[OhBoyOhBoy]

Hi there, I'm new to these forums but I've been reading some other posts the past few days and they've been very helpful. About two weeks ago I went to my GP because I had a sore groin. He told me that I may have a small hernia, but he couldn't feel it. He told me to give it a few weeks and see how I felt. Five nights ago I was lying in bed and began feeling numb in my legs and groin area. I assumed I had been lying too long while watching a movie so I got up and tried to shake my legs out to restore feeling. The problem was it didn't work, so I decided to go sit at my computer and try to work on some class work I had been neglecting. Eventually the numbness began to escalate and pretty soon my legs felt incredibly numb. Nine hours later with no improvement I decided to go to the ER. The doctor decided to run blood, urine, and an MRI. Eventually he came back and said that the tests looked good and told me that I would have to see a Neurologist. While I was relieved that I didn't have any serious issues, I was a bit upset that I had no answers. He told me that I had Sciatica and probably a pulled groin. When I asked how I could be able to sleep, he said to try some ibuprofen. Later that day I began to feel a little better but the tingling feelings never completely went away. That night i fell asleep fairly easily and stayed asleep for about ten hours which is normal for me. I woke up feeling great and didn't bother to schedule an appointment with my GP. As the day went on, I began to feel the tingling again. I went to my class which is a night class. I had to leave because my tingling was returning to numbness. That night I got very little sleep and it was a very "in-and-out" type of sleep. I also began to feel slight numbness in my chest and arms. Since then I've done quite a bit of reading and have discovered Neuropathy and possible causes such as Gluten allergy's, digestive imbalance and diabetes. I've seen a good amount of improvement and usually the only thing tingling is my foot, and it's definitely not as bad as my first night with this misery. I know that I am somewhat lucky not to have severe symptoms and my heart goes out to you that do. The reason I'm here is to see if anybody with experience can give me an insight as to what's causing these symptoms. Over the past few years I would say that I over-use NSAIDS. I have also spent a few years on low dose antibiotics for acne and ironically I just finished a five day dose(for my third chest cold this season) the day before my numbness appeared. That has led me to believe that I may have a digestive imbalance but I'm unable to find concrete evidence in that area. I had also been spending a lot of time in bed due to thinking I had a hernia or groin pull and trying to rest it, I'm not sure if that can irritate the spine enough to cause these symptoms. When I walk I feel somewhat better and I plan to walk everyday from now on. My symptoms may not seem that serious but I'm literally driving myself insane. I made my appointment with a Neurologist but the soonest they had was three weeks from now. I also have a few small rashes on my biceps and I'm pretty sure they were there the morning I went to the ER. My appetite was also down in the beginning but I'm slowly coming out of that. I should also say that my numbness has primarily been only in the right leg. I'm sorry for writing a wall of text and thank you if you actually read it, but I really hope somebody out there can give me a bit of insight. Thanks again.

[zorro1]

Its great that your symptoms aren't to serious however most of us started with a tingling toe! P/N is sneaky, I have found out for me that it sends a warning of the next phase by making that area numb or tingly before it goes into remission only to come back later in the same area with full force.

Good your getting in early though and hopefully it was just a one off thing. What is the name of your antibiotic?
some are big creators of P/N

[glenntaj]

--I thought that your symptoms might have been related to compression in the lower lumbosacral spine area, but given the spread/experience of symptoms in the upper body, it sounds as if there is something more systemic going on.

There are neuropathies that can come on quickly--acutely (in hours/days) or sub-acutely (days/weeks); these often have a toxic, autoimmune, or nutritional etiolgy.

Sound like you need a much more extensive work-up than you can get with the GP--I'd recoomend a neurologist who specializes in neuropathy (few do) or a tertiary center that is also a major research facility into neuropathy (i.e., Cornell-Weill/Columbia, Massachusetts General, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Jack Miller in Chicago--depends on where you are, and of course your insurance coverage).

I'd also take a look at some of our tools for suggesting tests for neuro disorders as outlined in our Useful Websites area, particularly the Liza Jaen spreadsheets:

www.lizajane.org

The Poncelet protocols:

http://www.aafp.org/afp/980215ap/poncelet.html

And this article on serological tests for neuropathy causes:

http://www.questdiagnostics.com/hcp/...eralNeurop.htm

[OhBoyOhBoy]

Thanks for the responses guys, the antibiotic was Azithromycin and I had just finished it the night before. My doctor said that it's possible this could be the cause but it's more like that it was have started sooner. Is it possible for Neuropathy to completely go away or has nobody been that lucky?

[mrsD]

That antibiotic is not on the lists of drugs that can cause PN.

The most common ones are the fluoroquinolones..Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, and Flagyl (metronidazole).

The most useful supplements for diabetic neuropathy are:
Benfotiamine
lipoic acid
acetyl carnitine.

Also the mainstays are B12 and Vit D. You should get tests for these two, to see what your levels are. You might benefit from them too. There is a study about normalizing Vit D levels in diabetics with neuropathy:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post627505-1.html

[OhBoyOhBoy]

Should I go see my GP and ask him if we can run those tests or should I wait for my Neuro appointment in three weeks? Also I usually don't feel it when I'm standing, I can't lie down flat or sit in a chair too well, although sitting is gradually becoming easier for longer amounts of time. The only way for me to sleep is with a big pillow beneath my legs. Thank you very much for all the suggestions.

[mrsD]

A GP can do the the tests for B12 and Vit D.

BUT...you should get the numbers for the results and not accept "normal"... because labs in US are not flagging results at the new acceptable levels. Our labs still have the OLD range which goes way down into the lows where symptoms occur.

Also treatment from either doctor will be behind the times too.
OTC D3 is the preferred one now, (not the old RX D2 which is not active) and oral B12 can be done if done correctly, so shots are not necessary either. You can do both yourself. Fixing these two alone can have dramatic effects all over your body and improve your health in general.

[OhBoyOhBoy]

Well I my tingling feelings are mostly subsided. The problem is I've been having a bit of urinary leakage. I also have a swollen groin which is how this whole thing started. I saw my doctor and he gave me another antibiotic, this time Ciprofloxacin and I'm a bit concerned seeing as how the day after I finished an antibiotic, these symptoms onset. And Cipro is one of the med's known to be related to neuropathy.

[OhBoyOhBoy]

Do you guys think I'm justified in not wanting this antibiotic? He's not even sure that my groin soreness is from an infection, I just don't see how it's smart to take a gamble on an antibiotic known to cause neurological problems when I'm still recovering from unknown neurological issues.

[Rosie33]

Originally Posted by OhBoyOhBoy

Do you guys think I'm justified in not wanting this antibiotic? He's not even sure that my groin soreness is from an infection, I just don't see how it's smart to take a gamble on an antibiotic known to cause neurological problems when I'm still recovering from unknown neurological issues.

I do think you are justified not wanting that antibiotic, but you really need to weigh the issue, and take everything into account. I'm in a likely situation as to take Fosamax or not. I'm seriously thinking about not doing it because of all the terrible side effects. I come here to NT daily, and with the help of Mrs. D and everyone else here, I'm looking into magnesium to add to my calcium and vitamin D regime, hoping it will help. Most doctors know nothing about nutrition. I love being able to do my own research online. More than once I've brought info to my doctor, and she has told me to keep doing what I'm doing!

I wish you good luck in your mission to a healthier place in your world.