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119874 tn?1189755829

Stabbing pains in toes and fingertips

I'm getting sharp stabbing pains on my fingertips/under the nail area.  It feels like someone is sticking me with a thumbtack (and tapping it lightly with a hammer!).

Anybody get this or know what it is?
I'm concerned about nerve damage/pain being permanent.  Am I paranoid or perceptive?
21 Responses
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Avatar universal
Are your on procrit?  I have pain from the procrit and more so since they upped it.

BEAGLE
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Avatar universal
I don't have the pains but I have (had) the severe tingling problem.  My guess is that it is the medication having some neurological effect on us somehow. It's sort of like having a pinched nerve when my fingers go numb - they just DIE all of a sudden on the tips.

Sounds like the same sort of thing.  Comes and goes then hasn't bothered me now in a month or more.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
does it happen more when your hands are cold? i get pain & nunbness in my hands from the cryo. it causes a protien in your blood to kind of turn to gel when its cold and it can cause numbness and pain
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119874 tn?1189755829
They do come and go.  Started about a week ago, only in the toes.  Fingers started today.  Usually last less than a minute or two.  But very sharp and intense when it happens.

They don't really move around.  Just new fingers or toes added.

I am on PROCRIT.  Took it about weeks 5-13.  Off for 3 weeks.  Back on weeks 16-20/now.

Temperature doesn't seem to matter.
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Avatar universal
algeron-i get similiar sharp pains..procrit?? sorry to jump yur post,but i have a New concern regarding my lab results...my glucose 3's have gone from 9o to 114,they were flagged on my report,but no one cautioned me 'bout anything...should this change be a cause for alarm? i know that my desire for sweets has increased during trx& i know i have been indulging myself...any thots,insights,similiar numbers???? i finished off the nlast of the coffeee cake & am stayin outa the freezer-No more ice cream,or cookies,or chocolate and less maple syrup in my everything...comments please
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132578 tn?1189755837
I hate it when that happens.
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96938 tn?1189799858
Glucose tests are affected by what's in you when they take the blood.  Had you eaten, or fasted before the test. Usually, glucose is not part of a routine cbc - were they testing specifically for glucose or a complete metabolic panel? A better gauge of your glucose may be the 'hemoglobin A1C' reading that gives you sort of a 90 day running value of you levels. AIC would be expressed as a number like 6.6 or 9.3 or 13.1.  For me and my sugar probelems all were resolved when I got a 12-week clear pcr. Could be the 'NYGirl Diet' that you're on.  Although the glucose levels are important, you have bigger fish to fry right now.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I can't NOT eat sweets during tx = I never was a real sweets type person to the point of obsession before but not it's SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR I must have MORE MORE MORE SUGAR!

I eat a LOT of the stuff now and just simply crave it and cannot stop. I don't know if my glucose numbers have gone up or not...I haven't had any jump on anything I don't know what it is --- I don't know if I'm not being tested for it or what but I haven't heard anything from the doctor on my CBCs.

And if anyone would it would be me...man oh MAN I cannot stop with the sugar and I'm not going to let it bug me while on tx - plenty of life ahead to curb the enthusiasm with later!
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Avatar universal
thanks for reassurances...i am frying fish  and i will stay away from the empty calories..last nite it was back to fruits,salad and rice...now about all that ice cream........
Helpful - 0
96938 tn?1189799858
If you can locate that 'hemoglobin A1C' reading it is hopefully below 7.0., that's a general desired level.  My endo doc would like to see 6.5 which equates to a running glucose level of 130.  My average daily glucose was as hi as 350 (again a 90-day running average).  They measure it by seeing how much glucose sticks to red blood cells which have about a 120 day life.  TX clouds the issue a bit because those 120-day red cells get killed off quicker due to the meds.  So as long as you are in the vicinity of 7.0 on the a1c you should be ok. But, it's something that you should follow up on once you end tx and your systems begins to normalize without the meds.
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Avatar universal
algernon-Procrit will stimulate the bone marrow to produce.  I  feel the bone pain in the large bones like the legs, not so much the arms really.  Never the fingers.  Bone pain is in a class all its own, at least for me.  Hope it gets better for you

Are you drinking enough water?

