Neuropathy and VSG
So I have peripheral neuropathy in my feet. It's idiopathic, they don't know why I have it but about 1/3 of the cases they just can't pinpoint a cause. I've never been pre-diabetic or a drinker, the usual subjects, so it's just one of those lovely things life sometimes visits on unsuspecting people LOL I keep it mostly pain free with amitriptyline (brand name is Elavil and it's actually an old school anti-depressant).
The neuropathy is generally under control with a flare up for a few days a month. Stress is definitely a trigger. Part of the reason why I had the VSG was to take pressure off of my feet by losing weight, and, ain't gonna lie, I was hoping it would go away at some point.
For the past 10 days I have been in SO much pain. Taking way more RX to control it than usual and with limited improvement. It's worse at night, which is par for the course. I was trying to figure out what in hell caused this flare-up?
I'm knowledgeable about the human body, having been in college and working towards my nursing degree. I went back to the basics and the covering on our nerves is called myelin. It's made up of primarily protein and lipids (fats). I was trying to figure out WHY it had flared up. My dietary protein intake is on course..but my fats are very very low. I decided to add about 1.5TBS of mayo to my chicken breast and albacore tuna for the past two days..and the pain was back to tolerable levels. It all but stopped!
I hope that this helps anyone that may be suffering from flare ups in neuropathy in their feet after VSG. Adding a small amount of fat back into my diet brought my pain back under control.
I wonder if avocado or olive oil would be better choices for fat. Also maybe almonds and walnuts. I would experiment with them. Healthier fats may be better for you and maybe even more helpful. Good luck.
Lisa
I also have neuropathy, but my doc had me on 100mg of B6 prior to surgery that addressed it 95% of the time. After surgery he bumped me to 200mg (100, morning & evening) because of absorption issues similar to the B12 issues we have. I had to stay off it for the first 10 days after surgery, but now I'm good to go.
HW: 495 Consult: 390 SW: 361 CW: 289
Do be careful though- I'm pretty closely monitored. B6 isn't like C where if you megadose you pee it out. You can OD on B6 and exacerbate the neuropathy.
Good luck! Congrats on your journey!
HW: 495 Consult: 390 SW: 361 CW: 289