neuropathy

[seaman728]

last sunday night was shot 16.  Since the first shot or two I have had numbness and a tinkling in my big toe.  It spread to my foot and then my calf,  and the last few weeks the sensation is in my hand and arm.  My blood pressure has spiked [never had a blood pressure problem before]  I always thought it was my version of flu like symptoms.  I was at my Drs yesterday,  and he says my nerve endings are inflamed,  and said that was the cause of my numbness.  My sx have been managable till this point.  Week 12 blood test showed a 2 log drop plus.  VL is now 1,980.  My question is has any one had this sx effect and more important after tx has it gone away??  Thxs and Happy New  Ron

[lbl1007]

I had neuropathy  with weakness and pain in my legs and arms during tx and the symptoms are much better now that i'm 7 weeks post tx.
lbl
                                                                      

[Marc1955]

As I said above, it might not disappear. You might need to live with it as a minor annoyance. Try if there is any way possible to be a little active. Maybe it's not possible. But if you can just walk around the block it will help. For many, the best time is the morning, right after you take the pills. One block - every day. Then a block and a half. Then two blocks. It's the best thing you can do.I know it seems impossible, but it's not.

[alijee]

im on weak 16. since weak 14 im facing numbness and tingling in my hands, arms and calf. im also worried about it. im so weak that i can walk hardly 60-70 steps. will this sitution disappear after end of tx?

[Marc1955]

My experience with exercise is just like you say – I went through a period at about 10-14 weeks into treatment when I felt like such warmed over c**p that there was no way I could consider exercise, but as soon as I started feeling the least bit better I started dragging my sorry butt to the gym. I need to take it really slow. It's so easy to overdo it. But now exercise is my one saving grace. No matter how tired I feel I try to put in my time at the gym and it makes me feel world's better. It clears my head and gives me an optimistic sense of things. I know it is really hard for people in treatment to do, but in my case it gives me a lot of energy and is definitely helpful.

[portann]

If Marc is correct about the neuropathy not being life-threatening, then maybe you should keep a closer eye on your spike in blood pressure. Do you know what it is now and what it was before tx?

Unfortunately, my blood pressure has also gone higher and my family doctor doesn't know what to do about it. It does coincide with my tx.

We've tried a few thing for the last couple of months but it's still not stable. She is of the view that hypertension can cause long term damage, even if it's just for the duration of my 48 week tx.

[Isobella]

Thanks, Marc.  I was hoping you would come back with more info.  

I have not lost any weight on tx, but I did have a rapid loss of muscle tone.  

I just have to remember-on tx, I'm gonna be tired whether I excercise or not, so just do it!  It actually makes me feel so much better.  

Seaman-Mine did get pretty painful (weird how numbness can hurt so bad??) and I have gotten almost complete relief-maybe it will work for you as well.  Start slow tho =)  Even if we were in great shape before tx---it's a whole new ball game now. Good luck-keep us posted.

Isobella

[Marc1955]

In my experience, GP's know even less about neuropathies than they do about HCV. It's a very technical area. Even many neurologists don't work in that area. i wouldn't put a lot of stock in that comment about the one-sidedness. Sounds to me like your neuropathy is pretty symmetrical but with more pronounced symptoms on one side.

An expert I did consult thought that the neuropathy I experienced during treatment, which sounds similar to yours, might have been due to rapid weight loss. Stands to reason that the muscles and the bones shield the nerves from irritation and damage and when you lose that you risk nerve damage. It might be the case that even the light exercise you started was enough to restore some muscle mass and make those nerve sheaths happy again.

The same expert (at Johns Hopkins) told me that it is very hard to ascribe a neuropathy to interferon treatment. It is hard to isolate the interferon as a possible cause, since there are other underlying issues, and little is known about interferon-related neuropathies. Someone once posted on this board that they were withdrawn from treatment due to nerve problems. I'd love to know more about that.

[Isobella]

I was experiencing numbness and tingling in my hands, arms and down 1 leg.  My doc told me neuropathy occurs on both sides-not just one or the other. I don't know if that is true or not......

Massage and excercise have done the trick for me.  Light excercise---just walking around the block.  

My blood pressure was high in the beginning. It was up to about 160/94 at it's highest.  I usually run 117/70, so I noticed it.  It has since come down.  Possibly because of the excercise.

Good luck to you =)

[Marc1955]

Seaman – I've had two bouts with neuropathy. If it's a surface nueropathy that results in a tingling, hot feeling, and/or numbness on the surface of your skin, it may or may not go away. Nerves are the slowest cells in the body to recover and sometimes they don't. But generally this sort of neuropathy is nothing more than a nuisance. It is not life threatening.

Did the Dr. suggest any treatment for the neuropathy? Have you lost or gained a lot of weight since your treatment started? How is your muscle tone? That's all I know to ask. I'm certainly not an expert. I'm just going on my own experience.