Hello, time to share my scary story, if I may. I have unilateral sole paresthesia and ulnar nerve related paresthesia (left side), 4 months after waking up to reality and not letting alcohol destroy my sense of self-reliance and physique anymore.

I am wondering how long how long until these paresthesias resolve? I have no frank weakness, so it seems that only the sensory nerves are affected for now. God willing.

This tingling was quite pronounced with sudden onset on the night of April 3 - tingling in left sole. 2 hours later, tingling in left hand - ulnar nerve (since smallest finger and the one next to it on LS affected). The hand tingling disappeared on certain postures with left forearm (rotation of left hand to palm up position and resting forearm in lap).

Minutes later, felt tingling around left corner of mouth for about 6 minutes, then the sensation fully disappeared. Right thumb vaguely felt tingly, but resolved very quickly. Right big toe felt tingly 3 hours after tingling in left sole commenced.

Hours after ulnar nerve impairment, left hand radial nerve involved - all of back of left hand tingling (pins/needles).

Immediately commenced 400mg vit B1 (@ 9.30PM, April 3). This in addition to vitamin regimen:


10,000iu vit A,
1500mg Magnesium
Vit B3
Vit B6 and B 12
Choline
Inositol
Vit C
Chewable calcium
2000iu Vit D


Midnight, April 3 -4: right toe sensation resolved; right hand again normal. Symptoms can be exacerbated by jiggling legs on points of toes from seated position (the things we do when we get paranoid, yes, yes...). Went to sleep and awoke 4 hours later, only mild paresthesia persistent on back of left hand.

No recurrence of right side paresthesias.

Personal/Drinking History:
-------------------------

Discharged from Special Forces, 2011 (drank one shot about 5 times in my life before that time). SF taught me to drink. Was extremely fit, lean and - weighed in at 220 pounds.

Changes in muscle mass noticed Feb 2014, after binge session. When ceased drinking, physique returned to normal in 2 weeks.

Bodyweight down to 183 pounds from 220 by Aug 2014.

When ceased drinking for a month, body-weight returned very rapidly.

Relapsed into drinking (foolish, yes. I thought I could "manage" it and didnt see IT was managing me).

Insomnia October 25-31, 2014 lasted 5 days

Insomnia recurred and persisted thru Nov 1-5, 2014.

Cessation of alcohol: Nov 31, 2014.

Dec 2014 - Noticed after gym work that "pumps" were not as big. Due to less muscle mass, not as defined. Pumps and psychical appearance of upper body, arms seems to change on daily or weekly basis - with glimpses of past form. More fatty deposits noticed. (Diagnosed as myopathy - acute form overlaying chronic form. Told to give it 3 to 4 months to regain lean mass. Fat explained as "trapping radicals and toxins in body" by naturopath ...).

Dec 31 - Jan 2, night time onset of left leg sciatic nerve paresthesia - VERY mild sense of warmth in back of thigh; restless feet that night, chronic insomnia begins. Awake and feeling "wired" after only 3 or 4 hours sleep. Sitting at computer, warmth in leg, very very mild sense of tingling left sole.

Coerced myself into drinking 3 glasses of wine at birthday party Feb 20, 2015 - no change to insomnia. (GABA receptors affected).

Feb/Mar 2015 - tachycardia, sense of being very awake or hyperactive - resolved very quickly once commenced Magnesium and vitamin regimen detailed above (WITHOUT B1). This marked protracted withdrawal/recovery phase.

Feb 2015, two incidences. days apart, of awaking with left arm and hand tingling mildly, Resolved very quickly on getting out of bed and moving.

Insomnia regularly persistent until March, 2015 - commenced that above vitamin and mineral schedule.

Drank heavily from Dec 23, 2011 to Nov 27, 2014. Cessation on Nov 31, 2014. 3 wine relapse on Feb 15, 2015.

Currently, paresthesias are nowhere near as pronounced as they were on Apr 3. Better after light nap, seem to be worse on waking after deep sleep. Seems to change on an hourly basis, or less than that - tingling more definite some minutes; followed by an almost complete absence of tingling for other minutes.

I estimate from my records that I purchased some 212 bottles of slow death, and then drank them at a rate of better than one a week for almost 3 years at a median rate of 4.29 standard drinks per day. (Some days were double or triple that, with some rare months of abstinence). After such idiocy, if a few pins and needles is all I get, then I am more blessed than I pretty much deserve to be.

