Nerve Damage (Neuropathy)

Nerve damage (neuropathy) is most commonly numbness or tingling in the hands and feet that can cause sharp pains. It can range from very mild to a complete loss of feeling. The inability to feel hands and feet means your spouse may not be able to do simple daily tasks such as walking, eating, dressing and writing. Neuropathy often improves when treatment is switched or ends, so hopefully this will be a temporary condition for your spouse.

Fortunately, there are a number of products available from your local home improvement store or medical supply store that can help in dealing with these issues. Online retailers are also a great resource. Two major suppliers of adaptive equiptment are Sammons-Preston and Northcoast. Additionally, a physical or occupational therapy evaluation may be helpful. Ask your physician for a prescription or referal so a trained professional can properly evaluate your needs. With doctors orders, many adaptive devices may be paid for by your health insurance. Some of the experiences and tips suggested below are based on a complete loss of feeling that is probably more severe than most cases.

Walking

  • Go slow! The inability to feel your feet can cause balance problems and difficulty walking.

  • Make sure your spouse has something to hold onto to steady themselves, such as your arm, stair rail, wall, cane, or a walker (for more severe cases).

  • Get a handicapped placard for your spouse if walking all the way across a parking lot is not possible or is unsafe due to balance issues.

Writing

  • Large pens can be a big help in writing. Try several different styles and sizes ranging from fat pens to the very large kind that small children use. One size does not fit all.

  • Check adaptive equiptment websites (Sammons-Preston and Northcoast), which sell a variety of pens for people who cannot hold pens. Rubber grips can also help a person hold a pen. If writing is temporarily impossible, you may want to invest in a voice recorder for your spouse.

  • Consider buying or borrowing a larger, more ergonomic keyboard, which may make it more possible for your spouse to type. Typing on keyboards (particularly on smaller laptops) can be difficult with hand neuropathy.

Eating

  • Realize that eating can be difficult because your spouse cannot grip the small handles on most adult utensils.

  • Visit medical-supply stores. They sell large-handled forks, knives, and spoons that are easier to hold. Oxo brand has large, lightweight rubber grips. These utensils are $8-12 each, but they are well worth it if your spouse is having trouble holding utensils.

  • Try wrapping a napkin or small towel around a fork. This method may not be particularly convenient, but it works if necessary.

  • A universal cuff fits around the palm of the hand and has a pocket that the utensil slips into.

  • Adaptive cups have handles that are easy to slip into and lids to prevent spills.

Dressing

  • Know that, as a spouse, you will spend lots of time buttoning, zipping, and tying because buttons and zippers can be very difficult, if not impossible, if your spouse has hand neuropathy. Buy a combo button aid and zipper pull that may help in less severe cases of neuropathy.

  • Remember that Velcro and elastic are your best friends. Buying clothes with Velcro and elastic will not only free up your time but give your spouse a little more independence, which can be important for his or her self-esteem.

Bathing

  • Have bath handles professionally installed, or buy temporary handles (from a home improvement or medical supply store) that screw onto the side of the bathtub. If you have a shower stall, that may be safer than having your spouse step in and out of a tub. YCS board member Matt's wife could not feel her feet, so if she closed her eyes in the shower she would fall over. This meant she had to take baths, and her stepping in and out of a slippery bathtub made Matt very nervous.

  • Look into shower chairs, if needed, which help with stability and some measure of independence, since once seated, your spouse may be able to shower alone.

  • A tub transfer bench will prevent your spouse from having to step over the wall of the tub.

  • A hand-held shower is convenient for seated bathing.

Personal grooming

  • Ask what you can do to help and be empathetic. You may need to help with every aspect of personal grooming.

  • Understand that it can be personally humiliating for your spouse to not be able to do the basics to take care of him/herself. Matt learned how to put makeup on Kara and make ponytails for his daughter.

  • Pay attention to your spouse's toenails and fingernails. These will need to be cut often, and your spouse may not want to bother you about doing these things, even though he/she may not be able to do these things for him/herself.

Dental hygiene

  • Realize that holding and moving a toothbrush can be very difficult.

  • Consider buying a Sonicare or other electric toothbrush to remedy this problem. It has a large handle, and the toothbrush does the work. Just be sure to double check with the oncologist to make sure electric toothbrushes are safe for your spouse. If your spouse's platelets are low or there is a serious risk of infection, the doctor may prefer that you simply help your spouse to brush his/her teeth rather than using an electric toothbrush. YCS board member Karen's husband Mark was not supposed to use electric toothbrushes.

Phones

  • Pressing small buttons is difficult when you can't feel your fingers. Purchase a large-button phone to remedy this problem.

  • Holding the receiver of the phone can also be challenging, consider buying a phone-holder, speaker phone, or headseat to accomadate a weak grasp.

Doorknobs

  • Regular doorknobs and faucets are difficult to grasp.

  • If you can afford it, you can change all regular doorknobs to lever-style knobs.

  • For a more versatile and cheaper remedy, spring clamps can be purchased at any hardware store. (If you don't know what spring clamps are, the salesperson will.) Attach one to every problem doorknob and faucet, and then they can be turned without having to grasp them.

Toilet

  • Purchase the commode safety handles (about $50 at a home improvement or medical supply store) that fit under the seat. These will allow your spouse to get their balance and steady themselves as they get up and down.

  • Install a drawer handle at the very top of the toilet lid, just as Matt did for his wife, to make it easier to grasp.

  • Make flushing easier. Simply extend the lever beyond the end of the toilet with a 4-inch section of PVC pipe. Since the extension goes beyond the toilet, grabbing it does not require finger dexterity.