Hypersensitivity? Nerve problem after surgery and stress

igemfourd

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Sort of reposting a lingering problem for which we can’t find a solution.

After a hair transplant end November 2021 and a period of high stress, I started to experience physical symptoms. The symptom/problem started around mid-December (3-4 weeks after surgery). Started with a burning sensation in my inner thighs which lasted for 2 days. This turned into a feeling of small electric shocks in my legs. Which led to eventually experiencing small pricks/stings in my legs and arms.

The sensation is almost always present. Sometimes in high, sometimes low sensitivity. It doesn’t flare up in periods of stress or decrease at times of rest. I’ve been trying to correlate the intensity with certain events or times of the day but haven’t been successful in generating any valuable conclusions.

So far, I have done:
  • Extensive bloodwork -> everything normal
  • Consultation with a dermatologist -> everything normal
  • Consultation with a neurologist -> thinks it’s hypersensitivity
  • Did an MRI of my upper back (also because I started to experience mid back pain) -> everything normal
  • Consultation with other general doc -> also leans towards hypersensitivity

I have experienced a lot of stress and did have a lot of fear post-surgery. A lot of health anxiety hit me like a ton of bricks. I believe my fight or flight response was triggered a lot or for a longer time because of all the fear and anxiety. But I can’t be sure that what I’m experiencing is due to my brain sending the wrong signals and my nerves firing up.


Does anyone have any clue on what I could have? Or if anything that I shared based on others’ assumptions could be true?


I really hope I can find something to calm my body down. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to share them.
 
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I remember all of this igemfourd. I am sorry you are still dealing with this. Have you tried Progest-E? You might also give Rhus Tox a try. It works really well for anxiety. I can’t remember if I had told you about it before, but It has been around for many decades.
 

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mostlylurking

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  • Extensive bloodwork -> everything normal
  • Consultation with a dermatologist -> everything normal
  • Consultation with a neurologist -> thinks it’s hypersensitivity
  • Did an MRI of my upper back (also because I started to experience mid back pain) -> everything normal
  • Consultation with other general doc -> also leans towards hypersensitivity
  • Consultation with a neurologist -> "thinks it’s hypersensitivity": Well, duh. You could have told him that.
  • Consultation with other general doc -> "also leans towards hypersensitivity": I think I detect a pattern.
These attempts at "diagnosis" are pretty laughable.
It's pretty difficult to get accurate lab tests for thiamine status (see the article above). An option is that you could simply take some. Thiamine = vitamin b1. I use thiamine hcl which is considered a "safe" supplement. I realized I had a thiamine deficiency/functional blockage by taking around 300mg and experienced noticeable improvement within 45 minutes. Take it with water, not juice.
But I can’t be sure that what I’m experiencing is due to my brain sending the wrong signals and my nerves firing up.
Classic thiamine deficiency symptom. Excellent clear description.
Here's an article for your consideration:

"Beriberi and the Autonomic Nervous System​

We have two nervous systems. One is called voluntary and is directed by the thinking brain that enables willpower. The autonomic system is controlled by the non-thinking lower part of the brain and is automatic. This part of the brain is peculiarly sensitive to thiamine deficiency, so dysautonomia (dys meaning abnormal and autonomia referring to the autonomic system) is the major presentation of beriberi in its early stages, interfering with our ability for continuous adaptation to the environment. Since it is automatic, body functions are normally carried out without our having to think about them.

There are two branches to the system: one is called sympathetic and the other one is called parasympathetic. The sympathetic branch is triggered by any form of physical or mental stress and prepares us for action to manage response to the stress. Sensing danger, this system activates the fight-or-flight reflex. The parasympathetic branch organizes the functions of the body at rest. As one branch is activated, the other is withdrawn, representing the Yin and Yang (extreme opposites) of adaptation.

Beriberi is characterized in its early stages by dysautonomia, appearing as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). This well documented modern disease cannot be distinguished from beriberi except by appropriate laboratory testing for thiamine deficiency. Blood thiamine levels are usually normal in the mild to moderate deficiency state."
Does anyone have any clue on what I could have? Or if anything that I shared based on others’ assumptions could be true?
I do! I do!!!
 

mostlylurking

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Did an MRI of my upper back (also because I started to experience mid back pain) -> everything normal
I went through pain/real problems with my back. Wound up with scoliosis over a period of several years (it resolved via thiamine supplementation). Here's another article for your consideration:
 
OP
I

igemfourd

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2022
Messages
19
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I remember all of this igemfourd. I am sorry you are still dealing with this. Have you tried Progest-E? You might also give Rhus Tox a try. It works really well for anxiety. I can’t remember if I had told you about it before, but It has been around for many decades.
Thanks for the help, once again! I'm definitely going to look into your suggestions.
 
