antiquity
01-22-2003, 01:53 PM
Neuropathy support group
to conduct monthly meetings
By ELEANOR HIMEBAUGH,
Special to the Times-Mail
When he tried to press his right foot on the gas or brake pedal in his car, Paul Lambrecht couldn't feel his foot touching the pedal.
But this lack of feeling didn't mean he couldn't feel the burning sensations of neuropathy in his feet.
Â*Â*
Neuropathy caused Velma Thompson to end up in bed with so much pain in her legs that she could only dream of being able to walk as far as her bathroom.
Neuropathy or peripheral neuropathy is the term used to describe disorders resulting from injury to peripheral (away from the brain and spinal cord) nerves.
Symptoms are weakness, numbness and pain in arms, legs, hands and feet.
Neuropathy can be caused by diseases such as diabetes, by medications for other health conditions, or by trauma from surgery or an accident. There may be 100 causes, but no sure cures.
To help neuropathy patients understand and treat their symptoms, Dunn Memorial Hospital plays host to a neuropathy support group.
Terri Briscoe is the hospital's group co-leader along with Thompson who helped form the unit two years ago.
"Our mission is support and research into the causes and treatment for peripheral neuropathies," Briscoe said. "We meet once a month on the fourth Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., usually in the cafeteria of Dunn hospital," she added.
The group members share their experiences with treating symptoms, telling what works for them and what doesn't. They usually have a guest speaker, sometimes related to neuropathy and sometimes about other concerns.
One of the speakers was a manufacturer who demonstrated a device that actually has helped Lambrecht, a retired farmer living east of Bedford.
"They've come out with a new anodyne treatment," Lambrecht said. "I'm going to Mitchell Manor and working on my right leg and right foot. With no feeling in my right foot, I didn't feel it was safe to drive, so I didn't drive much.
http://www.hoosiertimes.com/stories/2003/01/21/TM.new.1755.sto
to conduct monthly meetings
By ELEANOR HIMEBAUGH,
Special to the Times-Mail
When he tried to press his right foot on the gas or brake pedal in his car, Paul Lambrecht couldn't feel his foot touching the pedal.
But this lack of feeling didn't mean he couldn't feel the burning sensations of neuropathy in his feet.
Â*Â*
Neuropathy caused Velma Thompson to end up in bed with so much pain in her legs that she could only dream of being able to walk as far as her bathroom.
Neuropathy or peripheral neuropathy is the term used to describe disorders resulting from injury to peripheral (away from the brain and spinal cord) nerves.
Symptoms are weakness, numbness and pain in arms, legs, hands and feet.
Neuropathy can be caused by diseases such as diabetes, by medications for other health conditions, or by trauma from surgery or an accident. There may be 100 causes, but no sure cures.
To help neuropathy patients understand and treat their symptoms, Dunn Memorial Hospital plays host to a neuropathy support group.
Terri Briscoe is the hospital's group co-leader along with Thompson who helped form the unit two years ago.
"Our mission is support and research into the causes and treatment for peripheral neuropathies," Briscoe said. "We meet once a month on the fourth Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., usually in the cafeteria of Dunn hospital," she added.
The group members share their experiences with treating symptoms, telling what works for them and what doesn't. They usually have a guest speaker, sometimes related to neuropathy and sometimes about other concerns.
One of the speakers was a manufacturer who demonstrated a device that actually has helped Lambrecht, a retired farmer living east of Bedford.
"They've come out with a new anodyne treatment," Lambrecht said. "I'm going to Mitchell Manor and working on my right leg and right foot. With no feeling in my right foot, I didn't feel it was safe to drive, so I didn't drive much.
http://www.hoosiertimes.com/stories/2003/01/21/TM.new.1755.sto