I had CAPOX for 3 months in 2023. I had neuropathy in my hands and feet afterwards. Acupuncture was very helpful, my hands are completely fine now. I do still have it in my feet however it is a bit of numbness in patches, not painful at all and doesn’t impact my mobility. My feet feel the cold so I always wear socks, even in the Australian summer.
During treatment I experienced some pain on the soles of my feet so I’d have to stay off them for a day or two. I told my oncologist and she adjusted the dose for the next infusion. I was very sensitive to cold, breathing in cold air made me wheeze for a couple of days after infusions. I wore gloves and warm socks. This was the Australian winter so no ice or snow and temps around 10-12 degrees on the coldest days.
Capecitabine caused me to lose skin off my feet and a tiny bit off my hands. It was like the best pedicure ever my feet were so soft! It made my skin look amazing as it basically gets rid of all your age spots and anything sun damaged or inflamed. My chronic heartburn vanished. So there is a positive side to it!
When they give you information about side effects they have to tell you all of the possibilities but most people will only get some. I never had mouth ulcers, didn’t really have nausea. I lost weight due to no appetite but I didn’t feel sick. I never had a single virus or illness while on chemo and didn’t get so much as a cold for over two years afterwards.
You are doing the right thing asking for information about the specific treatment that you will be having. People will try to tell you horror stories about ‘chemo’ but the vast majority are not relevant as it’s different drugs. It’s a very daunting time before you start treatment, I found it better once I actually started and knew what I was dealing with. Feel free to ask anything else here or PM me.