852 days sober.

Have not ran yet, she tried her best this weekend but I was stubborn and let my procrastination step in. :D

But, here is the good news. After 4 years, I will travelling to see my kids for the first time in 4 years in about three weeks.

See? Sobriety does pay off.

On a PN note, somebody commented the other day that if they didnt know already, they would have no clue I have PN (or had?). Apparently the catch in my gait is barely noticeable.

Woohoo!

Keep up the good work folks!

That's some serious good news! (apart from the slacking in the athletic department obviously ;) )

Day 538 here. Winter seems to be getting to me a bit; I am at my ideal weight, have finished most of the work that needed to be done around the house, a bit more pain, a bit more tinnitus, a bit of a "now what?" feeling.

Mind you, I've been on a high ever since April (when the pain subsided), and was doing the DIY with the same kind of... addiction I previously used to slug away whisky. I suppose I do have some kind of addictive personality. Also, we had one of the darkest Novembers on record, first frost outside, dreading the holidays (always had that).

Funny thing is: I realize for 100% that having a drink would not improve that temporary rut for a single second. Weird: it just doesn't seem to be a valid "option" anymore.

Thought I'd do a check-in as well. Day 110. Living without booze has been surprisingly easy so much so I keep thinking why'd I wait so long and do all this damage to myself. Then I think, well what's done is done, can't change the past and focus on today. Tomorrow might not be so easy.

Neuropathy wise, the stabbing pains seem to be less, the numbness in my hands is gone and I seem to regaining sensation slowly in my legs. The doc was fiddling with my ankles the other day and I could actually tell when he was touching me and when he wasn't. Note, I've not mentioned the neuropathy to him. He was looking at something else.

Biggest problem mainly is standing or walking for periods of time. I was at a social function tonight (didn't even bat an eye at the free beer) and stood for three hours. I had to take breaks and sit from time to time and afterwards walking back to the car was excruciating. From what I can tell this is a neuropathy symptom (at least it seems such from reading this thread and others). Hopefully this too will get better over time. Funny though, I never had the heaviness or cramping that people report, but my feet are sore in an arthritic sort of manner most days (nothing that an advil can't cure if I can't ignore it which I usually can) and sheesh, as I mentioned, being on them for any period of time hurts. That sound familiar to anyone?

Anyway that's my checkin. I love this thread and find it so inspirational. I check it weekly!

Thanks for the check-in! Looking forward to following your progress as time goes by. So, besides staying off the drink, are you doing anything else to alleviate the PN?

In my case I had weakness and heaviness, but mainly the tingling. No pain to speak of but highly uncomfortable.

Day 120 report here: Some slight improvement overall since day 90, nothing dramatic but hey I'll take it! As a couple of you mentioned above, beer doesn't even seem an option and I seldom miss it. Occasionally a friend will ask me if I want a drink or why I am not drinking and occasionally I say: "I have peripheral neuropathy." That pretty much ends the conversation about that since the eyes are now glazed over for them.

Wide O ...I hope your tinnitus didn't make an appearance because i asked you about it! That crap can drive ya nuts.

Oh well, the beat goes on. Keep up the good work everyone!

Nah, heheh, it seems to have been a warning to slow it down a notch. In the mean time it has subsided again. Don't ask me how it works, but for me it is directly linked to stress.

According to this song (if you don't listen too closely) the beep goes on. ;)

Good to see we're all still at it. Nice work!

Edit: maybe we don't say this enough; after the initial detox and adaptation to a sober life, it seems to be a lot easier than we could ever have hoped, for 95% of the time. It's that 5% that we have to manage, and be weary of. It can trip us up, but most of the time I honestly don't even think about alcohol. It's not the "constant-craving-and-panicking-about-caving-in", that I feared so much, at all. (at least for me that's how it works)

I believe the standard vitamin regiment:

300mg Benfotiamine, 200mg, r-Lipoc, a B complex (Jarrow's B-Right), 4000mcg Methyl B-12. Then a standard Centrum & Fish-oil.

In addition I'm working on losing weight (down 60lbs, but plenty to go). Need to get exercise, and quit smoking (again! started in rehab after quitting for 5 years prior).

That's how it's looking like it's going to shake out for me personally, it was the same when I quit smoking. Didn't bother me except once in a great while.

However if I need any reminder of what will happen if I touch a drink again it's what happened when I started smoking again when I was in rehab. Didn't even miss a beat, right back to two packs a day.

That is one of my driving forces. I look back to where I was 2 years ago and I am quickly reminded of where I do NOT want to go. Homeless, in a wheelchair, on the verge of death and estranged from my family. While I no longer have cravings, I do wonder what would happen if I just had one drink. Then I shake my head, get someone to kick me in the *** and go on with my day. One drink is NOT worth what I have rebuilt and the respect I have gained via sobriety. Plus my PN has dropped to almost undetectable.

