GG7

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;; color: rgb(50, 50, 50);">Hello everyone,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;; color: rgb(50, 50, 50);">I hope all are doing well, and everyone is staying safe. I feel like most of my posts are complaining about an ache or a pain...lol. But this is the only place where I feel anyone can relate to what I am feeling. I have gone to the Dr for each of these symptoms and praise God they confirm I am healthy. So the only place that seems to understand my symptoms is here where I read others posts and it gives me some hope. Originally when I first stopped drinking I was feeling a weird tingling in my hands and feet mostly which ended up moving to other areas as well. As of about a month ago I was happy to say I felt like it was going away and it was only sometimes in my hand when I type at the computer. Now for the past 3 days I have felt it again in my hands, feet and other places. I accidentally fell asleep on my left shoulder/arm last night and I guess it triggered something because I woke up with my arm and hand numb (which was scary) I walked around and kept shaking it and praying and it started to feel better. But today I can still feel a little funny feeling in the middle part of my left arm. It's so frustrating because I often feel like ever since I stopped drinking now simple things like falling asleep on your arm and it feeling numb turns into a whole 2 day or so ordeal of it not feeling just right. Where as in the past I would just shake something like that off, and keep it moving and everything would be fine. My joints are still stiff but showing some improvement, legs, ankles, knees, feet, and I never felt like that when I was drinking. Only maybe stiff for a few seconds in the morning and nothing else. This is waaaay more often and stiffer... if that makes sense. I don't understand why? I read all these blogs and forums before I stopped drinking and they speak of how much more energy you'll have, how great you'll feel. Where as I have fatigue now that I NEVER had, am tired all the time, feel like I am under the weather most of the time but just can't put my finger on what it is kind of feeling, forgetting how to spell simple stuff, and don't feel like working but so thankful I have a job. Trying to put forth an effort with what energy I have to do it.&nbsp; I also have what feels like allergies which I never got allergies for years. Now headache, and no sore throat anymore but feeling super tired when I talk for a long time like my throat is being strained.&nbsp; I wonder am I being punished for not tapering off and just stopping cold turkey? I have a friend that drank for years and she stopped and doesn't even know what I am talking about when I tell her all this stuff. She hasn't gone through any of this. I was drinking wine one bottle or sometimes a bottle and another glass for years. How is it I felt better drinking? When I say that I am not condoning drinking or saying it's the way to go. I am saying I am flabbergasted that I honesty felt better physically and had NONE of these problems. Anyone relate? sigh..... thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;; color: rgb(50, 50, 50);">&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>

Dee74

I'm sorry you're still dealing with those symptoms.I hope you feel ok apart from the neuropathic stuff.

I definitely do not believe you're being punished

Apologies if I've said this before but maybe it's worth getting a second opinion from another doctor?

D

sugarbear1

I have alcoholic peripheral neuropathy and have had it since I noticed it in my early recovery days. See your doctor for medical tests.
My neuropathy comes and goes and is not constant. That and tinnitus. My physical complaints. I do still have flair ups of the neuropathy and I am almost at 9 years of sobriety.
Alcohol messes up our bodies and sometimes we get full recovery and sometimes we don't. Sobriety is the goal, no matter what!

GG7

Thanks sugarbear1! I had tests done by a neurologist and he said he didn’t think I had neuropathy. I had a EMG I think it’s called? Two tests and actually ended up making me have worse symptoms after the tests for about 2 weeks. Then symptoms went away. Was feeling like it was pretty much 95-97% gone until the most recent few days out of no where.The Neurologist asked me had I been taking high B6 vitamins. I stated yes and he told me to stop immediately and that’s what he thought it was from. So now I take my B vitamins individually while avoiding taking B6. I haven’t been able to find a multivitamin with no B6 in it. I did start taking a protein powder again that I was taking when it first started. It doesn’t have vitamin B6 in it but I don’t know could have something else that’s contributing. Or maybe not who knows.. so hard to try to pinpoint.I did also Recently start having major sugar cravings for chocolate cookies, and candy bars for like a month off and on. I also started drinking coffee everyday for about 2 wks. I just stopped the coffee drinking 3 days ago just incase it’s contributing. Have you noticed sweets, caffeine, or certain foods causing flare ups? Â

Funki

Interesting, the doctor thought B6 caused it? I was prescribed by my doctor I think B6 to address potential alcohol-induced deficiencies?