OP
I

igemfourd

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Joined
Feb 6, 2022
Messages
19
Location
Belgium
  • Consultation with a neurologist -> "thinks it’s hypersensitivity": Well, duh. You could have told him that.
  • Consultation with other general doc -> "also leans towards hypersensitivity": I think I detect a pattern.
These attempts at "diagnosis" are pretty laughable.
It's pretty difficult to get accurate lab tests for thiamine status (see the article above). An option is that you could simply take some. Thiamine = vitamin b1. I use thiamine hcl which is considered a "safe" supplement. I realized I had a thiamine deficiency/functional blockage by taking around 300mg and experienced noticeable improvement within 45 minutes. Take it with water, not juice.

Classic thiamine deficiency symptom. Excellent clear description.
Here's an article for your consideration:

"Beriberi and the Autonomic Nervous System​

We have two nervous systems. One is called voluntary and is directed by the thinking brain that enables willpower. The autonomic system is controlled by the non-thinking lower part of the brain and is automatic. This part of the brain is peculiarly sensitive to thiamine deficiency, so dysautonomia (dys meaning abnormal and autonomia referring to the autonomic system) is the major presentation of beriberi in its early stages, interfering with our ability for continuous adaptation to the environment. Since it is automatic, body functions are normally carried out without our having to think about them.

There are two branches to the system: one is called sympathetic and the other one is called parasympathetic. The sympathetic branch is triggered by any form of physical or mental stress and prepares us for action to manage response to the stress. Sensing danger, this system activates the fight-or-flight reflex. The parasympathetic branch organizes the functions of the body at rest. As one branch is activated, the other is withdrawn, representing the Yin and Yang (extreme opposites) of adaptation.

Beriberi is characterized in its early stages by dysautonomia, appearing as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). This well documented modern disease cannot be distinguished from beriberi except by appropriate laboratory testing for thiamine deficiency. Blood thiamine levels are usually normal in the mild to moderate deficiency state."

I do! I do!!!
Hello,

First of all, I want to thank you and be thankful for people like you who take the time out of their day to help others.

Reading all of the feedback and information things start to make sense. I'm going to take some time to study this a little bit deeper tonight & this weekend. I'll keep you up to date once I start supplementing thiamine. I'm very eager to find out whether this will fix it all. Based on what you wrote, I should go for around 300mg or 100mg 3x a day? Should I first try to take this 2 weeks or should effects be noticed sooner as you experienced?

Thanks, once again.
 

HeyThere

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All those things are good in general, but I would definitely check in with a good chiropractor. The pins and needles all of a sudden after your procedure seems sudden.
Pins and needles in parts of the body can all come from the neck. Good luck!
 

mostlylurking

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Messages
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Hello,

First of all, I want to thank you and be thankful for people like you who take the time out of their day to help others.

Reading all of the feedback and information things start to make sense. I'm going to take some time to study this a little bit deeper tonight & this weekend. I'll keep you up to date once I start supplementing thiamine. I'm very eager to find out whether this will fix it all. Based on what you wrote, I should go for around 300mg or 100mg 3x a day? Should I first try to take this 2 weeks or should effects be noticed sooner as you experienced?

Thanks, once again.
You need to educate yourself about thiamine. There are several kinds: Thiamine hcl, TTFD, benfotiamine, thiamine mononitrate. The hcl kind has the longest track record and is considered a safe supplement. TTFD is newer and has its advantages and its drawbacks. Benfotiamine is billed as being "oil based" but not really(?). Thiamine mononitrate is more likely to cause kidney stones (in larger doses?) so there are better choices. There's a sublingual 100mg thiamine mononitrate that is absorbed under the tongue so it bypasses the thiamine absorption in the gut issue. There's thiamine hcl by injection (usually 100mg); it also avoids the gut absorption issue.