Great to hear of such great news of your progress Icehouse!! and everyone else on this thread!

I'm approaching my 1 year of sobriety (343 days at the moment) and it's been quite a journey already, but it's been so worth it.

I'm under 30, suffering from PN and at times can't believe I'm on a thread like this talking about alcohol abuse, since I'm still so young, but here I am! The consequences of losing control and letting the party get the best of me and my body.

For those whom might be reading on and not on the forum, here's a little bit of the symptoms I was experiencing:

I had lack of sleep, lack of coordination, vertigo, headaches, terrible acne, restlessness, lack of concentration, stomach problems, loss of sensation (leading to me not even able to pick up a quarter), tremors, twitching, irregular sweating, heart palpitations, cold hands and feet, and a whole bunch of other wacky conditions.

I want to say with the helpful advice and members of this forum, that I've conquered most of those conditions and the only issues I have left lingering is irregular sweat, and numbness and cold hands and feet linger on.

I have used all of the supplements that has been mentioned, but not Alpha Lipoic Acid nor CoQ10 which I'll start to take to help my PN in the future.

This is a daily struggle for me and will be going forward. The hardest part is going to bar/clubs with friends and not drinking along with them, but it's gotten easier accepting it. I don't need alcohol to have a good time, but that doens't mean I don't think about it and at times miss it.

That being said, I wake up everyday with the lingering conditions reminding me I'm stronger for it being out of my life. Since then I've only see positive things happen in my life and I can really start enjoying life again without alcohol and accomplishing things I've yet to accomplish.

With the New Year approaching, I know I will only become stronger and wiser from all of this and finally start to set even bigger goals in life than just conquering alcohol abuse.

Thank you guys for all the knowledge you've shared and I wish the absolute best for all of you in the New Year that's on the horizon!! :)

This is a great post! Quite similar to my own story (of woe and triumph), so believe me when I can say that you ARE on the right track. In some cases the symptoms of PN can be alleviated and it appears that yours are slowly going away, as mine did.

Have a safe and sober New Years keep it up!

Happy NY all! I hope you survived the festivities without too much damage.

I realized I just finished my first full year without drinking. Not sure how long that was ago, but ... a long *** time. ;)

Now mentally preparing to get rid of smoking. My addictions are starting to bore me, time to take the plunge.

Everyone is doing so well, on this thread! :grouphug:

Today there is this very interesting article at PsychCentral on how
alcohol (even moderately) damages DNA in cells:

http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/01...dna/64002.html

884 days sober.

HaPpY NeW YeAr!!!

569. Percentage-wise, I'm gaining on you. ;)

150 Day Sobriety Report
 

Well this is sure a mixed bag, the good news: 5 months of no alcohol. That probably hasn't happened since the moon landing. :) I have made meditation part of my daily routine, I sleep very well, feel really good, and I play well with others.

The not so good news: I actually have more numbness in my feet and sometimes my legs than I did when I started this journey. I also have the occasional shot of stabbing pain that I assumed was a thing of the past.

My diet has been awful--lots of cookies, ice cream, and other sugary delights, thank you so much extended holiday season. I am changing that with the new year.

The docs were confident that my PN was most likely from years of alcohol abuse, and I think they are probably right. But this sure is frustrating and makes ya wonder. I read somewhere that PN symptoms get worse for a time even after alcohol cessation, and then gradually get better with continued abstinence. I am hoping that is the case. Happy New Year everyone, it's great to come on here and talk to you.

I personally think ice cream is the worst offender of the sweets.

It thickens the blood with the fats in it, and impairs circulation for several hours. Tests were done on normal people, and blood draws after high fat consumption, showed very thick blood. We know that increasing viscosity of the blood, with various antibodies or peptides (bone marrow diseases like MGUS), will also give PN as the blood cannot circulate well in the tiny vessels in the hands and feet.

Sugar (with its fructose load) is the next to worst also. But I think we are designed to handle a little fructose because that is in fruit. Excessive sugar (fructose is 1/2 of table sugar), however then puts a load on that way.

So sugar + fat = ice cream

Vit E + fish oil will help thin the blood a bit. So if you think this is a problem for you, try those and see if your circulation improves.
Get the natural type of Vit E and take both oils with food.

Otherwise, just keep plugging along, as you are doing. One day at a time.

Thank you for the info, MrsD. I have been eating more ice cream than I even want to report. No mas!

I am 40, and for 38 years I just did not have a sweet tooth. Both my kids do, and seems like everyone around me does too. NOW, I crave chocolate and eat more ice cream than I care to admit. Mind you, that may be only a bowl every couple days, but for me that is grand.

