That was as real as the keyboard in front of me! It sorta just happened and I had to stop and revel in the moment

Good job Icehouse - a tremendous achievement !

Hello All,

I am posting on behalf of my boyfriend. If some of you don't remember, my boyfriend is the rock star fella who almost drank himself to death. He ended up with a very severe case of alcoholic neuropathy, and has been a little more than 3 months sober with one brief relapse. Although he had been heavily drinking and using cocaine for a decade, he gradually lost the use of both his hands over the last year of his drinking. In the last few months of his drinking, his walking became severely impaired to the point where he was almost in a wheelchair. In the first weeks of his sobriety, we saw so much improvement, and I was so encouraged. We were able to take long walks (though his walking was still impaired) and his energy level was much higher. However, beyond these first few weeks of improvement we haven't seen much else. I don't see his movement getting better at all. He has absolutely no muscle definition. He can still hardly use his hands. It heartbreaking to see him in so much pain. Some days he says he feels like giving up, and that he wants to die. He is discouraged to say the least.

How long does it take alcoholic neuropathy to get better? Does everyone improve with time and TLC, or do some people just never get better?

Any help would be appreciated.

God bless you.

Hello Sones - I definitely remember you - in fact, I have been checking in on both threads for an update since you first posted. I am so sorry to hear it's not getting better for your boyfriend. Has he been taking the vitamin regimen that MrsD had posted early on in this thread? I have been taking that for about a year now, and have found that it has helped with the pain, and that the numbness hasn't "extended", so to speak. However, I admit, I have good days and bad days, some I am convinced it'll never get better. Some days I am just like your boyfriend - why go on? - wishing and praying that God would just take me somehow (because I would never attempt suicide).

I think it really depends on each individual, whether it ever gets better or not, and there is no timetable. This is just me, speaking from my own personal experience, and reading the threads here, which have been VERY helpful, with a special thanks to Icehouse and MrsD. From what I understand, it can take a very long time for nerves to repair, so please tell your boyfriend to hang in there. I am hopeful that my AN will turn around eventually.

Please keep us posted and tell your boyfriend we are thinking of him and will support him in any way!

1111 days (that's decimal, not binary )

3 year came and went, uneventful, which is always good. I noticed, reading alcohol related forums, that quite a few people relapse around these anniversaries. Not sure how that works, but I guess they can induce pressure?

PN still getting better. Currently have hours and sometimes days without any pain or discomfort at all. Mind you, that's still with low dose tramadol, but the ways it's going it's even becoming an option of tapering that off in the near future.

Congratulations, Wide-O! Do you still have numbness? That's a lot worse for me than the pain.

Thanks! I don't, and that's one of the things with PN, I never really had that to start with. Just the stabbing pains, burning, and the very painful cramps. I suppose it was the opposite of numbness: just touching a toe with a finger or a blanket was enough to make me jump through the ceiling.

Our cases are all slightly different: I think Icehouse mainly had problems with motor nerves, for me it was sickening 24/7 pain, for you it's numbness. I assume it depends on what type of nerves are (most?) damaged.

Interesting, I never thought of it that way, with the different nerves making different symptoms. I do sometimes have that feeling you describe --"jump though the ceiling" if something touches my feet, mainly when it's unexpected. I have 3 rambunctious dogs who sleep with me at night and if they jump onto the bed and make contact with my feet or legs - I cry out in pain. The other thing is, I guess we all have different levels of pain tolerance. I am a total wimp!

Never knew about this nerve issue and my father had 2 beers 2 weeks before he died at almost 96. Never heard anything about nerve pain issues. Maybe my mom knew and just didn't talk about it with us kids. She prayed a lot for 63 yrs.

Now my former sil passed at 55 a couple yrs ago and he drank close to his end months but what got him was cigs...

My dad never smoked, but drank all his life.

Keep it up all you in sobriety. I did some drinking for some years but have not bought any booze for years now, that feels so good...every now and then I'll have a 1/4 glass beer and V8 juice for a lift. It's refreshing and it's hot here and draught for going on 5 yrs.

Awesome job Wide-O!!!