Question
QUESTION: I am a 57 yearold man was in very good physical condition before my airplane crash Nov 2004  spine was crushed betweenT11 and L5. Have 2 steel rods in my back and abox around the 80% crush location ,was told I would never walk I have been in Rehab for 2 1/2 years and can walk with two quad canes for about 300 feet I can walk ten minuets on the treadmill at a bout 6 tenths of a knot  I wear pullups and pads 24/7 Have lost sexual function , after a year of self caths I have learned to .urinate on my own
  My question is I have Pins a Needles in my feet and the backs of my calves 24/7 and I cant move my toes very much . Are these Pins a Needles going to last forever ? Is it something , another thing that I must learn to Ignore ?

ANSWER: hi chris

wow. the pins and needles are nerve pain, of course, and whether or not the feeling goes away will likely depend on whether or not the nerves responsible heal further or don't- that is something I can't predict, unhappily
sometimes antidepressants are helpful with nerve pain- i'm not sure what the mechanism is that's responsible for the decrease in pain, but these meds are one of a very few things that seem to help nerve pain at all.

i'm sorry to not have a more definitive answer for you, but I wish you good luck. please write in again if you have further questions

leslie

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QUESTION: Leslie < I dont know what you as in a medical people call pain but im talking about discomfort "PINS AND NEEDLES" like a foot asleep 24/7 I am on Keppra  , Lyrica, and have tried Cymbalta to no avail I hope my nerves are still repairing themselves, I dont w3ant to take any thing that inhibits me from driving , flying , "operating machinery" thank you Chris

Answer
Hi chris-
<grinning> I'm not a 'medical person'. Just another guy (well, girl) with SCI.

I get what you're saying about pins and needles- it's often a sign of a nerve that's being pressed on (people w bulging discs in spine often have this sensation) or a nerve that's been damaged. The meds you're taking are pretty much the ones given for such nerve pain- unless you get into opiates, which would certainly hinder the 'operating machinery' and have real unpeasant side effects.

I had a torn nerve in my shoulder which didn't respond to meds either- very unpleasant- so i know where you're coming from.

have you ever been to NewMobility.com? They have a forum where you can ask questions, etc, and since you're talking to people who actually HAVE the problems they are often more on top of possible remedies. You do have to get an account there but it's all free

i hope your nerves are still repairing themselves too
=)

leslie
what sort of plane do you fly?