A long primer on neuropathy part 2 (today at 6:05 AM)

[Memo To Me]

Part 2 A long primer on neuropathy

Sometimes though, we suffer from neuropathy due to disease or injury and
the warning signals get out of hand and the sensations the nerves send
to our brain are abnormal. Then the area they come from is numb or
tingles or prickles or there are lighting like shooting pains overlaid
on unremitting duller pain. There may be extreme tenderness to even a
slight touch or breath of air. These abnormal sensations are called
paresthesias by the "in crowd" and result from the above mentioned
neuropathy. When our proprioception (don't that big word slide off the
tongue like politician speak) is messed up we become clumsy and drop
things or become unsteady like drunkards walk.


The second category of nerves that tell our muscles to move us around,
play the piano, walk, lift things etc. are logically called the motor
nerves (big surprise). The third category makes up for such simple logic
with a five dollar name, the 'autonomic nervous system'. These nerves
control our vegetative or housekeeping functions like our breathing, our
beating hearts, and, pardon the obscene expression, our s*xual
functions. These nerves work for us automatically most of the time
although some people seem to have more control over them than other
people. I don't know why.


Our sensory or feeling nerves may be injured or adversely affected by
many causes: by pressure such as being pinched by our arthritic
backbones as the nerve roots leave the spinal cord or injured anywhere
along the long path to our feet, hands and face and areas in between.
Neuropathy may be caused by inadequate nutrition like getting our
calories from alcohol or the effects of abnormal metabolism like sugar
diabetes or diseases that interfere with nerve function at the
microscopic or molecular level, wherever that is. I think MPD is in this
group, but I'm not sure about that. You better look it up or ask an
expert on MPD-S-L.


Depending on how much you read and forgot before falling asleep, this
may sort of explained what neuropathy is. Maybe good enough for
government work (socialist or otherwise), maybe not. Anyway, I'd
appreciate it if you wouldn't show it to anyone who knows anything about
neurology. I have my pride. :)


Best, Arch

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