GG7

Hi Funki,Yes, surprised me too. But it’s something I learned while trying to get answers. Turns out deficiency in both B12 & B6 can cause it. BUT too much B6 can also cause it! Usually happens when someone is taking those super high B vitamin complex’s that have thousands % daily value. Found out the body flushes out the excess Vitamin B12 the body doesn’t need, however it doesn’t do that with B6, thus causing the possibility of having too much. I had my vitamin levels tested and my B6 level was 2 points away from being higher than normal. Everyone is different I’m sure. But I found a health forum with lots of folks suffering from neuropathy due to taking vitamins for months or years that had the super high vitamin B6 levels in it.  While we’re trying to load up on vitamins as many are deficient due to alcoholism, it’s best to get as many vitamin levels tested as possible, especially the B vitamins, vitamin E, vitamin D, potassium,  zinc, calcium, etc. while also getting blood work to check for diabetes, cholesterol, IRON ( low iron also can cause neuropathy). I did my own. Labs now a days will allow you to do your own. Don’t wait For the doctor to do it, be your own advocate. Most of them won’t request for all of these Vitamins to be tested anyway.  They’ll tell you you don’t need it probably because the insurance won’t cover all of it a lot of the time or they can’t justify the request.Â

Funki

Yeah, that's an interesting point. When I first got sober recently, they gave me a high potency daily vitamin B6 pill to take everyday for 30 days and a proton-inhibitor to help with I guess stomach absorption in general for 30 days. It's been though over a month since I finished those prescriptions. I have insurance again so will go check out my levels and general state at 90 days. I got an all clear on things like liver and kidney that time through blood tests (thank god). But I don't think everything was tested besides these basics.

But, this goes back to a lot of people's experiences with PAWS; getting all clears on most basic medical tests but having a bunch of symptoms.

GG7

Awesome on your good lab results! Yes, that's what I was thinking as well in regards to some of the PAWS comments. That's why I posted here, because I have gone to several Dr.s and as much as I am super elated that they all have confirmed I am healthy. It also leaves me to believe it's alcohol related and possibly not so much the Vit.B6. I do still watch the B6 just incase and because my B6 range was two points away from the normal/high range. So better to be safe than sorry. But I have also had dry mouth out of nowhere a couple of months ago, to the point of when I woke up in the middle of the night I was so scared because my mouth literally felt like it had no saliva in it. I had to rush and gulp water just to be able to form a swallow! I never felt that before in my life! Praise God it passed within a week or so, and has not returned. Now lately I have been having minor headaches and I NEVER get headaches. But instead of freaking out about that too, I am just going to assume it's related to my body getting back healthy again and adjusting to not drinking. But the tingling...... ugh Just want it to go away forever!!!

Funki

What tingling do you have? I have some slight headaches here and there too, but I assume that yeah it's my brain healing. Weirdly, I've had tingling ONLY in my right hand (except for the first month or so where I felt it in more places).

GG7

Wow- that's where I have it too. Started in the right hand when I first stopped drinking, then moved to feet, sometimes cheek area, and upper legs about a few weeks after I noticed it in my hand. Then it started subsiding and only felt it maybe 5% of the time. But most recently started feeling it again a few days ago, and I'm so frustrated as to what triggered it. I feel it in my right hand when I sit at my desk and type, so I think it's a combination thing with the hand typing all the time, and also possibly from the drinking. But feeling it in other areas is what sucks! I did start eating junk food two weeks or so ago, and drinking coffee which I hear can trigger it. So lately cut out the junk food and not going to be drinking coffee and see if that helps. How long did it take for all the tingling to leave for you? Did you try any particular vitamins, or supplements to help? Exercise, etc...?

