[dogzRbarkin]

I have been reading some threads here and I,m sure there are five hundred similar threads here to this one, but Im not sure where to start, so ...


Well ... I started going to see a foot doctor a couple of months ago (a Board Certified Foot Surgeon ... his name is Doctor Fish ... witch I found instantly intriguing, since Fish have no feet ... usually ), bcos of pain in my feet. I was pretty sure I had Plantar's Fasciitis, since a lot fo the pain was in my heels, and after several x-rays and a brief consultation, the Doc confirmed this ... he put me on prednisone for two weeks, said that "should give me some relief". Upon my return for my second appointment I informed him truthfully, it had not. I also repeated to him that in addition to the heel pain, I had pain all along the bottoms of my feet, everywhere except the arches.

He then asked me a few more questions, and based on what I answered, specifically about my history with alcohol, he casually informed me he thought I had something called "alcoholic neuropathy", explained to me in general terms, what this meant, and gave me Lyrica, in a low dosage (75 mg, once a day, at night). He also had me get some blood work, to determine if I am diabetic, etc.

On the third visit I informed him, that the 75 mg Lyrica, hadnt helped much, and he upped it to 125 mg, 2x a day. He also told me that based on my blood work, I am NOT diabetic, and that my liver function, among toher things, was fine ... He also said that although he still suspected alcohol toxicity as the cause of my neuropathy, the cause couldnt really be determined without a battery of (expensive) tests (I dont have any insurance), and even then, it might not be clear, so officially, I had an "idiopathic" neuropathy ... I started to tell him that it was bad enough, telling me I was neurotic, pathetic, and alcoholic, without calling me an idiot, on the top of it, but he wisked me out the door ... before he did, he told me that if the Lyrica seemed to be helping, he was planning to switch me to Neurontin, witch was a cheaper. but similar alternative, not FDA-approved, since it was actually developed to treat something else ...

On the FOURTH visit (two days ago), I again informed him, that teh increased dosage of Lyrica still didnt seem to be helping much, with the qualifier thrown in that my on-my-feet demands at work had increased significatly, and therefour I was putting even more stress on my feet. At this point Doctor Fish practically threw his fins in the air (well, he shrugged), and said that if the Lyrica wasn't helping much at that dosage, there may not be much point in switching to Neurontin, and so I left without any meds, or Rx, at all ...

... now, Im wondering if some here will even accept this Doc's dx as valid, since I havent been seen by a neurologist, nor had a battery of expensive tests ... but from everything I've read so far about PN, here and elsewear, it sounds like exactly what I have: I describe the feeling to my Doc as a simultaneose sensation, somwhere between tingling, pins&needles, and the bottom of my feet feeling like they are on fire ... I also frequently have a sensation that feels like my toes are sprained or broken, although I know they arent ... the foot Doc's Dx, as written on his request for my blood work, also mentioned something about "fibromatosis", Im not sure what that is ...

... as far as the alcohol diagnosis, I did start drinking heavily when I was about 17, I am now 45 ... although my drinking tapered off gradually over the last fifteen years or so, and I do not consider myself an alcoholic, I do still drink alcohol, frequently but rarely to what I consider "excess", though I understand, that's all relative ... the Doc told me, the best medical advice is to stop drinking completely, and if unable ro unwilling to do so, to cut back as much as possible, and Im willing to work on option # 2, at least ... but I get the feeling that the prevailing wisdom here is that PN and alcohol use, PERIOD, do not mix, so to speak, and if Im not willing to give it up altogether, it means Im not serious about treating my neuropathy ... if so, I want to hear it, from the folks who know ...

... I'm kind of regretting walking out the door without at least asking to try the Neurontin, the Doc says to try without for a week or two, then let him know what I think ... as I see from reading others' post here, it can be very tricky trying to tell weather the medication isnt working, or the pain is jsut getting worse ...

I have been reading about the vitamin deficiency issues and supplements, Im already taking B-12, B-Complex, Magnsium, Calcium and Zinc, will try thiamin ... also wondering if anyone can tell me anything about using Hyaluronic Acid to treat this, I have a freind at work who has Shingles, and she swears by the stuff, but I dont know ... h-e-e-e-e-e-e-l-P!

... my limited understanding of neuropathy, from my Doc, and an online medical encyclopedia called MEdlinePlus, is that it is a permanent, incurable, progressive condition ... so by my understanding, once you have it, you can never go back to NOT having it ... and it is only a matter of managing the symptoms and the pain, as far as treatment, and trying to prevent it from getting a lot worse ... but that it does tend to always get worse over time, and not better ... though from what I've read here so far, it seems like some are saying that may not always be the case ... anyway, my feet hurt pretty much all the time now, and it IS getting worse steadily since it started about three months ago, and is already to a point, that it is making me more than jsut a bit miserable ... I've had knee pain for years, upper back pain, even some arthritis, but never anything as miserymaking as this ... so, I guess I'm in the club?