Neuropathy
Your nerves are like phone cables; they take signals to and from your body's surface to your spinal cord (your central switchboard).
When someone strokes your hand, that signal is carried by a nerve to your spinal cord. If someone pokes your hand with a tack, you feel this in a different way—and your nerves let you tell which is which.
Neuropathy is nerve damage. In dialysis patients, neuropathy most often affects peripheral nerves in the hands and feet. Nerves can be harmed by:
- Squeezing them through a too-tight space – e.g., in carpal tunnel syndrome, nerves to the hand are squeezed at the wrist
- Immune disease – some attack the nerves
- Poor blood flow – more likely in the legs and feet, but may happen in the hands
- Infection – such as shingles
- Diabetes – half of people with diabetes have some degree of nerve damage
- Poisons – like lead or mercury
Nerve damage can change sensation, so soft fur might feel prickly to you. Or, you may have nerve damage without any symptoms. It can take years to feel the damage.
What Does Neuropathy Feel Like?
"After 17 years of dialysis, my neuropathy comes in two flavors. One if I've been walking or standing for about 15 to 20 minutes it feels like my feet are falling asleep—pins and needles. This sensation continues until I sit down, but I put up with it because I have 'places to go, people to see.' The other thing I get is hot feet—this strikes more randomly.
"I think taking B vitamins may help. I take them and dialyze daily, yet I have neuropathy, but after 18 years of ESRD, who's to say if my neuropathy would be worse if I had run less or didn't take vitamins? I've always taken a prescribed renal vitamin. I'd for sure talk to your doc about thiamine or B vitamins in general. Why not take B vitamins? They're pretty inexpensive; however, insurance won't pay for them (at least mine won't)." –Bill
"My feet don't itch, but boy, do they burn! Yes, they do. They burn, as if I was standing on the very doorstep of hell and just 'itching' to go in. The thing that I find gives most relief is standing on a cold floor, but as this can become tiresome after the first couple of hours, I have rescued a spare stone tile left over from a kitchen makeover and keep this at the foot of my favorite armchair and plonk my bare tootsies on it. This helps a bit." –Bob
