Hi I am new to this forum and it's great. I don't know if any of this is related but maybe so. After I was in a house fire I was on life support for smoke inhalation and given morphine ever two hours. I was discharged went to a hotel had nightmares took my prescription xanax, soma,hydrocodone and ambien. The next morning I woke up it was past check out and there was an officer, when I got up my foot was at a 90° angle. The police proceeded to take me to the ER where they gave me something to reverse benzos. I then fell asleep to my disbelief I couldn't feel my legs or feet I told the nurse they ignored me and put me in a weel chair to be sent to a MH thinking I tried to commit suicide. I looked down and noticed my legs were swollen, I was bed riddce.The doctor came the next day I had no reflexes eventually after five days my feeling came back. I had such pain that I couldn't walk, My skin was so sensitive that if a blanket or sock touched it I would cry, I had horribly electric shocks, my skin burned like I was on fire. My EMG. came back severe peripheral and axonal neuropathy. Any ideas on the cause?

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

There are many many toxins in fire smoke. Typically people who are treated for smoke inhalation are given Hydroxocobalamin to help the elimination of cyanide byproducts of combustion.

Were you given that? Do you know?

I think you need to find a neurologist who understands Peripheral Neuropathy well, and very soon.

I would seek out an environmental physician if possible.
One cannot assume regular doctors will help significantly.
http://www.aaemonline.org/
This has a physician locator based on where you live.

Welcome to Neuro Talk. There are alot folks who suffer from PN, or forms of RSD. You need a very good neruologist to help you sort through all your symptoms, and get some relief. I hope others will chime in to help direct you to someone that knows about this condition. Don't stop seeking help with this. A pain specialist can be of help to. I do wish you all the best. ginnie

Hi honey - you have a lot going on.

I'm new here too and all I can address is the PN which I had for years before I sought help. (long story)

All I can share with you is this - I get a lidocaine infusion once a month and I'm almost pain free. I also take gabapentin 3 times a day. It's been 2 years now since I asked God to take me, that's how bad the pain was then.

Lidocaine really was the answer for me where the PN was concerned.

I called and talked to the Doc that treated me since he was on call the other day.

He said he treats his smoke victims with just oxygen.
Is this good or bad?

IMO, that's not really relevant. No one can turn the clock back and do anything about what was or wasn't done, and I think it would be fruitless/impossible to prove any proximate cause or failure to conform to the relevant standard of care. I think it would be more beneficial/productive to concentrate on where you are NOW, and find that environmental physician/neurologist that can still treat you before things get any worse.

Doc

That is a question that is impossible for anyone here to answer. depending on the level of carbon monoxide in your blood, your ability to breath on your own and swelling in the upper airway you may be given oxygen wearing a mask, intubated or put in a hyperbaric chamber.

I was intubated for three days, not sure if your asking.

We never heard about environmental doctors around here I've asked asked around several doctors. Please where do you find them.

MrsD provided one link in her first response to you. In addition, you can google: environmental doctor or environmental physician and environmental neurologist and smoke inhalation medicine and try some of the "Searches related to" that appear at the bottom of the first search pages. Including your city/state of residence in the search ctiteria may help narrow the search to someone closer to you. Large medical centers associated with medical schools or in big cities (likely to have need of this kind of staff for large-scale fires) may be a good place to try too -- that's where many of us have sought neurologists who specialize in peripheral neuropathy.

Reading some of the articles/links that turn up in these searches may provide some clues as to specific doctors, other places/topics to search, or other searches to try.

Doc