Nervy

In the last week I have been encouraged to kill off some of my nerves. I don't like it.

I understand why people kill their nerves if the nerves do nothing but cause them pain, but I have to assume those people have nerves to spare. My nerves, on the other hand, are coated with  a tasty layer of fatty myelin that my immune system cannot help but nibble on, so I have no nerves to spare.

I went ahead with the root canal, killing off the nerve for that lower half of my tooth, because there was no other option given. I suppose killing the nerve was just a side effect of routing out the infected canal in the root. 

On the other hand, I know someone who will be killing off some nerves in his spine. He has  severe spinal stenosis, whereas mine is only moderate. He is opting for nerve ablation to kill off his offending spinal nerves. There is not a chance in hell I will do that. I need all my spinal nerves to act as decoys for my few essential spinal nerves, the big boys, the ones I can't lose. I need those to walk, plus the bowel, bladder, and arm nerves. I don't know what I'll think after a few years of spine problems, though. 

Comments

[KC]

I wonder if they could somehow drop a bunch of myelin into your body, like a sacrificial anode in a hot water tank, for your body to munch on instead? Maybe sugar-coat it so it's even tastier myelin to your immune system...?

(but yes. The level of Drastic Measures or risks that one is okay with is approximately in direct proportion to how bad the situation is for you, I think, with a few other variables like risk-aversion, etc. thrown in. Here's hoping you won't have spine problems to the degree that this becomes appealing.)

(okay, that also makes me wonder: if you get a nerve block, does that reduce/remove the myelin on those nerves, or is it still there? Because if it's still there, then they can still be a decoy?)

[TheQueen]

KC - one of the drugs I took earlier did just that - it made decoy myelin for the WBCs to attack. Can’t remember which one.

[The Queen]

KC - about the decoy myelin, I don’t know. If I get fatter and fatter do my nerves get longer? That would be decoy myelin too. Well, that’s probably peripheral nervous system: the tasty myelin is on the central nervous system.

[KC]

That is *wild* and also fascinating re: a drug that made your body make decoy myelin. Bodies are so extremely weird.

[TheQueen]

KC - one drug tricked my body into thinking the cells it was attacking had been defeated, another was decoy myelin, and the final two just physically bulked up my white blood cells so they couldn't pass through my lymph system and then get to my nerves.

[KC]

!!!