I understand where you are coming from. To try to put you mind at ease, my being married to a DDO I know of the times when colleagues demonstrated compassion has lead to endless remonstration. Don't worry about the next drunk driver being let off, my experience tells me it's a rarity and their one act of compassion drives them to the brink with thoughts haunting them. They just don't do it again.

You would do better to focus on yourself rather than worrying about someone else whose actions are beyond your limit of influence. It seems you've suffered much, try not to let this lapse overwhelm you. I wonder if Metanx as Newtown is trying may offer you some hope. My poor old dad suffered terribly with PN & my SIL in rehab is having a dreadful time with it. It is insidious. I hope you are having a better week. Do keep us updated.

OMG...I read that book during the binge of '09. I should re-read it as I don't recall much of it....LOL

1800 days. 5 years next month. That's all for now!

Appreciate the update.
Keep up the good work.



Gerry

Hello All,
While I started the antidepressant and anxiety drug, it will take a while for it to work, if it will at all. I just have to hang in there til it does. It took a few days to get back on wagon but I am back and it is very uncool to drink on the med.

The pins and needles are the same, weakness is same but the burning is intensified. I guess that period of abstinence had done me some good afterall and now I am back to where I was 3 months ago. I had maybe 16 beers total but guess that was enough to do it, plus major stress and poor eating.

Doc says he can't fix my ****** life but hopefully the med will help me cope better. I hope to god I get some relief. The anxiety and depression has been too much to bare.

And how is life treating you guys?

SecondChances, you could consider taking taurine as a supplement. I have been taking it at 1 g/day for some time. It is the only supplement that I take. This (courtesy of mrsD) provides some background Benefits of Taurine | Life Extension.

Recently I developed painful osteoarthritis in one shoulder. Based on the anti-inflammatory properties of taurine (Taurine and inflammatory diseases) I increased the dose to 3 g/day and it is working well.

I don't know if what you have described has an inflammatory component but it might help.

I doubt that it will interact with your prescription drugs but obviously check with your doctor about this first.

Oh wow Kiwi, thanks much. I have read up on Taurine and believe that could be a wonderful option for me. Ironically I recently had some lab tests done and I was alarmed to find that the blood sample revealed elevated inflamation
properties but no doctor can tell me if this is a result of my multitude of old injuries and back problems or something else. I will definately try the Taurine. Much thanks.

Taurine...interesting.

One of my wise friends here said that for the more advanced neuropathy, improvement cannot be assessed daily or weekly but more like every 6 months. That is excellent advise for me. I will say however that for whatever reason, I had a remarkably good night last night. While I am back to my "norm" this morning, I am more determined than ever and will welcome any good nights to come. Wish it was not so rainy and miserable as a walk or a stumble around the block would do me good.

I wish more members would join or post. I would love to hear of other's journeys with this crappy disease.

You are really giving your best to dealing with the drinking as well as and the side effects of neuropathy. Enjoy the good days. At times neuropathy can be unpredictable. I have dealt with the burning ankles and feet; especially in the evening, for several years; some days/nights better than others.

I may have mentioned in the past; my daughter, who herself dealt with addiction (has been clean for several years); received certification almost 2 yrs. ago as a Certified Recovery Support Specialist for Mental & Substance Abuse.

Last year she was Certified as an Alcohol & Drug Counselor . Staying sober is a lifetime commitment. I am very proud of her endeavor to help herself while trying to help others with their addictions.

Appreciate your updates.


Gerry

Drinking too much is bad
 

Hi,

I read that the peripheral nerves transmit signals between the body, the spinal cord, and the brain. Thiamine, folate, niacin and vitamin B6 and B12 and vitamin E are all needed for proper nerve function. And drinking too much can alter levels of these nutrients and affect the spread of alcoholic neuropathy.

Things that are in moderation are just fine but we all know that everything that is too much is bad. Hope this could help. ;)

Taurine...I'm going to go buy some of that this afternoon!

My supplements regime is similar if not slightly developed from an earlier post about it. However, I have been reducing my intake of B vitamins here and there because I've read excess of B12 can cause nerve issues.

My neuropathy is in a new and fairly consistent state, which is:

Walking, running, and day to day life I no longer have any symptoms.

However, when laid flat I get a numb pain and some slight tingling in the end of my feet. It's not enough to disrupt sleep. It's similar in the morning, but after moving around it goes. On holiday recently I fell to sleep in a hammock with my legs raised above my body...and found my feet to be completely numb for about 10 minutes. And every time I raised my legs up they started to go very numb. Prior to suffering from neuropathy this never happened.

If I drink more than 1 weak coffee a day I get the tingling feeling back until I've not drank coffee for 24-36 hours.

The more I exercise the better they are, and the more water I drink and the less sugar I intake. Basically, I know that if I limit myself to 3 english breakfast teas a day, with a low sugar / carbohydrate diet, LOTS of water and I exercise for at least an hour, I'm almost certain to have a symptomless day.

I've been running some 10km races recently. My times have been 57m, 55m, 52m and 51m 30s, for any runners out there!

