10Chances, so very glad that you remain well and I thank you for your response. My thyroid is good, B12 is good but I do take clonepin as needed for anxiety. In googling the side effects it does say that there is a high incidence of neuropathy with this drug and even higher incidence when combined with lipitor which I am also on. I knew the lipitor could be a factor despite my doctor saying it was perfectly safe but he also stressed how necessary it is that I continue it. Hmmmm....now I am not sure what to do but I will definately try to discontinue the clonepin. Perhaps prayer and meditation can calm me during my panic attacks. Again I am grateful that you called my attention to the clonepin. As to gluten free, I have definately cut back on carbs and sugar but have not gone the gluten free route. Many thanks my friend. May you continue to stay healthy and happy.

Wannagetfeelingback, Thanks for your story and update. While somewhat discouraging after several years, it sounds like perhaps you have found something to give you hope. You sound slightly worse than I but I am very close to not being able to drive and as I have said, I struggle with standing and walking. I know it is difficult to exercise and walk given our condition but getting the blood circulating is so important. Can you try to get out a bit with a walker or cane and maybe and do some leg strengthening exercises? That is my plan.
So funny you mentioned your toe nails. I just noticed the other day how strange mine look. They are grayish purple. I assumed that was a circulation problem and reinforced that lying around all day is certainly not helping my condition and so am making an effort to go on my stumble daily. I probably only walk a half mile a day at most but it is a big improvement over just a couple weeks ago when 2 blocks were all I could manage. Perhaps that is why I am noticing more pain in sobriety as I am trying to be more active.

Stay in touch. I think it is important that we support each other and document our journey for others that may visit this site looking for answers.

FWIW, I always thought my back had something to do with my PN. Sure, there's no doubt alcohol was the main cause, but the way it started... I have a compression problem between (guess what) L4 and L5. At one point it hurt badly and the pain started to radiate downwards. After a few days it reached my feet. Treatment made the back pain go away, except ... in my feet. After more tests and several docs initially still thinking it was caused by my back, they settled on PN, after I answered truthfully about my alcohol consumption. For a while I thought it was just a coincidence - even though in my experience it certainly wasn't. Now, reading your story, I wonder again if the back problem was the straw that broke, eh.. you know what I mean. In other words, several things - which we call comorbidity I guess - can work together to cause PN, so maybe there *is* a relation there for us. So hopefully, it may improve your situation?

SecondChances, peripheral neuropathy is a significant risk factor for people who take statins in general and Lipitor in particular (see, for example WHO Drug Information Vol. 19, No. 2, 25: Safety and Efficacy Issues: Statins and peripheral neuropathy).

This is a point that mrsD has made many times in her contributions to NT.

Personally I think that statins are over-prescribed. They may have a role to play in people whose cholesterol levels are abnormally high for genetic reasons. For other people cholesterol levels can often be controlled by changes in diet - a qualified dietitian should be able to help you with this.

I appreciate your responses! I had another thing to add that, to me, makes the laser therapy possibly being a success in the future. Across the time during the two treatments (this past week), I both had a stomach virus (vomiting, unable to hold food down for about 24 hours) and then the next day I found out that my 19-year-old niece committed suicide (again, I could barely stomach any food, I have been so distraught) -- but I still was having feeling in my feet and feeling pep in my step, go figure. So when I get proper nutrition back, I am hopeful that I will feel even better. I am 95% skeptical but 5% hopeful.

Secondchances - If you're anything like I was/am with PN, it will give you a constant sense of anxiety. I'm sure being free of, or at least seeing improvements in your PN will help with that anxiety. I'd be very interested to see how you'd get on a month not taking the klonopin - it's almost guaranteed to be the underlying cause of your PN now you're alcohol free.

My ex (who is from California) took a type of Benzodiazepam because she suffered from grand mall epileptic seizures. She moved to England to live with me and couldn't be prescribed them anymore - English doctors are much more reticent when it comes to anything beyond an aspirin. So she got a dog to help her relax, meditated and exercised a lot to combat it. Unfortunately it didn't cure her, but it did help.

I've taken Benzos before but only recreationally - even still I could imagine coming off them would be very tough whilst dealing with PN and abstaining from alcohol; but the hardest routes usually lead to the most beautiful view.

On a side note...Mrs D does seem to be a brilliant fountain of knowledge!

And...I'm 3 months sober on Tuesday. It's actually the hardest now because I'm basically back to good health. When in and out of hospital and can't sleep with PN, you're reminded why you need to stay alcohol free. I'm battling with the 'one won't hurt - you're fine now' devil on my shoulder tonight. But I'm going to promise myself I will get to 6 months no matter what, then if I want to drink then I can. And hopefully at 6 months I'll have more sense.

I'm about 2 weeks away from 6 months without any alcohol. Every other part of my life (and body!) are demonstrably better. My feet, however, got worse and worse. 24/7 pain like I was stepping on lego's got to the point where I was limping everywhere. At the beginning of March, my new doc gave me an anti-inflammatory (meloxicam) and a pain killer (amitriptyline) which has been extremely helpful.

I was to the point where I couldn't touch my feet and showers were excruciating. It took me a full minute to get in the shower and a full, wincing minute to get out. That was literally the only time I would take my feet out my socks.

As my feet have begun to lessen in pain, I've been able to do full rotation of the ankles (which gets more and more mobile), to message the soles of my feet and move the big toes a little more each day. I'm getting close being able to wiggle my toes! Stretches and touching them a little more each day and I walk with just a minor noticeable limp.

Definitely better recently as it had gotten worse before the new year. Keep your fingers and toes crossed. It can feel better!!

FutureRunner, Oh wow, thanks for your post and sharing the hope. It is wonderful that you have made such improvement in just 6 months. Very inspirational. Can I ask how long you suffered with your symptoms? It is my understanding that the longer the condition exists the more permanent the damage is.

5.5 years ago I was planning what my next drink would be (when I got out of jail), and then I had a choice (housing or homeless) and I kept the drink away for another couple months. The day I was "free" I actually stopped at a liqour store and went inside.

It was here that the previous 20 years all rolled back in one big memory. The blackouts, the fights, my kids crying, the diarrhea, the vomiting, the stomach pains, the looks from my family, the wheelchair, the walker, the cane, the drunken gait I had acquired from PN. I "stumbled" back outside (sober) and I told myself I would re-evaluate at one year....

That was YEARS ago :D

Oh crap! I just wrote this HUGE post and don't know what I did but it was lost. :( Oh well, I will try again tomorrow. Nite all.