Neuropathy caused by toxins, poisons and chemicals

Well John, my brother and I are proof of what toxins can do to the human body. My brother James was in the Vietnam War and as you can guess, he was exposed to the oh so familiar Agent Orange. Zip forward to the 1990’s and my brother began to get sick. He was sick from cancer, Multiple Myeloma to be exact. As the cancer robbed him of his legs and paralyzed them, he finally died in agony in 1999.

Now for me, back in 1970’s, I moved back to the house I grew up in. My maternal grandfather was Native American, naturally I enjoy being around Mother Nature. So with a 12’ by 100’ yard, I began to plant a garden the entire length. For the next 33 years, I used a well known weed killer mentioned by another poster. I never used it directly in my garden but used it to kill weeds in the yards on either side of mine. I assume because of a slight downward slope to the yards, when it rained it leached into my yard and garden. So for 33 years, I ate tainted vegetables from my garden until I moved into a high rise building in 2013.

In 2019, I was having major health issues and requested my PCP to do some specialized blood work. In 48 hours, I was contacted by our cancer clinic requesting I be seen by an Oncologist/Hematologist. In 2013, I had two moles removed and both were classified as Precancerous. It was because of that information, I was so scared since the 2013 incident, that I had or was getting cancer. Well, I was diagnosed with what is classified as Kappa light chain IgM, MGUS, which is rare. Its been progressing towards Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma or a rarer form called Waldenstrom Macroglobulemia. It’s been progressing more quickly since September of 2021 and increased 125% since December 2021. My levels of B cells are below normal along with my lymphocytes and other parts of my blood. Since May 2022, my M-Spike has increased to the level indicating progression of the mutated cells. Right now, I can feel my body’s under attack especially in the bones. Will I sue the company mentioned, what’s the sense, I’ll be 80 next year with no one to leave any money I was awarded. Besides, my heart’s barely pumping it’s so fragile. So look how long it took my brother and I to fall victim to a toxin. My advice, watch your body for clues, if you’re exposed to a toxin, it could take 20, 30 or more years to finally affect you.

I feel finding out the WHY could help with the management. Such as, if my SFN was caused by diabetes or drinking alcohol, I could modify my diet to reduce the progress. Right now I’m assuming all of the above and trying to be “perfect” and I’m still getting worse and not much is helping but THC and high dosage of gabapentin.

flag64 - I agree with you 100% on the "why", By all means, everyone should exhaust all possibilities. I did. In some cases, diabetics can keep the neuropathy under some degree of control or possibly stabilize the neuropathy by controlling blood sugars. I've always felt if one could find out the cause then perhaps a treatment could be offered. As you say, manage it. I spent 5 years trying to find the cause of my PN and I've come up empty handed until this past week when my neuro doc may have bumped into a cause. Perhaps. Still won't know for sure. It is a best guess sceneio. Many unknowns about PN and so much more to learn. Glad the THC and gaba is helping you. Ed

NJ Ed, I too have tried it all to solve my 4 years of PN. Recently I started to research my severe stenosis in L4.5
I studied the nerves within the column and saw that two nerves go to the feet and leg. I had an MRI and it seems
my spinal canal is closed in two places. I have no pain from this. I dont know why. My Primary has found a neurosurgeon here in our big hospital who has work on atheletic injuries and does minimal invasive surgery.
I hope to get surgery soon and will report back. There is more to the history. For AFIB I took a drug called Amioderone. It has the side effects of PN in rare cases. I was not advised by the cardiologist but found out on my own and immediately stopped the drug. The PN should not have gotten worse but it did and so I looked at the back issues. I think we all have to consider that PN may come from 2 sources.

I began having numbness in my feet many years ago after taking cholesterol meds. At the time, I read that one of the major hospitals was doing a huge study on the effects of those meds....maybe it was John Hopkins. Anyway, I did not have a sugar issue. Was told by a spine specialist and a podiatrist that my PN was coming from my back. I do have L4 and L5 issues and have had back problems for a very long time which includes varying degrees of osteo.

karleenhubley - Very interesting. I did find out after some degree of research that the neurosurgeon I saw is not quick or over-anxious to do surgery. In some ways, perhaps good but I did more research, and he is one of the tops in his field. Turns out, this neuro-doc is likely right. I had narrowing in 2 areas but not closed as in your case. Hope all works out well for you! Ed

Close work contact with methylene chloride. Would be really interested to know if anyone on here would have experienced working with methylene chloride (solvent) and if this could lead to neuropathy. I am trying to make the connection.

@mattey741 I asked the ChatGPT AI your question. I'd recommend googling to find the studies, and verify what they say. ChatGPT isn't always accurate.

My question: is there a study that shows working with methylene chloride can cause neuropathy?

ChatGPT's response: Yes, there are several studies that have shown that working with methylene chloride can cause neuropathy. Here are some examples:

A study published in the journal Neurotoxicology in 2008 found that workers exposed to methylene chloride in a plastic film manufacturing plant had a higher incidence of peripheral neuropathy than workers in a control group who were not exposed to the chemical.

Another study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2011 found that workers in a paint stripping facility who were exposed to methylene chloride had a higher risk of developing peripheral neuropathy compared to workers who were not exposed to the chemical.

A study published in the Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology in 2017 found that workers in a metal cleaning facility who were exposed to methylene chloride had a higher prevalence of peripheral neuropathy compared to a control group.

These studies suggest that exposure to methylene chloride can increase the risk of developing peripheral neuropathy. However, it is important to note that the risk may depend on the level and duration of exposure, as well as other factors such as individual susceptibility and the use of protective measures.

@mattey741 Okay, I asked ChatGPT for links to those studies. My question: can you give me links to those studies?

ChatGPT's response: Sure, here are links to the studies I mentioned:

Kim, Y., Kim, J., Kim, Y., Park, J., & Lee, C. (2008). Neurological effects of occupational exposure to methylene chloride: a cross-sectional study. Neurotoxicology, 29(5), 930-936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2008.07.013

Lefebvre, M. A., Pham, T. M., & Wegman, D. H. (2011). Neurological effects of occupational exposure to methylene chloride: a cross-sectional study. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 53(4), 435-441. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0b013e31820c01a9

Kim, H., Park, J. H., Lee, K., Lee, M. J., Lim, Y. H., Hong, Y. C., & Ha, M. (2017). Peripheral neuropathy in workers exposed to low levels of Methylene chloride. Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology, 12(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12995-017-0158-y

Please note that access to some of these studies may require a subscription or payment.

Thank you so much cookierockwell for your reply and help. I could never get any info on this . Having been exposed to this solvent for many years and now have neuropathy I have been trying to get an answer as to why I have it. I don't drink and do not have diabetes. Thank you again.