My brother and I went to watch a big boxing show last night in a stadium in UK. I'm at 6 1/2 months sober and he's about 9 1/2 months. Needless to say everyone else was very drunk. Had a great time, didn't talk about alcohol the whole night until on the way back we agreed how much better it was not drinking. Couldn't help but notice a few things about how we've changed. We were probably the two best presented in our stand...and that's coming from a couple of serious slobs in our worst drinking days.

An update from little old me. Almost done with my decompression and laser therapy. It helped with the pain but not so much the numbness. They had also put me on the usual vitamin B complex, and handed me jugs of alkaline water to drink constantly throughout my regimen. Also was administered oxygen during the decompression therapy. I turned 47 recently and realized that since my neuropathy started (exactly 4 years ago), I have a new tolerance for pain that I never had before. I have constant pain from my right elbow to the wrist, acid reflux and allergies to the point that I throw up phlegm almost every morning, if not that, then I just have a rotten stomach ache until noon. I should say that this coincided with the start of the decompression therapy (the machine runs up and down your midsection, which probably isn't conducive to proper digestion).

Anyway, as much of a wimp I have been all my life, it's amazing how the new pains I have developed now are so secondary to my PN. I feel like I am 67, not 47! :eek:

I believe you are confusing B12 with B6. Excess B6 does impact some people, but still one has to consume huge amounts daily.

B12 taken orally is poorly absorbed and hence only a few micrograms are absorbed. This is why it needs to be taken orally daily. A 1000mcg dose leads to only 13 micrograms optimally absorbed if taken on an empty stomach. It was long thought to not work orally but a recent experiment on volunteers showed enough can be absorbed this way to help with low levels.

You can get tested for B12 to see if you maintain a level of 1000pg/ml. Lab ranges for B12 go way too low and haven't yet been modified to match the current studies. The current suggested low is 400pg/ml today. Discontinue B12 oral for several days to a week before any testing to arrive at more accurate values.

If you have the link (s) to any discussion of B12 causing "nerve issues in excess", please post them here.

It's also worth noting that in case of smoke poisoning, patients are given up to 15 grams of B12, intravenous, without any known side effects (obviously, if you are not allergic to B12, that is).

That is one million times more than what we get from the supplements we are talking about, in a single day.

| Cyanokit

2131 days sober.

I turn 44 this month, almost 6 years since I last had a sip of alcohol. I had a neat conversation with a young lady a couple days ago about how we have to "prune the herd" of friends that drag us down.

That got be thinking of the "friends" I had in my drinking years that have fallen by the wayside of my life and how much more positive my life is now in sobriety.

Tomorrow I climb a mountain (literally)...so if you don't hear from me in a couple days then I have gone off the grid and become a hippy.

Groovy man, groovy! :D And congrats. ;)

Good job Icehouse!

Enjoy your mountain climb :).

3,800ft above sea level....4 hour hike...then spent the afternoon in a lake doing NOTHING but floating and frolicking.

I will not become a hippy, the thought of dreadlocks and patchouli does not appeal to me (but I do own a VW Bus so I am on the verge).

Let's see if I can move in the morning.... :D

My neuropathy began almost 6 years ago and it began with the pins and needles which got progressively worst, then the debilitating weakness followed by the burning.

As you know I struggle but I was hopeful that in time I might see some improvement. My thought was because the burning started last, I might have a chance of recovering from that. I have ups and downs but some days the burning is quite tolerable.

What I wanted to share though was that two days ago the pins and needles were only below the knees, and yesterday evening they were completely gone! It has been 6 years and miraculously they disappeared! While they are back today in full force, I am more optimistic than ever. I am hopeful that I too may be climbing a mountain top some day.

Stay well my friends.

SecondChances, that is excellent news :)!

It's today. And tomorrow. Both are true. :D

Today because, well, it's 1825 days. Tomorrow, because last year was a leap year (for the nerdies: a year that can be divided by 4, but not by 100, unless it's by 400 :Clever:), and my sobriety started on June 13th, 2012. And it's almost tomorrow in Australia - it always is. ;)

5 years sober. I did not have a fun year personally (understatement), but that had nothing to do with staying sober. In fact, more than ever, during difficult times, it's one of the most comforting things in my life, that I'm staying sober, and don't even think about alcohol much. I might not even have had the personal struggles I had this year, if I had continued drinking, because, well..., I'd be dead by now. (try guzzling 1,825 liters of whisky...)

Part of me always says "you shouldn't be proud, most people don't start off with abusing alcohol anyway, do you want a cookie or something?". But on a day like today I'll allow myself some pride.

Here's to year six and beyond. :cool:

You can be humble in the big picture, but do take pride; even if just for a moment, it's a quality achievement. Congrats:hug:

Wide-O, I think that you have earned the right to feel proud.

It has been your hard work and determination which has got you where you are today.

Well done :D!

Be proud (if only for one day of the year)! We are proud of you!

