DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My sister just discovered that she has neuropathy. She gets tingling and burning sensations from the calves to the buttocks. Her doctor has her on amitriptyline. It makes her sleep a lot. What can she do to improve this illness? Will it get better? — M.W.

ANSWER: Neuropathy is nerve damage. We have three different kinds of nerves. Some nerves transmit information from the brain to muscles to move the legs, feet, arms and hands. Those are examples of motor nerves. Other nerves send to the brain sensations of pain, heat and pleasure from the body. Those are sensory nerves. The third kind of nerve takes care of things we don’t pay attention to, things like the rate of breathing, the heart rate and body temperature. Those nerves are autonomic nerves. Neuropathies can occur to one kind or all three kinds of nerves.

It’s the doctor’s job to find out which nerves are involved and why. Diabetes, deficiency of vitamin B-12, an oversupply of vitamin B-6, too little vitamin B-1, infections, excessive alcohol and a condition called amyloidosis are some of the conditions responsible for neuropathy.

Many times, however, even a highly trained specialist — a neurologist — cannot come up with why the neuropathy has happened.

For neuropathies where pain is the main problem, a large number of drugs are tried. Amitriptyline is one. Its main use is to treat depression, but it was found to alleviate the pain of neuropathy for many patients. Seizure-control medicines are another example of drugs used to suppress neuropathic pain when their main job is control of seizures. Topamax and Lyrica are two such drugs. Lidocaine is a numbing agent. It also comes in patches that can be applied directly to the skin over the painful area to suppress the pain. I can’t tell you if your sister’s pain will get better. I can make a suggestion that will ease her pain through learning the latest developments in the field of neuropathy. That is to contact the Neuropathy Association for a wealth of information and a helping hand. The association’s website is www.neuropathy.org.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: In her late 30s, my grandmother had an illness that she called “milk leg.” She couldn’t stand or walk on it, because it swelled. What was it? — B.S.

ANSWER: Milk leg is a white (hence the name), swollen leg due to a clot in a major vein draining the leg. Often this happened in the final months of pregnancy from the enlarged uterus pressing on the extension of the leg vein in the pelvis. It’s not much seen these days. I wonder if your grandmother’s leg problem was really lymphedema. Lymph is fluid that oozes out of the circulation to bathe body cells. It’s vacuumed up by open-ended vessels called lymphatics. If the lymphatics are damaged by repeated infections, from cancer blockages, from surgery or from radiation, the lymphatics are destroyed, and the leg remains swollen. Leg elevation, compression stockings, massage and devices that gently squeeze the leg often reduce the swelling.

The booklet on edema and lymphedema explains swollen arms and legs and their treatment. To obtain a copy, write: Dr. Donohue — No. 106, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Is it possible to wear off a person’s fingerprints? Recently I needed to have my fingerprints recorded for a job. I pressed my fingers on a light that’s connected to a computer. No recording was made. The ink method didn’t work either. I could barely see fingerprint ridges with a magnifying glass. Why? — S.H.

ANSWER: People engaged in hard, manual labor sometimes experience a reduction of their fingerprints. Often, if these people can take a break from work, they find that their prints have become more prominent.

I can’t give you a reason why this happened to you. Could it be a family thing? Check with your parents and siblings to see if they have easily seen prints.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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