I see a correlation.

My husband is a recovering alcoholic. He was mostly a binge type.
Never during the day, never drove when drinking, never missed work. But it was a huge problem in its own right. We came to an intervention type crisis...and I had him hauled to a hospital, and that scared the dickens out of him.

Well, he is sober now over 10 yrs, and for a while it was double chocolate ice cream EVERY night. I managed to get him off that 2 yrs ago...but he still buys Hershey bars by the case at Costco, and 6pks of Special Dark, and snacks on the Hershey's Dark with Almonds, nuggets. For him, chocolate really helps. I watch him and remind him of "moderation" but I can't really nag him over it.

But that sweet thing I think is connected to the alcohol gene. Both his parents were severe alcoholics too.

Is Costco open yet? Mmmm. :)

For me it was a double one. I could not drink alcohol unless it was sweet. I would panic if I would have enough whisky but not enough coke. I just couldn't down it - even the finest single malts. One, two glasses at the most. With coke however...

Same for beer: the only beer I could drink was a very sweet type trappist. Also: gin or wodka tasted horrible unless there was fruit juice with it. I was a lousy alcoholic. ;)

The moment I quit the need for sugar became ridiculous. I ended that spiral by controlling my insulin levels, which - after a while - removes the craving for sugar.

It probably explains why I still "crave" sugar from time to time, but don't "crave" alcohol. I'm probably very lucky.

[QUOTE=W I ended that spiral by controlling my insulin levels, which - after a while - removes the craving for sugar.



Yes it does Wide O, just takes a couple weeks.

Hi all, I've been reading all of your posts with great interest and admiration.

The reason I am posting is because I am unsure if alcohol is the cause of the symptoms that I have, and like others on here, I have been trying to search for an alternative cause. This is not because I desperately want to drink alcohol again (although a beer from time to time would be nice..) but because I am afraid that it may be something rather more serious.

My symptoms are/have been: sore muscles on soles of feet, burning shins, numb ring finger, aching finger joints, GI problems (including acid reflux), sore fingertips, fine muscle twitches in feet and hands, muscular twitches elsewhere on body, tingling and itchy forearms, odd feeling knees....I think that's it..

The above are not constant and do start/stop/reduce but they never go away permanently. My Father was diagnosed with Alcoholic PN 5 years ago after some serious binge drinking and he hasn't made a full recovery. However he is now mobile and doesn't use a stick to walk.

My drinking habits were different to his. I have drank every day for the last 7/8 years, around a bottle of wine at a time -- sometimes topped up with a few beers too. Sometimes at weekends it would be more than this but that was the average I guess. During this time and before it too, I have been very active. I run 2/3 times a week and cycle 1/2 time p/w too - I wonder if this is why my symptoms haven't been as bad as some?

Anyway I've rambled a lot but the bottom line is - I'm sick of damaging myself with alcohol and I have now quit with the intention of never drinking again. This is my 10th day.

It would be great if anyone has any comments or further questions on the above as it may help me to deal with this thing...

Thanks for reading and I wish everyone well with their challenges.

Welcome aboard Riddler. If you have read my posts you know that I have not exactly experienced a straight line improvement of my PN in sobriety. I've been sober 5 months, not a drop, and fortunately mine was diagnosed as "mild", but despite initial improvement, I am really not much better off than I was a year ago. It is a long process, and if you haven't been to a doctor and had nerve conduction studies and so on, I recommend you look into that. You still may not know for sure if your PN is alcohol related, but at least you will know what the available science has to say about it. I am not at all sure they got mine right, but I am not diabetic, and I have been a heavy drinker for many years, so if it is not alcohol, then I am pretty much on a goose chase because it could be completely idiopathic. Personally, I think it is most likely the alcohol, and it is just going to take some time to see real improvement. Hang in there. Others on here have had better results, and hopefully you will too.

Welcome TheRiddler, the first thing you should do is go see your primary care doctor, a blood test can help narrow down the reason for your symptoms. From the blood test on your doctor will narrow down and recommend a neurologist if it is indeed a form of PN.

Just some word of advice, it takes a long time to get an appointment with most neurologists, so it's better to do so as soon as you can. It took me a little over two months to get an appointment with a neurologist. So it's important to start the process of finding out the reason for all your symptoms.

I hope your symptoms aren't related to PN, but if it is, you've come to the right place, the people on this thread are not only a great resource, but a great inspiration to continue to be abstinent from alcohol. I've just surpassed the year mark of being sober and I credit that to everyone on this forum.

Congrats! I love to see the one year mark passed as that is the hardest part. It really does get easier and time goes by.

I volunteer at place that sees MANY alcoholics and addicts. Relapse is common and sobriety is not to be taken for granted.

