neuropathy

Hi. I also took thalomid at 200 mg. (which is now considered too high a dose, so i'm surprised they would have you take that much) with dex for 18 months 5 years ago. At the time, i did not know much about neuropathy; i knew it was possible, but my doctor didn't inform me (perhaps he didn't even know) how bad it could get. It creeped up on me and when it started getting bad i asked to get off the thal, but it was too late. I have very numb feet, same lack of sensation in my ankles and lower legs and my fingers are also half numb. What i didn't know was that this is permanent, and, i hate to tell you this, but it can continue to get worse after you stop...mine did. I tried taking what you are taking but it did no good whatsoever. Unfortunately, chances are you will not get any better than you are right now. I belong to a listserv (online discussion group) of myeloma patients and this has been discussed many times. There are people who say if you follow this one regiman (which involves taking a lot of different suppliments) that it can help, but it was just too much and a lot of people said it didn't do anything. Another person said taking certain vitamin b suppliments helped her husband, but no one else had said it helped them. If you are still on the Thalomid, i strongly suggest you ask to get off it. Now a lot of doctors are using a different form of the same drug called Remlivid which does not appear to cause neuropathy, at least not like thal does. Another drug that can cause (or make worse) neuropathy is Velcade, which i declined to take when recommended by my doctor because i didn't want mine to get any worse. I'm sorry to be such a downer with this, but i thought you should hear this information. Good luck with your treatment...i hope you continue to do well.

Valerie

(dx'd 8/01, no transplant, currently stable)

I was also on Thalomid until I developed neuropathy. Am now on Revlimid (just started) After stopping Thal the sensation os a freezer burn in my feet and calves went away rather quickly, but I am left with numb, tingling toes and balls of the feet, and occasional tingling fingers. Not terrible, as I know some neuropathy can be much worse. This part has not gone away, and I know that neuropathy can be irrreversible. I am going to try acupuncture. I went to an acupuncturist based on the positive experience of a friend who was just as skeptical as I. I was dealing with back pain, remnants from compression fractures, and which had me on oxycodone twice a day. I figured nothing to lose, it wasn't that expensive. After the first treatment, that evening the "giant toothache in my back" as I called it, did not feel better. But when I woke up the next morning there was NO PAIN in my back. Go figure. I stopped taking the oxycodone that day (rather foolish---I recommend weaning yourself off it) and have not taken it since. The acupuncture guy I went to mentioned that he thought acup, could help with the neuropathy, so I'm going to give it a try, I don't think it's going to improve on its own. I f you decide to try this route, ask around for a reputable acupuncturist. It was amazing how many people I met who knew of this guy and really liked him, including this muckety muck chief of surgery at a local medical center