timaca
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6911
posted
If, by radicular neuropathy you mean either burning, sparking or shooting nerves in my legs, my answer would be yes. I actually have that all over my body.
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
I have neuropathy too. Don't know if it's "radicular" or not but I'm having an EMG this week to find out.
Neuropathy is numbness, tingling, burning, cold , hot or any unusual sensation in limbs. I have it pretty bad.
Patti
Posts: 340 | From Ohio | Registered: Oct 2005
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lymie tony z
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5130
posted
neurapathy is a common symptom with lyme disease...yes I have it too...
Pattie please don't bother with the EMG...its both painful and worthless as a diagnostic tool with lyme cuz...the neuropathy is'nt caused by the usual illnesses...plus...there's nothing wrong with the essential workings of the nerves...just the signals it's getting from the diseased brain...IMO
I have had to undergo two EMG's for the ducks and belive me they are not fun...results...I have no neuropathy...according to the test...BAH HUMBUG>>.....zman
-------------------- I am not a doctor...opinions expressed are from personal experiences only and should never be viewed as coming from a healthcare provider. zman Posts: 2527 | From safety harbor florida(origin Cleve., Ohio | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
Many of us have...or have had these symptoms. I referred to my list of lyme terms and came up with this for radiculopathy:
Radiculopathy: a disturbance in the nerve that may cause shooting pain, numbness or tingling in the distribution of a nerve root. Emanates from the spinal cord. "Sciatica" is a good example of radicular pain in that it starts from the spinal cord and shoots down the leg.
-------------------- nan Posts: 2135 | From Tick Country | Registered: Oct 2000
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Monica
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 224
posted
Personally I can't believe I've allowed a neurologist to give me two EMGs. They both showed my nerves/muscles were 'normal.'
Posts: 1757 | From Somerset County, NJ | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
Thanks Zman. I've had it before. It's horrible. The one I had in 1993 was also "normal".
The only reason I may have it done is to prove it's not my neck causing the problem. The neuro duck said it(the neuropathy) is from my neck problem prior to surgery and I know it's not. I don't think the spinal fusion would cause my scalp and eyeballs to burn either!!. I don't know how to prove the problem isn't from my neck.
I do think I may have lyme in my spinal nerves though as I have burning areas all over my spine.
Patti
Posts: 340 | From Ohio | Registered: Oct 2005
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timaca
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6911
posted
Patti~ Your neuropathy is most likely from lyme. I, too, have the burning scalp pain (that's the pits) and the "paper cut feeling in the eyeballs" pain. Although, the eye pain has eased since February when it was there all the time.
I will be re-evaluated by a neurologist that is aware of lyme (Dr. Latov in NY) in December. I think he'll probably do an EMG. In fact I know he will. That's OK. It helps him know where I'm at. In the end, I hope he'll say...you have no damage that I can see, and your symptoms are consisted with LD. We'll see if that's what happens!
Good luck.....
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
I had the EMG today. It wasn't as bad as I remember from the past. Guess what? It was normal. He said my problems are coming from higher up.Patti
Posts: 340 | From Ohio | Registered: Oct 2005
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timaca
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Member # 6911
posted
Or maybe your problems are coming from deeper in...like from the spirochetes! Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
I have neuropathy - worst in my feet and up my legs - they call it chronic regional pain syndrome (rls) from nerve injury (umm from lyme). I have it pretty much everywhere else but constant in my legs and feet.
I have had to do quite a few EMG's mostly pre-lyme dx but the ones post lyme are now not 'normal' - lots of signals not being received somewhere, you got me. Proves definite peripheral neuropathy and some other stuff I don't understand.
My llmd just gave me a new med called lyrica which is supposed to really help the nerve pain.
good luck.
Posts: 799 | From home | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
The numbness...burning....tingling but especially the numbness I have spreading everywhere....my face, head, ear, spine, legs and arms. It is very freaky. I wonder.....has anyone experienced this symptom to INCREASE as a response to while on antibiotic therapy?????? Since my numbness is spreadying, I wonder if it is the natural progression of something not controlled by antibiotics, or a response to the antibiotic treatment itself.
Andie333
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7370
posted
Turtle, I had numbness in my right foot, but about a month after starting abx, the numbness spread to my hands and my arm.
At the time of my first 28-day herx, the numbness turned into full-body paralysis. That also happened with the second herx.
I've been on abx now for 5 months. I'm getting very slowly and steadily better. No more total paralysis. I now have numbness as almost a constant in my fingertips, still in my foot and sometimes in my lips (go figure! )
So for me, anyway, the abx directly affected the numbness.
I hope this helps!
Andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Thanks Andie, I am glad you do not have anymore total paralysis, I hope it does not get to that point with me, I imagine that would be extremely terrifying!
What did you do? Did you have to go to the hospital? Did it pass quickly? I am curious about what steps you had to take to get through it.