Keep up the good work and I am proud of you!!!

Bottom line is you are either an alcoholic or not. If you can go a few days and not even think about it, or just have one glass of wine then you are most likely good. Of course, abstinence is the best way if there is any question at all.

Give it a go!

Hi all and thanks for your responses.

To update; I've not had a drop of booze and it's now been over two weeks. The cravings have dramatically lessened and I feel slightly less irritable. However, symptomatically, things have not changed. To be honest, I didn't expect light-speed miracles but I was hoping...

I've been to see the doc (on everyone's advice-thanks guys) and she has taken bloods and has also referred me to a neurologist. I'm glad that I've got the ball rolling but I'm absolutely terrified of what they may find. Things going through my confused mind are: peripheral neuropathy, MS and, worse still MND.

I'm doing my best to stay positive though and hopefully all of this is just a spot of alcohol withdrawal symptoms....

Keep the faith guys.

Abbreviation?
 

:grouphug::(MND?

Sorry Robibbie, force of habit. It stands for Motor Neurone Disease.

Hi all, by way of an update....Still alcohol free, but still getting the cravings and irritability. This is now 23 days.

I picked up my blood test results from the doctor yesterday and they all seem to be 'satisfactory'. I'm still waiting for my referral letter so that I can see a neurologist; not sure how long it's supposed to take to write a letter....?

None of my symptoms have abated. The fine muscle twitching is the most annoying, along with the tinnitus-does anyone else get this? It seems to be there constantly.

Anyways, I don't know if I should be posting on here as I haven't got a diagnosis of alcoholic neuropathy but I just thought I'd carry on with what I'd started. I'll check back in a few days and see if anyone is interested.

Peace.

I experienced many twitching, usually facial, eyes, and sometimes legs. I had it pretty bad, seizure like twitching at night and random twitching during the day. This subsided after awhile. The worst was night sweats for me after being abstinent for the first few months. I'm not in the clear by no means after a year. My hands and feet are still dead numb, and I fear it may be permanent, but I don't want to lose faith. Everyday is a test, and I'm luckily I've survived this far without giving into anyone or anything.

Word of advice, just keeping your doctor to refer you to a neurologist. It shouldn't take long, from there you can give the neurologist a call and setup an appointment through their assistants. It's better to know than not know. Start early, it's definitely something I wish I was more adamant about in the beginning. Taking the correct vitamins and supplements probably would have saved me from where I am now, but I'm not giving up hope.

Stay strong, keep off sugars, eat fruits, greens, and less carbs and you should be well on your way!

congratulations on your 23 days af riddler.
bizi

916 days sober.

I have been using the cold weather as an excuse to not start running, but it's been in the 50's and 60's here for the last few days. Luckily where I live on the west side of Virginia we missed that huge snow storm that walloped the east coast! Anyway, that is my goal for February, to run. That is something I have not done since 2008.

Wish me luck!

Best of luck Icehouse!! Let us know how it goes!

Coenzyme Q10 + L-Carnitine
 

Has anyone had a reaction to CoQ10 (100mg)? I seem to get red spots on my skin, rash like. I stopped it's usage because I thought it was giving me a reaction of some sort

I also wanted to add l-carnitine into the mix, but read it could cause seizures? I was going through seizure like symptoms when I was still on the alkie, so I'm a bit worried to add it into the mix. Any advice?

Currently taking:
Benofotiamine
B-12 Meth
ALA (switching to R-LA after MrsD's suggestion)
CoQ10 (stopped due to red spots / dry rash like symptoms)

Other vitamins:
Multi-vitamin
B-50 vitamin
Slow-mag
Fish Oil
Vitamin E

180 Days Sober.
 

Well, my report is that my symptoms are pretty much where they were a month ago, with some improvement in less of the occasional 'stabbing' pain. I have never had much of that, thank goodness, and none to speak of lately. The numbness and odd sensations in the feet and lower legs are mostly unchanged.

I have rid my diet of the ice cream, and am generally eating better.

My mood is great, spirits high. I get to retire from working in state government on April 30th, that could explain my mood in large measure. ;)

I hope everyone is well, keep up the good work.

On thing I have noticed that is unique about all these postings is that symptoms do not always improve. They can go stale or flatline (including myself) and it can get discouraging. But, it ALSO appears to me that most here are in pretty good spirits about it!

It find this very uplifting, that even with doubt, there is hope and the drive to better our bodies from destructive behaviors.

Loving it.

PS - Wish I could retire.

Hey Icehouse! Looks like you continue to do well, I too would like to run again someday. First, I gotta get the blubber off of me and WALK a lot. My doc says I should be content with that , but I really enjoyed running and I would like to think I can get back in that type of shape. And yes, retirement sounds like a splendid idea.