC heat, but I have air conditioning so I'm not complaining.

Also my skin hasn't started to blister or peel yet so that's a plus. Hoping to avoid that. I just ordered a while passel of cooling sprays I'm going to try to see if any of those help.  

Ugly Burning Left Foot

Ugly Burning Right Foot

Spoiler alert! I may have to look forward to Hoof and Mouth Disease, actually just potential mouth sores in the next round of chemo. Hey, look at the bright side, some burning, itching, or other gross side effects now. It sure beats doing nothing with the potential for a bad outcome in the future.

Meanwhile, I spoke to someone today who has an unrelated chemo side effect of burning feet. Her doctor told her the sugar she was eating was aggravating her condition (caused by a back issue). 

So, do I give up blueberries on my cereal every day and an occasional sweet to see if it helps or, Nah, who am I kidding, I need my little pleasures right now...