Hi Everyone,

I'm new and wanted to say Hello. My story below....

Had a heart attack back in June of this year...was treated with stents that saved my life. However, I started to have pain in my left thumb several days after leaving the Hospital. A day later it spread to my right hand. As you can imagine this was quite perplexing. Several weeks later it spread to the feet and ankles. It's now been 3 months and I have the pain in most areas of my body with the exception of my face, back, chest, stomach. Sleep is hard to come by and I suffer from fatigue and extreme depression. Pins and needles, shooting pain, muscle atrophy, muscles in the thighs that move on their own. dry mouth and eyes, in addition to eye floaters.

I have been to several Neurologists. Blood work and EMG came up negative. Tomorrow I am scheduled for a small fiber skin biosy. My folate level is low but B12 shows 460. Having said that I am wondering if it's a b12 deficiency causing my symptoms but that's probably wishful thinking. I have read the book "could it be B12"?

Of course all of the above has changed my life to the point that I am no longer the person I was in the past. Soon I will lose my job and health insurance if I can not return to work.

Pain management so far has been Tylenol every 6 hours. I was given Gabapentin but have so far been to scared to try it especially given I don't have a diagnosis yet, although all the clinical signs point to Neuopathy.

Any advice would be well appreciated.

Thanks for listening.

Cliffman

I would venture to say you are on statins, after that stent.

These drugs cause all sorts of problems with the nerves, and muscles.

I thought of that as well but I was pulled off of the statin drug only several weeks after the stents were put in and have not taken any since then.

Cliffman

Hello Cliffman,

I just wanted to welcome you to the NeuroTalk Support Groups.

There is a
Peripheral Neuropathy Forum
if you click on the link above.

There is also a wealth of information in the PN SubForum
PN Tips, Resources, Supplements & Other Treatments

take care.

Hello and Welcome Cliffman,

I am sorry to hear you are going through so much and having difficulty getting answers. You will find understanding and support here. It is a great community.

Have there been any issues in general with the types of stents you have or with the materials they are made of? Just a thought.

Also I am curious if any doctors have given any thought to Complex Regional Pain Syndrome? I am reluctant to put that forward but it does share features with what you describe and has been documented to arise after heart attacks in some instances.

We have an active group on the CRPS subforum. I sincerely hope that you don't have to join us there but if you do if it is a soft place to land.

I hope you find relief and answers soon. Sending hugs and healing love,

Hi Cliffman,

Heart attacks are a real kick in the chest - mine hurt like heck, dropped me to the floor! It is great that stents saved you, I have avoided any so far despite becoming Brady Hypotensive during a check-up angiogram.

You have been given good advice and ideas regarding your pain, but I feel you also need to address the Depression you have, naturally, found yourself slipping into. This comes after a major event, especially when you end up with painful complications you are having difficulty finding cause of.

I would suggest you bring this up with your GP and see if there is a Therapist s/he can refer you to in order to talk this out. It may be found that you need a little while on antidepressants, but the alternative - a possible deepening of the Depression - is worse. Remember, mental state has a very real and direct effect on physical symptoms. That is not to say the pain is in your head, it is not, but when our Mood is low our our pain levels escalate.

Feel free to talk about this, or any of your issues or concerns, across the Forums.

Dave.

I don't know what a heart attack could be plenty to cause trauma induced PN. The muscle wasting was something I had and was told Amyotrophy was the cause. I guess that two things at once is not unheard of. Anyway the Amyotrophy includes a phase that is fast and scary and includes muscle wasting. Hang on to your job as long as you can because your symptoms may start getting better. Don't be afraid of the Gabapentin, it helps some and not others but is not as strong as you need if the Tylenol is not cutting it. If you need stronger pain relief you might have to get your Dr. to refer you to pain Management. In PM they can give you the strength of relief that will keep you from hurting badly. (hurting badly can drive you to depression) I have been taking Ambien for a couple of years and am currently trying to quit taking it. But sleep is essential for getting better so don't worry about taking sleep aids. Same way with pain relief you can always stop after you get better. Good Luck, Ken in Texas.

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome & thoughtful responses.

I would like to write more & respond to each and everyone of your posts but my hands are a major source of pain & limit my ability to type, for that I apologize. Also, the hand pain has kept me out of returning to work. Have any of you found one of the drugs to be effective enough in being able to use one's fingers/hands daily? I really need a solution and only have until Dec to figure this out or bye-bye job, insurance etc.

I agree that I need to get a handle on the depression. The dark thoughts haunt me day & night.

Today I had a Small Fiber Skin Biopsy. I pray it comes back negative when the results come out in 3 weeks.

Thanks again everyone..I will try writing more soon. Maybe some voice reco. software is in order.

Cliffman

Hey Cliffman,

Many people use Gabapentin to great effect, but you do have to titrate up to a working dose.

Dave.

Thanks Dave! I was given Gabapentin & another doc ordered some Cymbalta, not sure which is best and scared like hell to try either one but I will need to very soon.

Be well.....

Cliffman