Have some chocolate and a soda.... :D

I am here and checking in. Ugh....neuropathy, like alcoholism is "bafflingly and cunning". The pins and needles and creepy crawlers that I have suffered from for 6+ years have greatly improved but the weakness is worse and the burning that began slowly over the last year has intensified. Is this progress? I choose to believe so.

I was actually drinking a can of Coke, and eating a Mars bar while reading that. :D Not good for health reasons, but hey, I still need some guilty pleasures.

BTW, the PN is very manageable lately. I'm suspecting I feel better in summer. Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's that I am a lot more active with the gardening stuff etc.

Mrs D & Wide-O - thanks, I went straight back on to my previous daily dosage of B vitamins. It was on a forum which I can't find now.

Second Chances - I found when my burning was intolerable, I'd get the occasional hour or so where it would relent. And then that hour would be 2, then eventually it became the norm.

I've given up caffeine, diet & sugary drinks, and gluten. Which ultimately means I now get no symptoms at all during the day. Now it's just slight pain and numbness on an evening...but that is also getting better. Coffee and diet drinks now, and previously alcohol and opiate based medication have been very strong triggers for burning pain in my experience.


And that's the main thing I want to share this time - I'd still have constant burning now if I drank a few coffees and diet drinks a day, and ate a lot sugary food. So you're maybe waiting for the improvement since abstaining from alcohol but there could be other factors affecting your nerves. And for me...it has always taken between 48 hours and a week from giving something up to seeing the improvement. I'm also down a lot of weight too...30kg in total, and exercise a couple of hours a day. Not certain if that's helping or not with the PN.

I started on the Taurine too..which takes me to about 30 supplements I experiment with!

Congratulations Wide-O, can't wait to be celebrating 5 years myself!

This is important, and the reason we ask people to read this thread from the beginning. I did exactly the same a year after getting sober: stop sugar (fructose) intake, and start an anti-inflammation diet. I had spectacular results after about a month, and also lost 34 kg in the process (after 4 months). These days, when I feel it's getting worse again, I go back on a low sugar diet. I know I should do that 24/7/365 but the good is not the enemy of the perfect.

But I do still maintain the fresh food/if it comes in a box the box has more nutrients than the content (;)), self-prepared, lots of olive oil, lots of variation, etc. - routine.

And yes, exactly, when you try something, give it some time, a couple of weeks. PN is a constant search of what works and what doesn't, and some patience is needed. Stressing about it only makes it worse. Make notes, or a journal, so you can find your way back into what exactly you did to make it worse/better.

Sugar is so very close to alcohol for the liver (in the end, alcohol is fermented sugar) that it pays to stay clear of it for a while. And by that, I mean: fructose. Fruit juice is just as bad as sodas. Fructose is in a lot more products than you'd ever imagine, and has a lot more names. There is no difference between "natural" and processed. Honey is... fructose, and has the same working as HFCS.

Do a search on glycemic load/glycemic index when it comes to food and ingredients, and how to combine those with other foodstuffs. Don't think it's the kind of boring diet that leaves you hungry and cranky all day long. It's not - and losing excess weight is just a bonus.

I think that this is an excellent suggestion.

High glycemic index (GI) foods are those in which glucose is released rapidly after consuming them. Examples include sugar-rich fizzy drinks and white-grain products (white rice, white bread, etc). They are fine in moderation but over-consumption of them is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes.

The contrast is with low GI foods in which glucose is released slowly. Examples include most vegetables (though not potatoes), brown rice, whole-grain breads, whole-grain pasta, etc.

I did start a journal and use this site to document any progress. The only known factor that sets me back is stress. Other than that I can find no correlation between foods and symptoms but I have been recently on antidepressants which aid in reduction of anxiety and I wonder if that is why the pins and needled are mostly gone. The burning is still present but to varying degrees and mostly manageable. The weakness is what incapacitates me but that could be attributed in part to muscle atrophy due to being idle for so long.

You guys inspire me and I thank you for your support.

Someone had asked if smoking weed helped with the neuropathy issues and I had responded that it had never worked for me.....but now I wonder. I gave it up some time ago but in an effort to not relapse again and to help with those long restless nights I picked some up and oddly that does coincide with the recent gains and the pins and needles stopping. Coincidence? Likely but I just made that connection. Something to add to my journal and further explore. I will add that I am a total lightweight when it comes to pot, unlike my beer or vodka, so when I say I smoke it is only a couple puffs in the evening. Tonight and tomorrow I will try not to part take and then gauge any decline or difference.

Stay well All.

Icehouse, I am an ol' timer hippy. :)

Just to make you jealous....here is my ride.

Groovy! Road trip?

That's awesome Icehouse.

I once had a Combi like that, shared with a mate - it was great fun ;).

Didn't we all once have a kombi like that? Or a VDub....

Or, if you are like me with an aircooled fetish, SIXTEEN!!! If you add on all the water-cooled ones then I am in the high 20's.....

I wonder if there is a site like this for VW addicts? :p;):D

One mile at a time Ice, one mile at a time. :D