lafoie

Hello there. I am new to this forum and I have a question about my condition.

This is my situation. I've been a wild binge drinker for 12 years, with increasing intensity which was pretty crazy in the last 6 years. I just turned 34. I did not develop addiction (at most mild dependency) and I have already stopped drinking after a few really bad episodes of vomiting, horrible hangovers and weight loss of about 25 pounds over couple of months (likely because of the acute hepatitis bout). I realized I have come to the end of the line and decided to stop drinking. However this past 6 weeks or so I experienced symptoms that correspond to the description of alcoholic neuropathy. My biggest problem is that my left leg in particular (the part between lower quadriceps and calf – the pain kind of moves around) starts to hurt if I walk or strain my leg for a while, and my eyes are dry and itchy. Also the other night I noticed (theoretically even pleasant) burning/warm sensation in my feet and calves, even in arms. Anyway, all of this might be due to damage done to the peripheral nerves, and the stuff on the medical websites says this damage is “usually permanent”. I am scared of the gait issue in particular. Still, I may not have developed an advanced case of neuropathy, as these signs appeared recently, vary in intensity and are not severe yet. It's been a full week since I have drunken anything, the last excessive drinking was before Christmas when I “treated” a cold with some heavy liquor, which ended in another vomiting episode. I had a couple of moderate social drinks for holidays, but no alcohol in the new year, and it's meant to stay that way. I want to recover and change my ways, which I've been wanting to do for a while, but thought I still had the upper hand on booze.

I have scheduled my doctor's appointment but I have to wait for two weeks. Meanwhile, it would provide me a huge relief and motivation if you could tell me about how things went with your recovery. Were you experiencing gait issues, dry, tired eyes, chills in the back or burning sensation in your limbs? What about flushing after a meal? How long did it take for the symptoms to withdraw, and is recovery possible at my relatively young age, complete abstinence assumed.

I am trying to improve my diet and eat healthy and a lot, but my appetite suffers because of the despair. I have also started taking vitamin supplements to improve my nourishment and regain weight.

Any words of insight or comfort would be immensely appreciated. Thank you so much, and pardon the long message.

Thank you all!

zjw

I dunno what to tell you per say but for what its worth years ago while i was activly drinking at one point i went to a neorologist for the same kinds of things your speaking about among other things. he did test after test thoguht maybe i had diabetes etc.. nope eveyrhting came back fine. In my case i got tired of going he was giving me no answers and it was just costing a lot of money so i quit going.

Fast forward. I quit drinking same kinda nonsense going on. now its been over 6 years since i drank. and i've got gait issues strainge nerve crap going on etc..

Anyhow In my case I'm going to this chiropractor regularly now and getting some help. Whatever shes doing seems to be helping tho I'm not out of the woods yet.

In my case i never thought of it as alcholic neropathy i mean the idea has crossed my mind but reading yoru post i'm like yeah well maybe my present day issues are just left over nonsense from the sins of my past?

Anyhow see your doc. I hope it gets better. I dont think my situations gotten any worse since i quit drinking.

lafoie

May I ask at what age the symptoms appeared and at what age you stopped drinking? Did you continue to drink after first experiencing gait issues?

VigilanceNow

Hi Lafoie,

I'm very sorry to hear about your symptoms. Some of the websites indicate that they are "usually" permanent, but that is not necessarily the case and I wouldn't spend time stressing about that until you see your doctor. I experienced these things in the first days/weeks after drinking as well, and they did eventually dissipate. It is likely you will need some vitamin therapy and other things to replenish your electrolytes. I can speak to my experience as I am around your age and also a binge drinker -- the symptoms did go away, but they can remain scary for a while because they kind of come and go with no discernible impoetus.

The biggest thing is to NOT drink ever again. I can tell you from experience that this only gets worse. Always a binge drinker, I used to get varying degrees of hangovers like anyone else. As the disease of alcoholism progressed (please believe me it is indeed progressive), hangovers developed into withdrawal symptoms, including neuropathy, tremors, hallucinations, panic attacks... the whole nine. I read about these but didn't think it could happen to me (so cliche i know). Well, didn't matter that I was successful and getting an advanced degree; I was right there in the ER with other people suffering the same addiction to alcohol. I thought because I didn't drink every day that I wasn't an alcoholic. I know today that I am, and I can never have just one. Because I stopped, all the symptoms have gone away and I feel great today.

I suspect you are in the same boat, but that's up to you. I strongly encourage you to seek a sober support network and start working a program so that you can ensure these symptoms do not get worse. I've seen advanced neuropathy and it is truly terrible... a girl of just 36 could barely walk because she couldn't feel her feet, had persistent jaundice, had trouble speaking, and forget about memory function... it was tragic. I'm not trying to scare you, but please listen to your body and in addition to a thorough doctor workup, seek some help to NEVER drink again.

Good luck and keep posting!!! We are here for you!

