Nerve damage: Hands and feet.

[ncerna]

I have been on Flecenaide for the past couple months. Scheduled to have an ablation next month for my Afib. In the meantime, I feel my health deteriorating. I am becoming weaker every week. I find it difficult to do anything but the bare minimum around the house. And now I am beginning to feel numbness in my hands and feet. Actually, it's more of a feeling of stickiness. Like I have something sticky on my hands. Also, if I walk to much, I begin to experience a feeling of being disconnected from the ground.

I don't know what to do any more. I have been to the hospital 6 times in the past month. Every time they run all kinds of tests on me and tell me I am fine. I am afraid to go back there anymore. I don't want to lose any more blood. I am afraid all the blood work has made me anemic. I feel like giving up. I don't think I can make it another month. What if my nerves become more damaged?

[Bagrat]

Welcome to this forum. It is very hard when you feel things are not right but medical tests show nothing. Can I reassure you that the amount of blood taken for blood tests is not enough to make you anaemic, usually 10 ml or less each time so 5 visits would equal less than 4 tablespoons. Flecainide used to be used to control nerve pain so it may be that you are feeling things differently because of it. It sounds like the medics are not worried but hope you have had the opportunity to discuss this with your cardiologist or electrophysiologist ( the guy who will do your ablation) Here in UK the waits for ablation are much longer.

[Asdfvv in reply to Bagrat]

Thank you for your reply.

It probably would have taken longer for had the doctor not pressed my cardiologist to see me. Here in the US, one must first see a primary physician. Then the physician writes a referral to see a cardiologist. But getting an appointment can take months. And then a couple more months for insurance to approve the procedure. At least that's how it works in the big cities.

But I am very fortunate. Even so I feel miserable every day. And a month seems like a lifetime.

[Hidden]

Hello ncerna. Yes, I agree that blood tests won't deplete you. People can donate quite a significant amount without ill effect.

I have numb feet and have taken flecainide. I don't have proof that the two are connected, but when I started taking 150mgs of flecainide twice a day, the numbness soon spread to my heels and ankles. I had been taking 100mgs x 2 for two years before my toes started to feel in the mornings as if I'd worn a pair of shoes overnight that were much too small. I don't notice the lack of sensation so much when I'm wearing socks. Without socks, my feet feel as if wrapped in cling film that's just a bit too tight, or as if they have been filled with concrete that's just starting to set on the outside. Sort of tight. It's not a sticky sensation. My hands are fine.

I was able to give up taking flecainide after an ablation and hopefully yours will see you improve.

[Asdfvv in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your response. I hope I feel better after the ablation. Wishing you well.

[jennydog]

About 3 years ago I started to have problems will numbness in my left hand and feet. I wondered if flecainide was to blame.

I now know that the problem was 2 herniated discs in my neck and that I am amongst the 20% who have no neck pain.

These discs bulge and compress the nerves in the spinal chord. The nerves affected at c5/6 feed the arms and c6/7 feed the legs. I have had a 2 stage discectomy to remove these discs and replace them with plastic and a titanium plate to hold them in place.

It took an MRI scan to identify this problem. Unfortunately there were colossal delays and lousy Orthopedic input and I now have poor mobility and dexterity. The Chief Spinal Surgeon at the Regional hospital where I was eventually referred told me that herniated neck discs are very common.

[rosyG]

I think the timing you describe means you are much more likely to be like Relim= and as you are having ablation let's hope you won't need flec/for much longer.

You very quickly replace any blood loss so relax!!

[Polski]

Your body should quickly replace the blood taken in blood tests.

Providing you have good renal function, I suggest you take a good multi-vitamin-and-mineral from a health food shop for three months (stop all supplements two weeks before any operation or precedure, such as the ablation). This should ensure your body has all the building-blocks it needs to keep your body working well. Medication uses up extra vitamins when it is processed by the body, so it can be important to replace these.

In particular nerves use B vitamins, so try eating marmite!

You could see your doctor and ask him what else could be causing this, and while you are there, ask to decrease the flecainade, or replace it with something else. You only have a month to wait - perhaps you could manage without it? See what he says!

[Buffafly]

Are you taking any other medication?

[ncerna in reply to Buffafly]

Ativan. Yes, I know, it's not a good combination. But it's the only way I can sleep due to excessive urination at night. When I take it, it feels like my bladder shuts off.

[Buffafly in reply to ncerna]

It seems Ativan can cause unsteadiness and/or weakness, also should not be used long-term, so I suspect the combo may, as you say, be bad 🤔

[ncerna in reply to Buffafly]

Yes, I agree. I will stop taking both for a while. Today at work I began to feel my feet and legs feel clumsy and numb.