[gerry978]

Any suggestions would be helpful. I drank fairly heavily (2 bottles of wine per day) for about five years and stopped 11/11. About 2/12 I began to experience significant joint pain and numbness, tingling and pain in my hands and feet which has gradually increased. I have seen my primary care, a rheumatologist and a neurologist. I had an EMG which confired "mild neuropathy". Both specialists attributed my symptoms to alcohol use within about 5 minutes of my time with them. Had many blood test, all are normal. I am very willing to accept that alcohol has ruined yet another area of my life, but I also have a concern that my alcohol use may be a quick hook to hang my symptoms on. I have worked in healthcare for years and have seen how this is done. Not sure what my next step should be. Thanks.

[mrsD]

Welcome to NeuroTalk....

We have seen here on this forum a JUMP to diagnosis by some doctors, when you reveal alcohol use. This may not be very accurate.

But on the other hand, when you drink heavily, you depress pain responses, and when you stop those then become evident.

There is a poster on another forum here who is sharing his path
to recovery from excess alcohol consumption and hence nerve damage. There are experts on the net who claim you can heal.
But there are also some new papers that describe alcohol damage directly on the nerves.

Your situation may respond to healing with dietary changes (removing most of the sugar and starches) and also using some
supplements.
Here is the thread with an example:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread104096.html
Please read the entire thread.