Because doctors aren't educated about vitamins, it is very hard to find one who knows much of anything about thiamine. So people are pretty much on their own. I found this book helpful in that it provides multiple personal accounts of people's thiamine supplementation journeys. Doses are discussed and many other details.

sources of information:
The basics at NIH.gov (please note that the "official" rda for thiamine is ridiculously low; if you are having problems, higher doses are needed)
Articles by Dr. Derrick Lonsdale posted at hormonesmatter.com
Dr. Costantini's website, therapy and FAQs and patient videos
Elliot Overton's thiamine videos on youtube
Elliot Overton's articles about thiamine on his website
Dr. Chandler Marrs' videos on youtube
Dr. Derrick Lonsdale's & Dr. Chandler Marrs book, Thiamine Deficiency Disease, Dysautonomia, and High Calorie Malnutrition
Another link to the same book with a short video

Because people have different responses to thiamine, you will need to feel yourself along and test your responses to it. I had been taking 100mg/day of thiamine hcl for around 5 years when I got my thiamine function blocked by taking Bactrim antibiotic. The effect did not just wear off; I was very sick for months. I had heard @haidut say that thiamine will clear lactic acid and I had lactic acidosis so I decided to try some (even though I had already been taking 100mg/day). At that time, I could not get my temperature above 97.6 and I had high inflammation caused by lactic acidosis. I tried taking 250-300mg of thiamine in water. Within 45 minutes, all the inflammation disappeared and my temperature went up a full degree to normal.

So I started taking 250-300mg morning and afternoon, which worked for 10 days/2 weeks. Then it stopped working so well so I increased the dose to maybe 400mg 2Xday. When it stopped working so well after a few weeks, I increased again. I spent 4 months stair-stepping the dose up to 1500mg/day. When it stopped working so well again, I went online to try to find what dose is too much. I found Dr. Costantini's site and read that for my weight I probably needed 2 grams/day (= 1000mg morning + 1000mg afternoon) so I tried that dose. Within 2 days, my digestive tract normalized. This was a very big deal. My digestion had been a real problem for at least 20 years, including SIBO, leaky gut, very low stomach acid, very poor peristalsis in my esophagus (food got stuck several times/week). The Bactrim debacle had made my gut inflamed and swollen; I had been pooping little squiggles for 6 months; this also normalized on the 2 grams/day dose in 2 days.

Please note that thiamine hcl gets absorbed in the small intestine; if you have gut issues or are over the age of 60, more is needed. Dr. Costantini's rule of thumb is that 2 grams of thiamine hcl taken orally for 7 days equals to the effect of one 100mg injection of thiamine hcl per week.

I hope you find this information useful.
 
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ironfist

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I went through pain/real problems with my back. Wound up with scoliosis over a period of several years (it resolved via thiamine supplementation). Here's another article for your consideration:
Can you elaborate on this? How was it diagnosed? Are you sure?
 

mostlylurking

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Can you elaborate on this? How was it diagnosed? Are you sure?
Well, I went to a top physician who taught at a medical college at the time and was x-rayed and he determined that I had a short leg, yeah that was the problem, and put me in orthotic shoes with a 5/8" lift in one of them. I was definitely out of alignment; shoulders not stacked above my pelvis and the lift seemed to help. At least I was able to function and the pain abated. So I lived like that for 8 years. Then I stopped going to that doctor and switched to a chiropractor and was x-rayed again and the x-ray showed my spine was a mess (scoliosis). The chiropractor said I didn't have a short leg, it was my spine and pelvis and he worked on me twice a week for months. During this same time, I found Ray Peat's work, got my prescription thyroid medication doubled, started supplementing with some b vitamins, including thiamine. I was able to ditch the orthotic shoes with the 5/8" lift after maybe 9-12 months (this was in 2015). It's 7 years later, I no longer have the scoliosis problem. However, I do get adjusted by the same chiropractor twice a month and I must do a set of exercises daily to keep my upper back muscles toned so my spine between my shoulder blades doesn't go out of whack and also to keep my buttocks muscles toned or my left hip tends to partially dislocate. When I look in the mirror, I'm pretty square now with my navel pretty well centered where it is supposed to be. I can wear regular shoes (no lift) and can walk down the street normally. So I feel that the thiamine (and the thyroid med) and the chiropractor resolved my scoliosis problem.