VigilanceNow

P.S. flushing while eating and severe vertigo after eating happened to me too. My vitamins were severely out of whack as alcohol interferes with the body's absorption capacity. This too shall pass for you!

PennyLane76

Vitamin B1 is severely deficient in alcoholics, it's often recommended to take as a supplement.

I had a lot of physical symptoms during withdrawal, some lasting quite awhile. They did resolve.

Hang in there

lafoie

Thank you so much for your encouraging and soothing replies. I really needed them. Could you also confirm that you had the issues with movement as part of your symptoms, like feeling your feet after getting up, or numb and tender muscles?

I hope these are due to malnutrition/emaciation and withdrawal, because I didn't have them before. It's hard to stay positive with these small signs of potential disaster, but I'm trying hard and have been feeling better today, especially after seeing your responses. Thanks!

soupcon

I developed peripheral neuropathy at the end of my drinking. My legs and feet were affected with a burning, tingly sensation. I was told to take an everyday vitamin. My gait was affected as well and I needed help walking around the rehab center. My symptoms gradually disappeared when I stopped drinking for good. I had been told they were temporary and would pass. I was 28 years old at the time so that probably helped as well.

Rob762

More encouraging news here. I had everything you're talking about to the point where my legs and feet were so numb and tingly in the morning that I couldn't get out of bed until I rubbed down and shook things loose. I read all the same stuff as you and was convinced it was permanent. Laid off the booze for a month and it all went away even though I resumed drinking. Everybody's different though but I figure if you abstain permanently you'll see the symptoms fade away.

Ken0331

I noticed towards the end my feet were feeling numb, sometimes tingly. Both the malnourishment and the heavy binge drinking were culprits. Just settle your mind and wait for the doctor's appointment. Worrying won't make it better.

What will is doing what you need to do - eat well, take a B-complex vitamin, and ABSTAIN from alcohol.

Incidentally, I have a friend who did what I can only describe as starve herself to loose the excess weight she didn't want. She also developed peripheral neuropathy from the malnutrition; hers is of the more-or-less permanent type. Some feeling has come back, but not all.

My own numbness & tingling slowly went away after I stopped drinking and I took care to eat well, full-balanced meals supplemented by the vitamins my doctor found I was deficient in.

The balance problems you describe may be due to low potassium. Mine were. Just be sure to be totally frank and honest with your doctor about your drinking patterns, and get the complete metabolic panel work-up. Worry won't improve your situation, but action can.

bossybutt

I have it too and have had since 2014. Weakness in legs, numbness and tingling in face, hands/fingers and waist down to toes. Worst pain is in my feet and especially at night time. While drinking it seems to help with the pain and after stopping again it is really bad again for a bout a week. I am still struggling with lack of feeling from the waist down, not nearly as much tingling and pinpricks. Finger tips are numb right now as we speak. I am terribly afraid this is all related to the alcohol which in turn has also caused me to have a borderline eating disorder as I would choose to lie around and drink instead of going down the stairs to eat a meal. I am severely deficient in potassium, magnesium, b12 and protein. I also have the gait issues, my legs are very weak and I have a hard time walking well as I can't feel my feet or legs much. it's very easy to trip, stub your toe, lose balance, etc so please be careful and be honest with your Doctor. I fear I am permanently damaged and just have to work on a healthy diet, as much exercise as I can manage and of course staying away from the alcohol. Good luck to you!

lafoie

Thank you all for your thoughtful and encouraging replies! I am approaching the doctor's appointment and I'm feeling better and hopeful. I didn't have a drop of alcohol meanwhile.

I will stay patient and sober, work on my diet, vitamin supplements and lifestyle. Hopefully it leads to full recovery.

My main symptom remains the leg pain/stiffness/tightness, primarily in the quadriceps region of the left leg, in the tendons between the quadriceps and the calves, at the back of the leg. Also, I have occasional redness of feet (probably a circulation issue due to tightness in my leg nerves). Basic stretching exercises help with this. If I have enough rest, it doesn't bother me much. Hopefully in the long run it goes away... Psychologically it's hard to wrestle with the idea of permanence, or other conditions and “underlying causes”, like diabetes or liver issue or what have you... Still, my symptoms on the whole do show signs of improvement, so there is that...

bossybutt, your case seems to be much more difficult. Please try to do the main thing right. Do not drink any more. Endure. Persist. Only then will you be able to find improvement and respite. Hang in there, and don't drink, as hard and tedious as your life may feel in the first weeks...

Mtphc

I know when I was drinking heavy I had some numbness and weird sensations in my feet and my hands sometimes, once I quit, it would subside after a period of time. But I noticed that the numbness only happened after long periods of very heavy drinking.

lafoie

I have an update on my case. I want to give it as an example and hopefully encouragement for others.

