neuropathy

[dixiebelle]

Hi all-I'm new to this forum, wish I'd found it years ago! Great to see so many clearing. Found I had HCV 9 years ago through routine testing at work, no idea how...did interferon/ribavarin at time, v.hard, didn't work, made health worse. Just started vikerax/ribavarin for 12 weeks-have high hopes. For years have been getting neuralgia/neuropathy/tingling/numbness etc. It's only through reading comments here that I realise this could be connected to my hep and that I possibly have cryglobulenemia(?).  They are testing my globulin. My pain is pretty bad. Might the treatment make it worse? And, if the treatment works will my neuropathy go away? Am still only on week one.

[gnatcatcher]

Welcome, dixiebelle.

Your neuropathy is very likely related to HCV--it is one of many possible extrahepatic manifestations (EHMs) of hep C. I wish I could say it'll go away after the HCV is cured, but what I've read says that curing the HCV can keep the neuropathy from getting worse, but there's no cure for the neuropathy itself. (Mine has stayed at the same approximate level before and after successful Harvoni treatment.)

As for the pain, mine is episodic and I have learned how to move the affected body part slowly in a direction that defangs the pain quite a bit. It's impossible to put into words how I do this in each location--it's been trial-and-error, but I'm getting pretty good at it.

Here is a helpful page about Cryoglobulinemia: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000540.htm

Best wishes with your treatment.

Gnatty