NYG- Your cravings might have somethng to do with your thyroid?  What is up with it now?  Last I heard you still have the whole chipotle.  But, I always blame it on the female thing, chocolate, ice cream, oh yeah!

Beamish- I think FLG has some good thoughts.  114 may be a bit high but I don't think it would set off the fire siren yet.  Just something to keep an eye on.

Everyone have a great day!

miss
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
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Avatar universal
checked labs for those numbers-nothing correlates,will of course consult w/ docs ..lots of other numbers to worry about,but what's the point?? don't need any added stress,sure don't want my 'fret numbers' going up too......we are,after all is said,professionals...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Next time you have the blood work next time why don't you first FAST before hand to get a good clear number of what is REALLY your blood glucose compared to what you've eaten that day you know?

My diet...will really whack out your numbers LOL.

I was just thinking I remember a diabetic friend of mine gave me one of those tests once BEFORE I ate cheesecake and a while AFTER I'd eaten it and the numbers went up through the roof AFTER.

Same sort of thing here I'd imagine...
Helpful - 0
86075 tn?1238115091
Hi Algernon: was listening to National Public Radio yesterday, as I am wont to do (I'm a radio person from way back) anyway, they had this item on doctors and off label drug uses, basically doctors prescribing drugs for uses other then their proscribed use by the FDA...and they were talking about this new drug Lyrica, which is supposed to be an improvement on this old drug neurontin...

it's proscribed use is I think for diabetics, and some other stuff I'm fuzzy about...anyway, this doc said he had a lot of patients who were dancers, etc. and had neurological pain in their feet and hands, etc.....so he started giving them this drug though it wasn't specifically for them...and he was having really good results...

It's not against the law for a doctor to do this, and many will depending on the circumstance...just thought i'd pass that on...

here's their url...

http://tinyurl.com/gn4c3
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Avatar universal
Interferon has been linked to glucose intolerence and diabetes - link here:

http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/117-1207/1230/

In that study a patient on interferon and riba with normal fast plasma glucose suddenly shot up from 90s into the 200 range and theory was that interferon was causing some autoimmune reaction that is reversible after tx is stopped.

I am worrying about my own levels of glucose.  My levels have inched up during 46 weeks of treatment from low 90s to 110 on my latest labs.  Like everything else, I just figure it's the drugs.  My ALT AST levels have also been all over the chart.  Right now they are in the 80s and 70s.  Doc says tx can cause this. We shall see.
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Avatar universal
I have quite a few relatives with the home test kits for diabetecs and if they eat much sweets the results go soarin . I'm , no expert on this but what I've noticed .

      Ya ,I'm hopin willy can help our cause .  Liked willy since his short hair days in the 50's scene . So , how's them trees doin ?
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Avatar universal
i just gave away 4 big candy bars,lollipops,chocolate peanuts&raisins....i've been eating cake&cookies&ice cream....buddy i just gotta quit feedin them munchies!!! (-;  
them trees are prayin for rain,cuz i sure ain't waterin em all!!!!..so far so good
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Avatar universal
I can relate on the lack of rain , What I can't figure, we had 1 heck of a good year with the morrel mushrooms. People findin em by the 5 gal pails round here, go figure! Usully they need warm moiste nites and we had cool dry .

Them sweet munchies are hard to resist, I live here with some hardcore sweettooth junkies so ,discipline,but usually I fulter. My big weakness , steak, fatty food, grilled over charcoal . Nuthin like grilled bratwurst on football sunday!
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Avatar universal
Glad to see you posting, I read you were resting on your Laurel & Hardy's!  They opened an old fashioned 50's drug store malt shop and I had a burger and strawberry malt last Friday - I thought I was in heaven.  I want another malt RIGHT NOW!  But no, or I will end up being one with the refrigerator before treatment is over!
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Avatar universal
dyce-not yet mushroom season here,but wild leeks r perfect-i swear they can cure anybodys colon problems! also great w/ big ol grilled porterhouse
pretty,thanks for noticin,gotta admit to weakness for that fine american cuisine-diner duffle...
Helpful - 0
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