CVI and Neuropathy
Hello,
I'm 51 now and in pain most of the time. I've experienced edema in my lower extremities since my teen years. This condition has become progressively worse over the years to the point where my feet, ankles and calves were constantly swollen for the past 10 years or so. I've been to many doctors over the years and most of them have prescribed diuretics which really don't help.
I recently went to the doctor again because of disturbing pain. I've developed neuropathy in the left leg and foot. My left leg has always been more swollen than the right. This condition is painful, but most disturbing is the inability to get a good or full nights sleep. My doctor suggested that I get a job at SeaWorld working with the dolphins.
All joking aside, he was the first doctor to agree that diuretics were not very useful and that he really didn't have any concrete answers. He suggested horse chestnut extract with no guarantee that it would help along with the use of an extremity pump and compression stockings. I live in a hot climate and couldn't tolerate the compression stockings before the nerve damage so I'm not wearing them daily.
I do have a used extremity pump with leg sleeves that helps somewhat, although the relief is temporary and I started taking Venastat a couple of months ago. I've noticed that the swelling in my right foot an ankle is less severe than it used to be so perhaps the horse chestnut extract is making a difference. Sadly, the left ankle is already thickened and hard so I imagine it will be much more difficult to return it to normal, if that is even possible.
I'm just hoping to reduce the swelling permanently so that the nerves can repair themselves. The neuropathy is very difficult to live with. Has anyone else experienced this and been able to reverse the neuropathy? Is is possible to repair the hardened tissue? My doc indicated that removing the protein deposits was difficult, but he didn't suggest any method or treatment to accomplish this.
I cannot afford to spend my time and income running to doctors for treatment so I'm looking for practical treatments that I can follow on my own. I've also had hepatitis C for over 30 years so I must avoid treatments that are dangerous to the liver.
