CIDP results, nerve biopsy

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

Dick S here

If you remember I went to my neuro at Duke two weeks ago. He took

some spinal fluid to check for CIDP (Chronic inflammatory

demylenating poly--------opathy, a kind of disease where you develop

anti bodies that attack your own myelin sheath all over your body)

His comment was that it could be that, but he wanted to keep

checking for thing he could help me with. Well it wasn't CIDP. I

appreciated his trying. Tomorrow he wants to try a sural(sp) nerve

biopsy. He will take some nerves from my foot/ankle area and check

it out. Hopefully it will give him a better indication of

direction. He hasn't ruled out CMT, but I have no traceable family

history. My mothers side showed nothing, and both of my father's

parents passed away early in their lives ( 30's and late 40's)and

were not diagnosed. They were immigrants fron Croatia prior to WW I

and any records over there are impossible to find. My father has

high arches but has not shown symptoms. Good luck.

Has anyone had a nerve biopsy? Any comments about how recovery time,

problems, might develop? What should I expect or look out for?

Also I have been suffering terribly with plantar fascitis(sp?) My

feet hurt almost continually in the arches. I got foot orthotics, but

my arches are so tender they hurt more with the orthotics than

without. I still walk heel toe. In the morning it feels like

walking on knives. Anyone else like that? What kind of treatments

have anyone used for that?

thanks alot in advance

[Guest guest]

Hi Dick S /All,

I have had sural nerve biopsy. In my case the surgery was done under local

anesthetics, it was no big deal. As a result of the biopsy they comfirmed I

had CMT1. Have you had EMG/NVCs? I had thoes done before the nerve biopsy.

Owen

swolfnc2@... wrote:

> Hi all,

> Dick S here

>

> If you remember I went to my neuro at Duke two weeks ago. He took

> some spinal fluid to check for CIDP (Chronic inflammatory

> demylenating poly--------opathy, a kind of disease where you develop

> anti bodies that attack your own myelin sheath all over your body)

> His comment was that it could be that, but he wanted to keep

> checking for thing he could help me with. Well it wasn't CIDP. I

> appreciated his trying. Tomorrow he wants to try a sural(sp) nerve

> biopsy. He will take some nerves from my foot/ankle area and check

> it out. Hopefully it will give him a better indication of

> direction. He hasn't ruled out CMT, but I have no traceable family

> history. My mothers side showed nothing, and both of my father's

> parents passed away early in their lives ( 30's and late 40's)and

> were not diagnosed. They were immigrants fron Croatia prior to WW I

> and any records over there are impossible to find. My father has

> high arches but has not shown symptoms. Good luck.

>

> Has anyone had a nerve biopsy? Any comments about how recovery time,

> problems, might develop? What should I expect or look out for?

>

> Also I have been suffering terribly with plantar fascitis(sp?) My

> feet hurt almost continually in the arches. I got foot orthotics, but

> my arches are so tender they hurt more with the orthotics than

> without. I still walk heel toe. In the morning it feels like

> walking on knives. Anyone else like that? What kind of treatments

> have anyone used for that?

>

> thanks alot in advance

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Dick,

I'm glad to hear that you don't have CIDP. From what I've heard,

that can be a pretty miserable disease, and the treatments for it

sound downright awful.

The Docs say I have some form of hereditary neuropathy, most likely

CMT or possibly Familial Amyloid disease. I'm told a nerve biopsy is

the simplest way of differentiating the two. I am considering having

Carpal Tunnel surgery, and if I do, they can take a tissue sample

then. Otherwise, they will biopsy my sural nerve later this year.

The first unusual thing I noticed with my feet was this awful pain in

my heels, which I believe was plantar fasciatis. I had several bouts

of it that lasted a couple months each. About the same time, I

noticed numbness in my toes, which slowly spread back to my ankles

and up towards my knees. Then my toes started curling, and I

developed pes cavus. I occasionally have an achy tightness in my

arches, but I haven't experienced any of the heel pain for several

years now. I, too, am still walking heel to toe, and don't have any

noticeable gait abnormalities. A physical therapist gave me streches

to do to help prevent further contracture of the toes, and exercises

to help improve my balance.

Yours,