numb hands

[iwillbeatthis]

It's about 2 mos post tx, this started about a week or so ago, my hands are completely numb at night, and tingling in the morning after all night when I get them working again, I'm waking up all night, trying to hang them over the bed, work them out to get rid of that horrible feeling, I'm obviously worried that this will spread, I'm just praying this is temporary and it's going to go away?
Anybody else had this and had it go away after a while?
I'm really worried about this.
Thanks,
Bree

[willbb]

  Thats great Bree..maybe the Hemo knew that B and folate can sometimes get wacked pretty hard on tx..  Good luck...

Will

[iwillbeatthis]

thanks willbb, I didn't know that about B deficiency, and I am coincidentally testing for that in a few weeks, when I do my 3 mo VL test.
As for the CTS I seriously doubt that is it. This started out of the blue, just bang, about 10 nights ago, in both hands, and I was in my second month post tx, so I think it is very safe to assume it has something to do with the tx. I will do the B and Folate, and then just pray this goes away.

I did not know that tx depleted these, I guess my (new) hemotologist knew this and that is why she ordered the test for me 3 months post tx. Good for her, I finally got someone who knew something in this uninformed rural area I live in.

I am also using those hand squeezer things, I did a bunch of those last night and surprisingly enough, there was a big improvement, so I am squeezing away, hoping I can squeeze the bad voodoo out of my hands. I know that's not very technical, but sometimes the basics work.  Bree

[willbb]

Sorry to hear you are having such a hard time post tx.I see you have been around here for a very long time and I imagine you have seen more of your share of posts from folks discussing their problems with a whole array of things post treatment.

I am one who believes that any drug we take .be.it any OTC  or any prescribed meds are going to have side effects.Obviously some of these are fairly benign in nature and others much more severe. However I guess with any thing we take ,the benefit must always be weighed against risk.

Interferon ,is certainly a powerful toxic drug.. you would think it would have to be to do what we are asking it to do....kill millions of virons  that have evolved and got very strong over thousands of years. It would be extremely naive to think that taking this for as long as we sometimes do would not have any adverse effects on us and sometimes long lasting and fairly serious ones.

However the fact remains that for many people this drug works...to rid us of a potentially life threatening disease,so again benefit vs. risk.

I don't really understand how you would think that Pharma is about to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to do any studies to tell them what they already most probably know...that the drug they sell us for huge profits has adverse affects. Especially in light of the fact they also know their is currently tens of millions of people lined up as we speak ready to purchase this drug.

However do we not have to give them some credit for currently conducting trials to get this drug out of the mix for treatment of HCV.

My post here is not to minimize the way some folks are troubled by after effects of treatment and I am certainly not one of the so called naysayers of the harm they may cause., however the fact remains until the meds get safer and more efficient this particular med is saving lives

New people to this site and I hope you would agree should certainly know that tx.drugs may have side effects and that may even be long lasting .however the other side of all that is the eradication for many ,of this nasty virus.

I don"t usually do a long rambling  post like this..and my apologies for such..I just wanted to throw my cent in   ..also  to anybody new that is interested I have had NO residual side effects from treatment...albeitI I only treated for  17 weeks ..  so maybe not a true gauge however the 18 shots of interferon I did do did not seem to harm me  and   fortunately I know there are othes in my situation...so there is another side to the story.

Again ...just my 1 cent

Will


  

[DoubleDose]

I agree that everyone with post-tx symptoms should get tested thoroughly for anything that could possibly be a cause or contributing factor.  As I have mentioned I have had just about every test known to man.  My thyroid was SLIGHTLT out of range, and has been corrected to the ideal TSH for almost 7 years now, I have had all vitamin, mineral, blood function, hormone, autoimmune, and infectious disease blood tests that are available...all to no avail.  Everything looks pretty 'normal' from a testing perspective.  The only thing doctors can tell me is that interferon often causes profound changes, and can be responsible for lots of nasty after effects.  The only ones who don't readily tell me this is is the liver docs...and I think they are swayed by what the pharmaceutical firms tell them about the supposed after-effects of interferon.  I don't think the real, long term studies have ever been done by either the big pharmas, or the treating medical community.  Nobody seems to be 'sponsoring' THAT study!  Wonder why........

DoubleDose

[agatha56]

That is true. I had what they call minimum damage in my left hand and moderate in my right hand. I had the surgery on my right hand in January and now just 3 months later my right hand is waking me up with severe numbness and pain. It would not be unrealistic to think it could be this. Wouldn't hurt to get tested.

[willbb]

CTS..in both hands at the same time? Would be extremely rare with all due respect.

Will

[agatha56]

No question in my mind. just went through this. You have carpal tunnel syndrome. Go see your PCP and get tested. Surgery worked very well for me.

[willbb]

Bree..something else to consider...numbness,especially in the hand is a classic symptom of Vit. B deficiancy.(many articles on the subject)  and folate deficiancy. It is also known that tx. can deplete these...may be a good idea to get the doc to check both these levels.

At least these are the easy simple things to get checked before you just resign yourself to the fact that Itreatment drugs have done permanent damage ,as seems to be stated numerous times in the last few days.

Good luck

Will

[iwillbeatthis]

thanks DD, I'll do that. that thread is a good idea.
in the meantime, is there anyone here who had numbness (hands or other) post tx that it did go away after a while?
Thanks,
Bree

[DoubleDose]

You might want to keep us informed of your symptoms and the changes, using the Long-Term Side Effects thread which I posted yesterday.  I am hoping to have this thread become a single, central reference point for those of us with post-tx issues that seem to specifically develop AFTER tx.  If we all use one thread, quite a bit of data can be collected over time, and we can each compare noted more easily without searching for a bunch of different threads on the subject.  BTW, my numbness is often in the neck and shoulders, and also affects the lower portion of my forearms and last three fingers on my hands.  I have it right now, and it comes and goes.  At night it is often a problem when trying to go to sleep.  I am almost 8 years after tx, and SVR for that period.  Almost all of my severe problems started up a month after finishing tx.  Good luck to you.

DoubleDose

[iwillbeatthis]

Hi Will, I read through, thanks, seems that a lot of people had this before tx, and during tx, and some after tx. I am for sure after tx. And it happened all at once, one night about 10 nights ago, now every night since then, and it was about 6-7 weeks post tx. I didn't have it at all before tx or during tx, so.... I am really really really hoping it just goes away.
Thanks,
Bree

[willbb]

Bree...I know this thread is from a long long time ago...however it seems lots of folks were talking about it then...hope that helps
Will


http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Numb-Hands/show/87566

[SusieS2010]

Could it be carpal tunnel? This is the same way my husband described his hands before the injection to help reduce the inflammation.

[iwillbeatthis]

They are numb now at night, like when you have had your foot in a wrong position for a while, it goes completely numb, and you have to shake it or put it in a position to get the feeling back, this has just started, in both hands at night, and it wakes me up and I'm kind've freaking out, like I said this is happening post tx. Never had this before. My hands yesterday were also a little achy and a little stiff. I was wondering if this has happened to anyone else post tx?

[paen53]

I had much the same post tx and had to give up some things that required fine dexterity, but slowly the feeling is coming back to my fingertips. My hands and feet still get cold quickly and I am glad to see the winter coming to a close. I'm almost a year post after an extended tx and am hoping it continues to diminish. Hope yours does too, Pam

[GoofyDad]

I'm not sure what's causing you to wake up with numb hands, iwillbeatthis, but some possibilities do come to mind. Have you tried hand lotion?  

After tx I came down with reynauds syndrome - basically cold fingertips. They were red and numb. It seems to be going away now - really it was little more than an anoyance. Could that be the problem?