After my examination and blood tests were completed, nothing was found to be out of order. All of my labs were normal, and in the days after the appointment my leg pain has subsided rather rapidly. My other symptoms have dispelled as well, and knowing that there is nothing rampantly wrong about my condition has taken away much of the stress. I feel like I am on my way to recovery and also reorientation in my life. It is now a full month since I stopped drinking and my health got better considerably. Vitamin therapy seems to have helped. Basic and easy exercises such as stretching and squatting help too.

It should not be concluded that I have developed genuine neuropathy. I did experience symptoms that look like it, but it's not what doctors would diagnose as a permanent nerve damage. It seems that alcohol simply drained me away gradually and was starting to affect me severely. Recognizing this and abstaining has brought about improvement of my symptoms. We will see how things go in the long run, and I have a follow-up appointment mid February, but suddenly I feel much better and (for once) awakened to the dangers of alcohol and rebarbative stupidity of my behavior in previous years.

My advice would be -- whatever stage you're in, inform yourself of the immense, diverse and IMMEDIATE dangers of alcohol. They don't tell us these things clearly when they are giving us the "surgeon general" warnings about "risks" while making the booze affordable, accessible and acceptable all around us. Stop drinking while you're still "in control", before any symptoms appear, and try to find a better inspiration or comfort in your life. If you did develop symptoms, stop right away and fight on nonetheless. If you abstain permanently you will recover to the greatest degree possible, even fully, and you will start to appreciate the gift of basic health which you (like I) have been wasting so carelessly for so long. You can't fool around with alcohol longer than 5 years without consequences. There are no "risks" -- only damage that grows with each consumed drink.

It seems I will get away this time, but I will surely not reach for the bottle any more, nor will I hesitate to alert all the merry "social" drinkers of the world of the dangers involved. I wish I had somebody who would have informed me in a rational, non-judgmental and experience-based way.

On that note, discovering this forum as a resource was immensely helpful and saved me in the most desperate moments of my crisis. Thank you all for your support, and hopefully other people find comfort and motivation in this thread in the future.

I will abstain from drinking, and post another note or two on my "progress" (hate when people don't do that)...

Ken0331

See, there you go.

Glad to hear you are improving.

Rob762

Great news!

That poison attacks every living cell. It's amazing the resiliency of the human body to repair itself after it's eliminated. Keep it going, look forward to seeing your next update.

Dee74

Glad things are looking better lafoie

D

lafoie

I have an update on my case. Not so good, unfortunately.

In spite of the good blood tests and brief period of respite, my leg symptoms did persist. As the warmer weather arrived in my place I was able to move more, and experienced more clear, but discouraging results. Whenever I stand or walk for a longer time (20 mins or an hour) my leg pain reappears. It is most prominent in the part behind the knee (on the back, where the leg bends), it is now bilateral, and after some more time it also manifests in feet which become reddish, somewhat swollen, and warm. Same during my first morning ****. Today, after a strenuous walk I even had strong numbness in my right toe for a minute or so, the first experience of that kind. So, it would appear my problems persisted, even after 2 months of complete abstinence from alcohol.

I did some physical therapies this month, and while stretching exercises help alleviate the tightness and even remove the pain when I am restful, there is no denying that symptoms are present, constant and unsettling when I put pressure on my legs. I can still walk a lot, but I am aware of the pain all the time, which is very depressing.

I have another appointment in late March. So far the doctor has been telling me everything is “normal,” and I was referred to therapies for leg pain since I thought it was sciatica or hamstring (no talk of neuropathy yet, as I was afraid to breach the subject, and almost ruled it out after favorable blood test results). Interestingly, my blood tests did not include vitamins, but for 5-6 weeks now I've been taking them all, and I wonder if they will help at some point. B12 deficiency is conducive to (or even a cause) of peripheral neuropathy.

Anyway, I was wondering if somebody could reflect more specifically on how long it took their symptoms to improve, and were they anything like mine, with this tightness and ache in the middle of the legs (not so much "tingling" in feet most people speak of; that occurs to me at times, but it's not the main thing, and it's not how it began for me). So far, I feel like most people got better by this stage in abstinence. Do you think I have some hope say 6 months down the road? I am not going to give in and drink again or anything, but thinking that this pain might stay or even increase over the years, in this stage of my life, and after such a sudden onset, well, it's demoralizing...

So, words of experience, advice, encouragement would help a lot!

Thank you.

Dee74

Hi lafoie - my neuropathy is from bIRth so I have no relevant experience to share.

The fact is tho this could be anything, and you've identified several other possibilities in your latest post already.

Your doctor doesn't seem to be that worried to me - I'd try and go with that

D

lafoie

Yeah, thanks. In fact, I have just done some additional reading, and, while somewhat atypical, my pain could just as well be the damn sciatica, even though my therapist didn't identify it yet. It has just been two maddening months, so I still swing back and forth between different concerns. I apologize for the confusion, but if anything, this post documents the various symptoms and complications that can occur. I will post back when I get a clearer picture of this.

Specific descriptions of neuropathic symptoms and development are still welcome!