[mrsmoggles]

I was told today by my neuro in front of my mom (who drive me cause I still don't feel safe driving right now) that I have painful polyneuropathy. He took a pin to my whole body and the only part it hurt was mid to lower back...the rest he poked and jabbed and if i closed my eyes I would have thought it was his finger...he said I have significant nerve damage and my diabetes needs to be in better control. They have been high due to fever and wheeze and low grade fever, which means it is out of my control. And then he went on to say that I just started on cymbalta today and at only 30 mg, I have to wait 3 more weeks before I contact him and he thinks my pain will be significantly less. Until then, oh well............even though my dx is now including PAINFUL polly blah blah...so why cant he provide me any relief??? I just don't understand....and the best part-get this- he told me I need to excercise every other day at the BARE minimum and get my heart rate up for 20 minutes...Ok, lemme get this straight 1)I am hurting 2)I have chronic pain as said by the dx he gave me 3)My legs wanna fall off just walking to bathroom and back from living room4)I was told I need to strengthen my tummy and my legs will hurt less 5)I can't lock my legsbecause it worsens vertigo...but I can't walk as if I have been walking in space and come back to gravity 6)He says the MRI will mostly be normal, he isnt holding any hopes it wont be anything but normal and show nothing to suggest something other than neuropathy 7) that what he sees is totally nueropathy, and that's all...so what now??? I go to MRI tomorrow and hold no candle of hope for anything changing...become a whiner about pain when the meds don't work...suffer silently and give up any hope of leading a life other than ugghhh, grrrr, i hurt, another day wasted, no quality or substance to enjoy...he said i am young, i can go do it. yea, I hurt and am going through chemical upset with medchanges adding and subtracting...ssssssssssooooooooooo, i guess...well, nothing...pathetic huh?? 'It's just me' keeps running thru my mind...sorry, just kinda feeling sorry for myself. ~ melanie

[wisewoman]

He sounds just like an older doc I know. Don't accept it. Physical therapy if insurance will pay. Also, if you have been reading, 300 mg of alpha lipoic acid 2x daily can help with insulin control as well as with nerve damage. Check out the study from oregon and also check out european countries and use of this to treat diabetes and neuropathy. Swim for everything you have. I know he wants you weight bearing but start with swimming. Okay, I get the thing about strengthening your tummy. What it means, and it took me a long time to learn was to exercise walking with pelvis slightly tucked back and belly slightly pulled in. It makes tummy muscles stronger. I needed a P.T. to teach me. Try to feel the pelvis tuck lining up with your hips and tummy tuck evenly. It takes practice and I need a lot more.

Pain pills are not what they are cracked up to be. They too can rob you. Remember that you are the consumer. Try above for a while and get yourself to a pain clinic. How much neurontin are you now on? Best of luck to you and please know I am thinking about you, Be well.

[Perna]

MrsMoggles, try to do everything he tells you for the 3 weeks and then, if his predictions of feeling better aren't true, go in there and. . . (you know what to do :-)

[mrsmoggles]

I didnt know the mg for the ALA but went n bought 300mg ones yesterday and have started...I am also taking vitamin a and b12...I can now walk thru a store once over and by time i come home i feel crampy and weak and fuddleminded...i didnt necesarily want pain pills...i want something that will take the edge off...something that works for nerve pain, dont give me t3 or vicodin and act like it is a great gift help closely to the heart...i KNOW there are other classes of drugs that work for nerve pain....why cant he give me something until the other meds that take a month to 2 to work????? I am just bitter I guess...i got my hopes up that i was going to finally learn what is wrong and i am not going to...i need to face the fact...the cold hard truth...according to everyone around me i am a young person who should be so active and have life by the balls and chasing the wind....following my dreams and coming into my own...according to me I am old OLD and feel old and sedate and i am burned out and i have nothing left in me to give to other people...i am broken and tired and i dun want to do anything but roll up somewhere and hibernate till science catches up and they can disect me and finally figure out there WAS something wrong with me and correct that wrong...even tho in death i will have won...i will have last word....and that sounds so bad...but if you are in pain after a while it becomes intolerable and then you just sink as more ppl around tell you how you should look, feel and do. no you dont hurt come on you just need to push thru it, it wont hurt once you get going...blah blah blah..Ugghh, I am sorry...guess I needed to rant a bit~mel