Funki

Seriously though! I did have some tingling on my face and head after acute withdrawal, but most went away in first 60 days I think. The right hand thing has been going on recently though, and yes I can't tell if it's tingling from alcohol or carpel tunnel from typing and video games lol. It's also mainly in my finger tips. Why only one hand and the one I use most with computer? Maybe it is being aggravated by poor ergonomics and computer.

As far as anything else, I am trying to address it the same way: exercise, rest, removing one by one anything else negative (currently working on nicotine with patches), eating somewhat decently, etc. I do take a basic multivitamin but that probably doesn't do a lot. What about you? I still am drinking about the equivalent of two large cups of coffees a day, which for me isn't excessive. What have you heard about coffee triggering? I do find if I have more than two coffees I feel weird, jittery, side effects etc.

GG7

The coffee dehydrates and for some reason seems to be a trigger for the nerve tingling, as well as bad carbs and sweets. I was working out 5-6 days a week an hour of cardio and a couple days light weight lifting. I was starting to feel better and since the whole stay at home orders going on nationwide etc., my workouts have been almost zero. I think I have worked out 5 times in 2 months which is not like me. So wonder I am not feeling like myself lately. I am starting back on working out so hopefully I will see and feel a positive difference in my body very soon. I eat healthy (fish, fruits, vegetables) "except" when I got those sugar cravings. Had to have chocolate. However, I have put back on 7 of the 25 pounds I lost that quick due to the sugar and chocolate cookie binges. So no more sugar for a month or more for me. I am firm about it and upset with myself for eating excessive sweets like that. When I drank wine/champagne I did not ever have a sweet tooth. No one could beg me to eat candy or desserts. Now I crave chocolate cookies ...LOL! I take vitamin b's but not B6. Honestly, I felt better when I was taking them before I stopped drinking. Now that I don't drink it's hard to tell what's working and what isn't because most days I just don't feel that great. I know I am blessed though... there are others that have gone through worse so I am grateful and hopeful I will start feeling much much better. How are you holding up these days?

ringoffire

Hey, I can relate. I am in exercise clothes right now about to do some weights and some cardio on my elliptical. Get back on the physical activity train. Even if it doesnt help the immediate ailment in front of you, long term it will be the right trajectory. The sweet tooth, is totally normal. I was reading about alcohol (I am sure you already know this, sorry) and it is digested by the body as sugars. So in effect, the sweet tooth is your body craving the sugar it is no longer getting from the alcohol. That does subside, I have always been a savory type first, but in the first bit of quitting, I was craving sugar so bad I would make "hot chocolate" and use 3x the amount of sugar to cocoa ratio. lol. But it does go away.
Hope this helps.

Funki

I'm feeling better gradually, at day 91 now. Definitely better than I was 1-2 months ago. I still waves of zonkiness though, including an hour ago.

The exercise thing is big for me. I didn't exercise due to having a flu or cold from mid-March to the end of March, but this last month I started walking 5-6 days a week (sometimes for up to 8 miles) and throwing in some light alternative exercise (catch with kid, light yoga, some calisthenics, etc) 1-2 times a week. I'm already feeling a bit better from it and more active. Guys, I highly recommend yoga for some of the aches, pains, circulation issues, anxiety. It does things for those that many other exercises do not. For example, I have had periodically heavy pain in my upper back, shoulders, and neck in the past three months. Each time I did this 15 minute yoga class on youtube targeting that specifically, it was 80%-100% the next day. Also, they have yoga for circulation issues including tingling in extremities.

As far as diet, that's great that you are cutting out a lot of things. I too have a raging sweet tooth exacerbated by quitting drinking. Like coffee though, my view is an easy does it one and moderation on the diet front. I'm already weaning off nicotine. If was to cut out all sweets and caffeine now too it might be liable to cause too quick of a lifestyle change with the nicotine being removed too. I'm happy to slowly reduce coffee and sweets, and eat mostly healthy otherwise. Crash diets often aren't sustainable in the long term. A lot of nutritionists and work out experts even say to let one have some cheat or fun meals every week.