Reply To: my rituxin experience

Prompted by Bill’s “where is everybody?”, here’s a plug for physical therapy to improve balance – even when the feet and ankles are as numb as ever.  My therapist has the idea that there are other nerves, less damaged by my anti-MAG neuropathy, that can send signals to the brain to substitute for the lost signals from toes and heels.  Maybe, nerves within the ankles and knee joints.  These nerves, though always available to the brain, were ignored because the other signals were more powerful and useful.

When those better signals are lost, repetitive “proprioperception” exercise training may slowly persuade the brain to take note of these lesser signals and balance may improve.  My neurologist had no quarrel with the idea.

Well, something is working.  With no nerve regeneration at all in the feet, no feeling through the skin up to mid-calf, yet I am walking better.. stepping forward, sideways, even backwards with less unsteadiness.  I need a hand to hold just in case, but I’m making steps I could never had made 9 months ago.  Medicare has paid for an hour of this therapy each week.

Ann