Well said dahlek. Thank you for your wisdom. It's true about what you said, one does have to make their own normal with a new condition, and I am still so very new to neuroapthy and am leaning to except it as part of my life. I am still going through the mourning process. With my other medical conditions, I think I have reached that stage. I have a heart rhythm problem which causes me to have bouts of horrendous pvcs or skipped heat beats, sometimes thousands a day. This would most likely send most people to the ER pronto, but I have learned to deal with it, though sometimes it is torture. I am very sorry that cancer has entered your life. I hope things are stable for you at this point. Hugs and hope right back at you!

Are you taking fish oil for those PVCs?

Thousands a day..sounds like it is more than "normal".

Are you eating alot of MSG? (this additive causes alot of problems for most people)

Are you getting enough omega-3 flax oil daily and cutting back on Omega-6's?
This is a dietary way of controlling inflammation.
When your body is reacting all the time, in that mode, you can't help but feel anxious and off balance.

Dahlek first I am sorry about your cancer dx. You are in my thoughts. I am also sorry for everyones pain and health conditions. I think I have gone through so many phases of emotions/feelings through my health conditions. I still do but have learned new ways to help cope through these. Some days I do better then others. The past few weeks I have been hit real hard and so my feelings are everywhere but am trying to hold to hope. I also know that in general my mental resistence is down I guess you could say. A few things I am working on is staying in the day and getting through it in the best way possible. Also trying to not allow a breakdown mentally to happen when I see it coming. For ex I have been in a flare up with my legs and my eyes/ear are at the worst they have been from pressure and hard to see/hear often. I have been so upset so I am trying to be proactive getting treatment,reaching out for support,distracting in ways I can. Also trying to be hopeful and not worry so much about the what if's. This is hard because my fears turn into reality.
You make a good point about life being different. I agree and when I was at the pain clinic they tried to teach us to find things you can do or focus on in your current state. As my neuro said learning to live the best life you can with your pain. This was a hard one for me to wrap my mind around. Hang in there and as my mom says when I get upset take deep breaths. Hugs to all

That the Cancer diagnosis was EASY compared to the PN/CIDP diagnosis! It took four months from finding a 'lump' to surgery and follow up things. It took FOURTEEN months from onset to diagnosis of the PN aspects. Specialty docs know more about cancer and how to deal with it than do Neurologists, plain and simple.
Had I not LEARNED all that I had from ALL the good people here and at other sites about PN and what to learn about the processes and treatments, I never could have coped w/the cancer so easily! The whammy's are like PN, this could come back or get worse. It comes with the territory.
YES! without exception are you allowed to be scared stupid at times! What is happening to you is akin to what severe burn patients or war veterans encounter.... But we are HUMAN and being so means that we have the ability to rise over fears and reason out a lot of what is happening. We either cope, compensate or self-destruct. To me, that latter option is not acceptable under any circumstances. Also to me, that is why I adocate PT and getting moving as best as you can as much as you can and as safely as you can... because to lose any mobility is to lose a good portion of access to LIFE!
LEARN about all that is going on wrong in/with you and find ways to help things along for the better! Knowledge is power they say...I believe it helps me when I get to things not going right and WANT, just want to panic? Knowing the processes that mite be happening calms me down...I go in my brain conversations: OK I'm doing something NOT OK! Yep, and you know what is happening, think it thru and then think it DOWN [as in small]. IF that doesn't work? Then I'll call the docs' offices and ASK, but only once I know I can't 'beat' this 'whatever' that is going on. And, I have had more than one 'red alert' incident over the years for sure!
No one here can actually hold your hand thru this...we are too far apart? But we can and will tell you what we would do/have done in similar situations. Got that? 's - j

Hi MrsD. Thank you, yes, I take my fish oil everyday and try and get enough omega-3. I know that is very important. I have had heart rhythm problems since I was 21, and now I am 51. I go through bouts of pvcs and tachycardia that are miserable. When in these bouts, my heart will skip endlessly, sometimes every other beat or third beat. It's so uncomfortable. I have been in the hospital and have had every test. So far, my heart is structurally normal. The last holter test I did last registered almost 4000 pvcs in 24 hours. This is an a hereditary condition. My brother and sister have it, but I have it the worse, and sadly, my son has it too now. Doctors can work with tachycardia, but pvcs are difficult to treat. There are times when I go into a remission mode, and that's heaven, infact, I am in one now. I have found other people on the net who suffer from this problem, and I belong to a support group for it. It makes me wonder about my whole nervous system and if the neuropathy is just part of the whole dysfuntion.

Hum.... this happen to me too.

I mean, if Im having a good time, laughing or distracted, I "forget" my pains and simply dont feel them...

When Im sad or stressed, oh hell... even my hair follicles hurt (no kidding).

I think it has to do something with serotonin too... I mean, I love that neurotransmitter... It is good for mood, for sleep... etc...

Hum, will go and read more about serotonin and pain to see if my theory collpases or not

Hugs for all you !

Oh heck, maybe it is not serotonin but dopamin !!!!


Synapse. 2009 Jan 27;63(5):390-402. [Epub ahead of print]Click here to read Links
Human evidence of a supra-spinal modulating role of dopamine on pain perception.
Potvin S, Grignon S, Marchand S.

Department of neurosurgery, Faculty of medicine, University of Sherbrooke; Sherbrooke, Canada.

BACKGROUND:: Over the last decades, remarkable progresses have been accomplished regarding the understanding of the neurophysiologic and neuropharmacological bases of pain. A growing preclinical literature supports a role for substance P, endogenous opioids, glutamate, serotonin, and norepinephrine in pain perception. Recently, a series of studies explored the function of dopamine in pain perception, which we review here, while focusing on human studies. METHODS:: The literature was screened using electronic databases. RESULTS:: We found evidence from genetics, brain imaging, neuropsychiatry, and pharmacology of an involvement of dopamine in pain processing. Using positron emission tomography and molecular genetics, studies have been performed in healthy volunteers and patients suffering from chronic pain conditions, showing a key role of dopamine in pain perception. Moreover, abnormal pain perception has been documented in neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia, where dopamine has a pathophysiological role. Lastly, pharmacological studies have shown that dopaminergic drugs (antipsychotics, antiparkinsonian drugs, atypical antidepressants, psychostimulants) modify pain perception. DISCUSSION:: Although there is growing evidence supporting a role of dopamine in pain perception, the mechanisms by which dopamine influences pain processing remains to be determined. On the basis of preliminary findings, we put forth the hypothesis that dopamine is involved in endogenous pain modulation systems, and further discuss the implications of this hypothesis for the understanding of the physiopathology of chronic pain disorders associated with dysfunctional endogenous pain modulation systems. Synapse 63:390-402, 2009. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Thanks, fascinating reading!