1. < Neuropathy

Do GP's routinely blame Perip Neuro on alcohol?

Posted by rfsau140 @rfsau140, Jun 1 11:22pm

My problems started with a numb big toe. Routine physical & blood tests subsequently confirmed hypothyroidism. Numbness spread to other toes on same foot then to other foot. Informed DR that I suspected peripheral neuropathy. DR blamed neuropathy on alcohol consumption without any referral to neurologist or specialist.

Problems spread from toes to calves with muscle wasting, cramping and weakness. Weakness now has spread to arms & hands.
Only recently have I learned that an older sibling was afflicted with PN years ago which causes me to wonder if our problem is somehow hereditary, since our mother had thyroid problems decades ago.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuropathy Support Group.

raebaby | @raebaby | Jun 7 2:11pm

I am 82. I have peripheral neuropathy, some inherited, the rest from chemo for breast cancer. I can no longer drive.
I have a margarita from a premixed bottle every night. It's the same alcohol content as a glass of wine. I add frozen fruit instead of ice so I get something good from my drink. (smile). If I go to a function where I drink too much, I feel it in my feet for the next few days.

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29kites | @29kites | Jun 7 7:38pm

Are doctors talking about current drinking or past drinking or either one as a cause for PN? And how much would someone have to be drinking?

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SusanEllen66 | @SusanEllen66 | Jun 7 11:40pm

@rfsau140 I'm trying to understand your situation. Your Dr diagnosed your problem as a thyroid disease.
It started getting worse, and you told the Dr it was neuropathy.
However, your tests showed thyroid disease. That’s probably why you were not sent to a neurologist? Did the doctor agree with your diagnosis?
I am wondering why you think you have P/N? Muscle loss and weakness has not been my experience with Polyneuropathy. I have nerve pain. I’ve had Polyneuropathy for many years. It was caused by a rare disease that damaged my arteries.

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tessie63 | @tessie63 | Jun 8 2:52pm
In reply to @johnbishop "Hello @rfsau140, Welcome to Connect. There are a lot of causes for neuropathy. Without testing and..." + (show)
@johnbishop

Hello @rfsau140, Welcome to Connect. There are a lot of causes for neuropathy. Without testing and seeing a neurologist or specialist, a GP doc can tell you what they think might be the cause but it's just an educated guess. I had the neuropathy symptoms that started in my toes and I went 20+ years before bothering to get a diagnosis. My Mayo neurologist diagnosed me with idiopathic small fiber peripheral neuropathy and sadly I didn't have any better answers for what helps my numbness I was told by my PCPs over the years - nothing helps with the numbness and there is no cure for neuropathy. That's really why I joined Connect in 2016 when I wanted to learn what others with similar symptoms have learned. My neurologist did mention that my neuropathy could possibly be hereditary. I also have family members and cousins with similar neuropathy symptoms. I posted my neuropathy journey in another discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/310341/.

Best suggestion I have is to learn as much as you can about neuropathy, your symptoms and what treatments may be available that might help. There are a lot of different discussions in the Neuropathy Support Group. It might be helpful to scan through them to see if there are ones that might be helpful. Here's a link to the discussions in the Neuropathy Support Group - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/neuropathy/.

Here are a few references you might find helpful for learning more about neuropathy:

Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy:
-- Living Well with PN: https://www.foundationforpn.org/living-well/
-- Webinars on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@foundationforperipheralneu4122/videos

Matthew B. Jensen, Assistant Professor of Neurology, University of Wisconsin has some really easy to understand videos that help learn more about how neuropathy is diagnosed, the symptoms and more on his YouTube Channel here https://www.youtube.com/@MatthewBJensen.

Have you thought about having any genetic testing done or seeking a diagnosis with a neurologist?

Jump to this post

John, I have numbness and pins and needles in my hands and feet. I was Lyrica but I took myself off of it and the neurologist simply increased the Aventyl I an on from 30mg to 50 mg. This bothers my stomach so I take it in 2 doses. I would like to go off of this altogether but my neurologist tells me the pain will come back. My question for you is did you go off all your pain meds or just some? I would not like to experience the pain I first had when my diagnosis was made. It was crippling and Gabapentin and pregabalin did nothing for me. The Aventyl is the only thing that helped me through the pain but will it come back if I go off of it now?

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Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Jun 8 3:34pm
In reply to @tessie63 "John, I have numbness and pins and needles in my hands and feet. I was Lyrica..." + (show)
@tessie63

John, I have numbness and pins and needles in my hands and feet. I was Lyrica but I took myself off of it and the neurologist simply increased the Aventyl I an on from 30mg to 50 mg. This bothers my stomach so I take it in 2 doses. I would like to go off of this altogether but my neurologist tells me the pain will come back. My question for you is did you go off all your pain meds or just some? I would not like to experience the pain I first had when my diagnosis was made. It was crippling and Gabapentin and pregabalin did nothing for me. The Aventyl is the only thing that helped me through the pain but will it come back if I go off of it now?

Jump to this post

@tessie63, I only took gabapentin for a few weeks prior to being diagnosed with small fiber peripheral neuropathy. My PCP had prescribed it based on a suspected neuropathy diagnosis but after a short conversation with my care team at Mayo I was told there are no medications that help with numbness from neuropathy so I stopped taking the gabapentin. That's when I found Connect and started reading what others with neuropathy have shared. My only neuropathy symptoms are the numbness and some tingling in my feet and legs. I did share my neuropathy journey in another discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/310341/.

Have you looking into any complementary or alternative treatments like the ones listed on the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy? - https://www.foundationforpn.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Complementary-and-Alternative-Treatments-Revised-2020-final.-1.pdf

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