"drop foot recovery? Im told that my axon was was severely damaged.It seems that most of the problem is from my knees down.Does a new nerve root grow from the spine down or will it grow or repair from knee down? peroneal nerve that is" It controls dorsiflexion I believe. I am new to this just want to get better and of coarse when is always the great concern
Axons are tough. Nerve damage is one thing axons another. Almost imperceptibly nerve myelin can develop/re-cover the nerve over years. I have profound axonal damage and my doctors and I say matter of factly, “Well, they’re gone.” But you are you and quite a different story indeed.
BTW, I’ve been able to manage the pain, battle the CIDP with apheresis, neurontin, cellcept — wear braces (for foot drop), use a walker, and hearing aids. i still work fulltime and travel abroad for work. i receive grace.
As LEADERCRAFT says, if your damage is axonal then that is most likely that - no way back. If there is just demyleination then it is just possible IVIg might repair some (all?) if the damage has not gone too far.
As said - everyone is different. As far as I know new nerves do not grow anywhere BUT nerves have been known to develop new pathways for old jobs so never say never.
I have the same condition as you in my left foot. I'd concentrate on building the surrounding muscles of that leg so they don't atrophy, by swimming and weight training.
Axon damage is very complex... the axon must be grown/rebuilt enough to call in myelin building through Schawann cells, then produce protein receptors to balanced the humeral electro/chemical environment between thousands of Nodes of Ravinar, all to connect a muscle to an action-potential from the nerve root (spine) that has to range between -70mV to +20mV to activate a muscle-potential. Nerves, if inclined to grow, if everything else is in order, do so very slowly at 1mm per day.
So you see, you are asking a lot.
However, you may be able to have a nerve graft and regain the dorsiflection of that foot. But, where do you want a nerve removed from? Nerve surgery is the very definition of pain.
Exercise, Work hard, don’t Quit! I was once using a 2 wheel walker, now I walk w/o anything but afo’s, braces. I am recovering some function in both feet. 4 years ago the tingling began, and I eventually lost toe and foot movement. In January , 2013 my toes began wiggling, today I am in lighter braces, have decent function in my right foot and a little function in my left foot. Find a physical therapist who specializes in Neuro-recovery! I used to see one for 1 1-/2 months, 2x’s a week , then practice 4 months then go back in for a “tune-up”! This last time, at his suggestion,I went 6 months. It’s a long slow process, but with dedication, you can make great progress! Is it worth the time and effort? I think so!
you can try stemcells in spinal cord injury
Due to axonal damage, I had drop feet, wrists, shoulders and hips and on several occasions because of subsequent relapses. I can snap, play tennis, and run. I was bedridden, used a wheel chair, walker and braces on and off the first 3 and 1/2 years. I don't use anything at this time. It is possible to ditch the heavy metals. There are many parts to recovery. For me to get where I am I have had to practice them all.
One of the practices was touched on in an earlier post about using mental exercise when the function isn't there to physically accomplish it. I used that technique many, many times. I used my mind's eye to keep the connection going. I would have to think heel first, then toe until after many months something clicked somewhere and I did it once. In time, walking became second nature, again. Although it's not necessary, I still think heel, toe going through my head out of habit. Now, I think tall, rich and blonde! Still waiting...
Perhaps that is why I was reticent to hop on here and write; so much guessing and mis-labeling of the variations of the disease. Not to deny the reality of someone’s experience but when my chapter 20 has revealed the misunderstandings of another’s chapter 5 it’s a choice to speak or keep quiet.
Does CIDP damage hearing? I've been having hyperacusis which means I perceive sound to be louder than it really is and it's starting to wear me down.
LEADERCRAFT said:
Axons are tough. Nerve damage is one thing axons another. Almost imperceptibly nerve myelin can develop/re-cover the nerve over years. I have profound axonal damage and my doctors and I say matter of factly, "Well, they're gone." But you are you and quite a different story indeed.BTW, I’ve been able to manage the pain, battle the CIDP with apheresis, neurontin, cellcept — wear braces (for foot drop), use a walker, and hearing aids. i still work fulltime and travel abroad for work. i receive grace.
My dx changed nearly 2 years ago to POEMS. It Was changed in October 2012 to POEMS, took 6 months WITH NO TREATMENT OF ANY KIND to confirm and start a new treatment. IVIG is not supposed to help the P.N. Of POEMS! It did, for awhile, stop the loss of function and sensation. Then, while switching to Cyclosporine, we learned it was instead POEMS. My functions began returning during the 6 months of no treatment. I just kept exercising. So my suggestion, is don’t quit moving! We get tired and must go slower or take a short break, but don’t quit. It does take time but you’ve nothing to lose and may make progress in spite of your medications! Keep going!
I apologise for being offensive in the earlier post. It reads much differently then it was intended, my mistake.
I went to Mayo for a third opinion last year. After telling him my history, I could sense he didn't believe me. I didn't understand why. They did an emg/ncs and we met again. This time his demeanor was very different. He said I didn't match my studies. With so much demyelination and axonal damage I should not be able to function. He said in all his years he has never met anyone like me before.
When I got home I was feeling fragile about my recovery, as though I had been fooling myself all along. I asked my nurse why he said what he did. She was an icu pediatric nurse for many years. She said years ago, doctors would not try to rehabilitate or give hope to people with similar nerve damage. They learned differently after watching children recover from similar nerve damage. Doctors observed children trying to walk even when they couldn't because of severe damage. The kids were never told that they couldn't or wouldn't. Eventually the kids would start walking and using their arms against all possibility. My nurse described how the children used the mind's eye to help the pathways and reconnection, in addition to their will or faith that they would. I knew what she was saying because that's what I did without anyone telling me to do it. My family and friends kept reassuring me that pathways would absolutely grow. I believed them. Another thing in my favor is that I am a cook. My therapy and passion is cooking. I think I cooked myself well. After learning about Terry Wahls Mitochondria, I am sure I had all the nutrients my nerves needed to heal. The motivation was from the happiness from family and friends gathered around the table. I used yoga for just the right stretching that I needed to keep everything moving. The right kind hormones and chemistry were generated from prayer and meditation to add to the "soup". There is many more things that contributed to regenerating axons including a great doctor, miracle medicine and above all grace.