The balancing Act

As I have often said along this blog, the men in white never tell you of all the side effects that may occur during and after chemotherapy. Here is a new one we discovered lately: loss of balance. For the past week or so I have seen Ranjan losing balance when he gets up or does something like slipping into his shoes, or reaching up for a shirt in his cupboard. Today I finally asked him whether he felt a loss of balance and his answer was affirmative. A quick search on the net confirmed that chemotherapy affects the nerves and one of the possible outcome is loss of balance. Others mentioned are : tingling, tired muscles, numbness in hand and feet, clumsiness, stiff neck, loss of hearing etc. Wow! Did not see this one coming. The scary sentence was : These symptoms usually improve when the chemotherapy dose is lowered or treatment is stopped; however, in some cases, the damage is permanent. So urgent damage control is needed.

A perusal of the possible causes was quick to identify the culprit: Vinblastine - the V of the ABVD protocol. One of the remedial action suggested is Physical therapy, to improve physical strength, balance, coordination, and mobility. So poor darling will have yoga on the menu and a lot of balancing on one leg eyes opened and eyes closed. Breathing and acupressure also help.

Must now look for other options.