Andie333
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7370
posted
Turtle, The first herx was so scary. I was on the phone with my friend when this feeling like electric charges started in the back of my hands, spread up my arms and down my legs.
She arrived quickly, found me in that same position and unable to move at all.
She called 911, and I was taken to the ER. Since I could talk, I kept saying I had Lyme and wanted no steroids of any kind. The ER doc got somehow patched in with my out-of-state LLMD. I was given something via injection. It didn't seem to work, so it was repeated a few minutes later.
I kept lying there saying to myself: move your right foot! Nothing would happen. Over and over, I did that with various parts of my body.
Finally, that connection between my brain and most of my body was restored. In all, the paralysis lasted almost 5 hours.
And for the next three or four days, I was completely exhausted.
When I talked to my LLMD about it later, we decided they really did nothing in the ER that I couldn't accomplish here. So 28 days later, when this happened again, I got into the wing chair in the livingroom, wrapped myself in a blanket, made sure someone was home with me and let it run its course. This time, there were apparently a few accompanying siezures.
Again, it lasted almost 5 hours. And then I could move again. The third month, my hands, feet and face started getting numb. Again, wing chair, blanket. This time, it didn't spread anywhere else, but I was so unbelievably cold. It was a summer day, 97-degrees. I was ultimately wrapped in two blankets and shaking like crazy.
And for the third time, after 5 hours, everything began to calm down.
As I said, I haven't experienced anything remotely that severe since (thank God!). Honestly, Turtle, the first time-- that was as scared as I've ever been. I posted my experiences on Lymenet, bec. I hadn't ever read anything like it. I got about 6 or 7 replies, many with variations of what happened to me.
I honestly don't think it's common, though. My LLMD said this was the most severe case she had ever heard about.
Up til then, most of my symptoms were physiological. This took me into neuro land!
Andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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lhm312
Unregistered
posted
What's the difference between radicular and peripheral neuropathy, and is there a difference in treatment?
I am on a low dose of Neurontin, Nortryptiline and pain meds, and until this week I had some quality of life. All of a sudden, I have burning throughout my body, especially on the soles of my feet. I hadn't had the burning before, only the pain, which had been handled well by the meds regimen.
The pain mgt. dr. has recommended I try Cymbalta in the near future to reduce the pain meds, but I would need to get off the Nortryptiline first as I am sensitive to too many meds at a time.
I am scared now and don't know whether to call the LLMD, the neurologist, internist, or pain mgt. dr.
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hopeful123
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3244
posted
from wisegeek online:
Neuropathy describes a condition in which a person suffers from peripheral nerve damage often associated with an underlying disease. Though not a disease itself, neuropathy is diagnosed in many people for whom no pre-existing cause can be determined. While less than 3% of the general population is affected, eventually 60% of diabetics will develop some degree of nerve damage.
The symptoms of neuropathy are usually the only method of diagnosis. One might suffer sensations similar to decreased circulation in the extremities, such as numbness, ranging from mild to severe, and pins and needles. Limbs feel alternately burning hot and icy cold, accompanied by sharp or dull pain and muscle fatigue. These feelings are associated with reduced fine motor coordination, possibly leading to paralysis at the worst extreme.
Our nerves are sensitive paths along which our body relays electrical information between our senses and our brain. One system of nerves branch out from our spinal cord to sense things like movement, pain, tactile sensation, temperature, etc. When damaged, these functions become scrambled or have reduced sensitivity. Something goes wrong in some part of the nerve. Perhaps it's in the myelin, the membranous lining of nerve cells in which axons float. Or it could be in the axons, which are connectors responsible for transferring the electrical impulses from one cellular body to the next. Even the nerve cells can get injured.
While it's easy to diagnose neuropathy based on pain, it's difficult to treat because it is so commonly idiopathic, which means the doctor doesn't know why the patient has developed peripheral nerve damage. However, the causes we understand most are malnutrition, repetitive motion resulting in carpal tunnel syndrome, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, exposure to toxins or poisons, and inherited genetic disorders.
When a doctor can identify one of these causes, she can treat the pain at the source, by correcting malnutrition or treating diabetes for example. Unfortunately, if the neuropathy is idiopathic, the only available treatment is ongoing, temporary pain management, usually with pharmaceuticals. Researchers are still pursuing many paths of study to better understand the process that leads to such widespread neuropathy.
Written by S. Mithra copyright � 2005 wiseGEEK
-------------------- some days you're the bug, some days you're the windshield Posts: 1160 | From NY | Registered: Oct 2002
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posted
Thanks to all for the great information. Have also suffered from this disabling horrific painful symptoms for a very long time.
Lymesux, I think you said you were trying Lyrica for the pain. My doc. mentioned it to me. Just wondering if it is helping. Also can it help with seizures like the neurontin?
any in put would be great.
Posts: 139 | From nj | Registered: Mar 2005
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