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Old 12-14-2011, 12:22 PM
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mrsD mrsD is offline
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mrsD mrsD is offline
Wisest Elder Ever
mrsD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Great Lakes
Posts: 33,508
15 yr Member
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It takes time for people to get into the PN status, it can creep along quietly.

I had terrible foot problems from being hypothyroid, and once that was treated, it took a YEAR of tingling in my feet before they came back! They had reached the numb stage after the initial painful stages in the beginning.

You will want the new R-lipoic--the stabilized one---for best results. The old Alpha lipoic requires high doses, and 1/2 of it is actually inactive. So the new one is preferable and will give faster results. Doctor's Best brand is the best I've used. It is giving me lower A1C's whereas the others did not.

So since it takes time for you to get where you are now, it will take some time to recover. Supplements are not drugs, and not typically fast acting, unless some extreme deficiency was present.

Ketones show up when you are not eating alot of carbs. They show up as fat is burned for energy.
I do know the sticks can be corrupted and read erroneously. But I don't know the exact chemistry of them. They were used commonly for monitoring the Atkin's diet, which was very low carb.

Carbs do help one sleep. This is because they enable release serotonin in the brain. Also a heavy carb meal late will boost insulin levels which are sedating, BUT...then you crash and wake up and you dip low. You might try, slow carbs like lentils, or black beans, green peas. I found a nice Progresso Soup with lentils, and typically use 1/2 can at night with other veggies mixed in. These are very nice for night time because they don't wear off.
I also use Bush's black beans..these are easier on GI tract than red beans for me.

Also to consider is nightshade veggies. I cannot tolerate potatoes anymore...they have solanine in them, and make me burn terribly. Histamine containing food also causes paresthesias.
I have a new histamine thread here:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread161714.html
I just ordered the Daosin-- and it came last night. I haven't tried it yet...but I gave my cat who has the histamine tumors, a 1/3 dose just now...to see how she reacts. Histamines in foods or histamine releasers can give PN type symptoms in some people. Tomatoes also are a big culprit.

Methylcobalamin is the cofactor for converting serotonin to melatonin, for sleep BTW. Low methylB12 and you won't be making melatonin much.

Low blood sugar makes it difficult to sleep... I was waking up having lows, and when I tested I found that fact.

You might ask the doctor for amitriptyline for bedtime. I don't see that you take an antidepressant? Amitriptyline showed recently in a research study that it increase nerve growth factors, and that makes it especially good for PNers.

I started it last Thursday, 10mg at bedtime, and it really helps you SLEEP... I have old shingles neuralgia in my right arm, which often wakes me up. So far I've been in a kind of coma in fact with the amitriptyline! LOL Today I am a bit more alert, but for two days there I was napping like mad.

If the Neurontin is not working...I'd taper off it. While doing a drug thread here I found several meta-studies claiming it is only effective in about 1/3 of patients. If it doesn't work, get rid of it.
It will require a taper, for safety if you have used it a long time.

I don't think you need other vitamin tests at this time. Just take
a good product like Centrum Senior, (I use the Costco version of that) for the rest of the vitamins.

For now, you may see improvements with what I've suggested. Those are the "big guns" so to speak.
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MarcS (12-15-2011)