When I read the article I posted above it rang true to me. I definitely believe that I've had a thiamine deficiency for many years. The scoliosis issue became a real problem for me around 2005 and I remember I had a hard time walking. Now I'm in much better shape. But I do make an effort to stay toned. And the chiropractor has helped me a lot.
 

ironfist

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@mostlylurking thank you for replying. That is interesting to me because I have scoliosis, really told when I was a kid, but never thought much of it until the back pain started a few years ago. Recently a chiropractor took some xrays and was like yeah, scoliosis. I saw her for treatment for 3 sessions a week for 4 weeks and it didn't really do much for the back pain. May I ask you what your chiropractor did? From my experience, every chiropractor does the basic motions (one pop thoracic area, a pop for each si joint) and then you're done. Maybe some theragunning or something. What precisely did they do to level out your hips. Which exercises did they give you to do? I'm wishing for something like this, too.
 

mostlylurking

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@mostlylurking thank you for replying. That is interesting to me because I have scoliosis, really told when I was a kid, but never thought much of it until the back pain started a few years ago. Recently a chiropractor took some xrays and was like yeah, scoliosis. I saw her for treatment for 3 sessions a week for 4 weeks and it didn't really do much for the back pain. May I ask you what your chiropractor did? From my experience, every chiropractor does the basic motions (one pop thoracic area, a pop for each si joint) and then you're done. Maybe some theragunning or something. What precisely did they do to level out your hips. Which exercises did they give you to do? I'm wishing for something like this, too.
I look at what I did to remedy my scoliosis problem as a four step solution:

1. thyroid supplementation via a competent endocrinologist (good luck - study up via Ray Peat hypothyroidism articles before hand so you'll know competent when you see it). My hypothyroidism was not treated adequately for many years. Hypothyroidism causes mushy cartilage. If you have mushy cartilage, the chiropractor's adjustments won't hold. Mushy cartilage makes joints unstable. Thyroid supplementation with a med that includes T3 fixed that part of my problem.
2. thiamine: The article provided above explains why thiamine is important. It normalizes the impulses that run from you brain to your back muscles so that the impulses are symmetrical.
3. A competent chiropractor or D.O. that does manipulation to help joints get into the correct position. Here's a link to my chiropractor so you can see his credentials plus his Digital Posture Assessment and his Digital Functional Movement Assessment and the Functional Rehab info.

Tony the Chiropractor has never hurt me. The D.O. who specialized in manipulation (and taught it at the local D.O. medical school) and put me in the orthotic shoes with the 5/8" lift in the left one did that because he said that the reason why I had scoliosis was because my pelvis wasn't square because of the "short leg" issue. He rummaged around in my pelvis multiple times and did hurt me (I got pretty vocal; scared people in the waiting room). But he didn't fix my problem.

When I started with Tony the Chiropractor, he was working at a clinic that had a rehab/exercise room with coaches. When I started with the exercise program, the coach told me that most people who were in my condition just go home and give up. So much for coaching. But I stuck with it. And I was in a LOT of pain for days after each exercise session, which I know now was because I was thiamine deficient and had lactic acidosis. I'm a big fan of thiamine hcl; pain hurts.

I think Tony the Chiropractor can sense where I'm messed up. He always checks to see if my hip joints are right. I lie on my stomach on the table and lift one leg (from the hip, with knee straight) and then the other. If the hip is out or the pelvis isn't right, I can't lift the leg. He has several tricks to fix it, including pulling on my leg. And lifting my upper leg (while I'm on my stomach, knee bent) which stretches out the muscle on the front of my thigh. And the classic chiropractor adjustment alignment. And his little zapper. And his "thera-gun". He gets me put back together and he doesn't hurt me.
4. A set of exercises that are tailored for your problem. I do exercises in the bed in the morning when I wake up for about 20 minutes. Then I get dressed and do more exercises with stretch tubes with handles for another 20 minutes. I've noticed that since I've been doing the stretch tube exercises, my hip doesn't dislocate anymore. So I have incentive to keep doing the exercises.
 
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mostlylurking

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@mostlylurking thank you for replying. That is interesting to me because I have scoliosis, really told when I was a kid, but never thought much of it until the back pain started a few years ago. Recently a chiropractor took some xrays and was like yeah, scoliosis. I saw her for treatment for 3 sessions a week for 4 weeks and it didn't really do much for the back pain. May I ask you what your chiropractor did? From my experience, every chiropractor does the basic motions (one pop thoracic area, a pop for each si joint) and then you're done. Maybe some theragunning or something. What precisely did they do to level out your hips. Which exercises did they give you to do? I'm wishing for something like this, too.
I found Bob & Brad on youtube. They are coming at the exercise idea from the physical therapist's point of view. Maybe some of their videos would be helpful? Just proceed cautiously.
 

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