Quote:
Originally Posted by en bloc
You know, this may be way off base, but your strange cessation of neuropathy pain while sick with infection has me curious.
Just trying to think logically here. In immune mediated neuropathy, the best course of treatment involves suppression...thus reducing antibody production and activity.
I wonder if your cessation of neuropathy symptoms has to do with your immune system being focused on the infection, not attacking your nerves. When you get an infection, your immune system ramps up and becomes very active...so in that sense, you'd think the neuropathy would be worse, but for you it did the opposite. So I wonder if the infection redirected the antibody activity, for lack of a better description...does this make sense?
If possible, then I think this entire experience with the infection and cessation of SFN might actually indicate more probability that it's immune mediated.
But like I said at the start...I could be out to lunch here and completely off my rocker. I was just thinking out loud...and outside the box.
|
Thanks so much - EnBloc this is exactly the direction my own thoughts are running in. Surely - even though this isn't the most obvious way these things go - it does show that there's some connection with automminuty? My instincts have always said that this SFN is directly connected with my RA - possibly also my Hashimoto's. My rheumy seemed to think this was likely too which is why I'm to try Imuran.
Unfortunately I had my skin biopsy done twelve days ago when the neuropathic pain had more or less disappeared so not sure if his pin prick tests (looking for the numbest part of both legs - we chose outer calves) were as meaningful as they might have been if the usual pain had been present. Nothing is really that numb with me - more icy cold, tingly, aching and burning simultaneously. It's reached right up as far as my groin now that it's back. This is very much creeping me out. GP will just suggest that I take another symptomatic treatment - can't recall what the next one is called. He won't be keen for me to try another immune suppressant when I'm so drug intolerent and have been so ill all winter. But the consultant thought it worth me trying - said it made sense to him so I guess his word takes precedence. I just hope I can tolerate it and it works to stall the SFN. Mat