And you know... It's the roadblocks that we avoid, that could have made all the difference... my own examples include being called out by my dear lady on being drunk and pretending not to be (I kept it from her and the rest of the human race). (Thank God for her Sagittarian bluntness)... And bicycling home with a bottle and for noooo reason, (handlebars seemed to lock up on a STRAIGHT road) coming off, and breaking the bottle, and getting soaked in aldehyde stinking death.

There is no safe amount of alcohol. It would be classified as a class A substance these days, if it were recently developed.

Love the attention to detail....wish I had a solid answer for you but it is different for everyone.

Thank you so much, anyway. I appreciate your reply.

Hi Dubinin

Welcome to NeuroTalk .

I am in remission (I can not yet say recovered) from alcohol addiction.

My paresthesia was relatively mild (in my hands) and has pretty much resolved since I stopped drinking (a couple of years ago, with some minor lapses since then, none recently).

In my experience resisting urges to drink does get easier with time and I hope that the same will be the case for you.

Hi Kiwi33, thank you for the welcome!

I'm glad your paresthesias were mild. I've never experienced anything like that in my life. Since that party where I conned myself and said "no, nothing bad will happen," I've been completely off of it. And just reading exactly what alcohol does (there is nowhere near enough public ed - it is all focused on tobacco) keeps me sober. I enjoy my life and my fitness much too much, and will not destroy my life anymore.

Thank you for your great words of support. Paresthesias have really tamed down in the 6 days since they occurred. But I will post an update now. Who knows who might be helped some day

UPDATE: 6 days after paresthesias kicked my butt (almost to the hour)

Paresthesias have greatly reduced. Some slight tremor present on partial exertion - fully tense arm = no tremor. Fully relaxed - no tremor. Slight tension and slight tremor visible, especially when rotating hand from palm-down palm-up.

Woke up yesterday (4.5 days after onset of paresthesias) without any paresthesias. Buttt, sitting at computer for a short time elicited left sole paresthesia, and sense of warmth in right hamstring (sciatic nerve).

Today, managed to barbell curl 95 pounds (43 kg) in 2 sets - 10 reps, 4 minute rest, 12 reps.

Completed press ups with feet elevated: 60, 50, 50, 40.

Began lunges, completed 22 then my dear lady messaged

And I will only build up from this. I could not give a flying freak what tries to stop me.

Feel some overall fatigue and a little heaviness in left leg compared to right. Apart from that, we're rolling free.

Eating whole foods, avoiding fats except for "good" fats - olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, nuts in small hits.

Raw snow peas, baby corn, bell peppers, chicken poached (sorry to vegetarians).

(Of course this all hit at Easter, at least it was where I am currently situated. And so there are a few delicious things staring at me with their puerile little faces, through plastic holiday windows in boxes, but alas - they shall wait to be eaten some other day!)

Using a protein supplement (also contains B1, etc and choline). Always have plenty of water when eating protein - even when drinking a protein shake.

Drinking plenty of water in a day.

Drinking anti-oxidant teas (green tea, mint tea; and a blend of paprika, cayenne, black pepper, thyme, oregano- hello overgrown herb garden, in my mouth!)

Absolutely starving lately. I did crave chocolate and chips through November 2014 to February 2015. That has died off (there is an actual physiological phenomenon that causes this as a result of withdrawal). No ascites, no obvious signs of hepatic distress; no splenomegaly. Kidney function normal (did have some morning urinary trouble expelling until February).

Okay then. Now to eat.

Thank God... I am so so lucky... I thought it was all harmless fun. I didn't realize I was in deep. Who knows? If I live properly, as I'm intended to do, and eat properly, etc., I could maybe avoid latter life complications from these past episodes of alcohol abuse.

If you're going through anything like this, then you CAN push through!

Dubinin, your "eating well" plan looks pretty good to me.

This is just a thought but maybe add some slow-release (low GI) carbohydrate foods to it - things like brown rice and whole-grain bread products.

Welcome Dubinin.

I notice you listed niacin in your supplement list.

If you are taking real niacin ...that can cause skin paresthesias and tingling flushing etc.

Niacin in the form of niacinamide does not cause this reaction.

Hello, Kitt! Thank you for your welcome!

Your signature is intriguing and it reminds me of a scene from the 1968 version of Flowers for Algernon.