Fascinating. To quote myself from a few pages back, guessing what it could be:

I was almost right.

Awesome! I'm supposing they did find a good regimen of PT that helps this occur, and rather more quickly than I thought it could. Of course, if they have you do the PT at home too, on a daily basis, it may speed up the process in a big way.

Difference could be - and maybe it's something you might want to ask, just out of curiosity - that the damage in your case is not so much in the motor nerves (we always think when we hear PN that it's the nerves themselves that are damaged), but mostly in the brain itself. It also could explain why you never felt any pain; your nerves (both motor and sensory) may actually be totally intact, and the PT regimen further "repairs" the damage in the cerebellum by letting other parts of the brain "take over"!

The B1 recommendation is interesting too. I know that in Japan they are very big on that when they start treating alcoholics (even before they develop PN). It may be that they are targeting the brain with that, rather than the nerve endings.

I'm actually starting to believe this could really be your golden ticket - but works specifically in your case. It just shows again that "PN" can have many many forms, and in your specific case there is a "cure". I now even wonder if your specific condition is called neuropathy at all. Instead, the diagnosis may be: "alcoholic cerebellar degeneration". (makes sense)

Whatever the answer to that, the most important thing is that it seems to work! Very happy for you!

Yes, it could be! But, I will just play the game until I see actual improvement and rest assured you ALL will be up to date on the progress

20 minutes a day of "exercises" (10 in the morning and 10 at night) and a PT appointment every two weeks is my new plan.

He will tracking my progress with all the fancy-shmancy machines and charts so I will be able to see the numbers as they change.

It is kinda exciting!

Icehouse, thanks for the update. I was wondering when the program would be starting. It sounds very encouraging but I gotta say, as much as I think about nerve damage I rarely think about the damage to the brain from alcohol abuse and that is a sobering thought. I suspect there are few organs that are not affected to some extent. Sounds like you will be running marathons yet.

If I have my facts straight (which is questionable) I am under the impression that when alcohol is ingested it affects the brain first (the neurons) and thus, over time, the abuse of the pathway between the neurons (neurotransmitters) has an affect on the entire nervous system. The nerve endings (feet and hands) probably take the brunt of this damage and therefore we have PN.

I am not a fan of running, but if I can jog, snow ski and dance again I will be more than happy

Nothing big to report, except that I was able to drive to Paris & back last Saturday, on the same day, without too much discomfort from the PN. That's over 730km in one day, and a new "record" since I got sober. In the first year, just driving to the store 10 minutes away was difficult... So, although progress is not linear, and I certainly still have less good days too, I did something I wouldn't have been able to do say 2 years ago, let alone 5 years ago.

Just don't ask me to do this 2 days in a row though.

Good to read Wide-O .

2376 days sober.

My next PT appointment is on Tuesday and the gaggle of balance exercises are getting a little easier. I actually walked outside (at night) and was able to look up at the dark sky and focus on the stars without a need to hold on to something (or someone).

It's the little things....

Sounds very promising to be honest!

Little things... yeah. Like the first time I could put on a sock standing upright without having to hold on to something. Sounds ridiculous at first sight, but it was a huge step for me. I gather this is something similar, right? Things that "normal healthy" people take for granted, but somehow for us is like "wow!".

That is excellent Icehouse .

Precisely! It's amazing what our "normal" becomes when something is disabling us and making our "normal" difficult.

I can't wait to run again!!! I hate running, btw, but I just want to be able to do it!