Driving with Numb Feet.

That's scary, Steve. I had four such incidents. Two were mere slips: no damage. Another, however, saw me vault a curb and cruise slowly across a neighbor's front yard, ending nose-in to a tree. That one, although slow-moving, totaled my Honda Civic, A fourth, and the most recent (a year ago), had me––or more correctly speaking, my Jeep Patriot, ram the rear end of a parked city bus. My Jeep survived, but because my passenger was a near-90-year-old friend, the police felt it was wisest that my friend and I be treated to an ambulance ride to the local hospital. Only this fourth auto mishap was post-neuropathy diagnosis. Were the other three PN-related? Were all four? Worrisome, no matter what. Your narrative gave me chills. ––Ray (@ray666)

Good afternoon @thwheezer and welcome to connect. Have you recently retired from your practice? I hope you are enjoying a much-desired retirement.

Is your decreased sensibility in your feet the result of Neuropathy? It appears that you have learned to be very cautious as a result of your accident. Numbness is a difficult symptom to control. Would you be able to share the type of medication you are using? Does it help with numbness? ....and now for my last question.....Have you discovered any topical that may also help prevent numbness? I would certainly like to find one. My driving capability is limited now, especially as the week leads up to my MFR therapy days.

I look forward to hearing from you......
May you be safe, protected, and free from inner and outer harm.
Chris

Thks Ed.

What a wonderful warning of caution Steve! Because I don't tie shoes well with PN fingers, I've needed slip-ons, but also ankle support. So I use a Skecher's cushioned, memory-foam, slip resistant slip-on that gives me the support I need and I can't imagine them falling off. I have worn sandals, but even those need to have snug ankle straps. We can't risk our feet sliding out of flip flops or loose shoes since we are a feeling impaired and need to be sure we don't let obstacles in our way. That said, slip-resistant shoes still aren't the safest on very wet surfaces, especially slick car pedals. I keep a towel in my car to make sure I dry off the bottoms of my shoes thoroughly after walking in precipitation to help ensure I don't make my pedals dangerous.

About 2.5 years ago I noticed issues with driving due to neuropathy in both feet. I was fitted with AFO's for both feet and started wearing New Balance shoes with a bar in the heels (813 and 811). I have little movement of toes and ankles but good knee movement. With those on I have had almost no problem driving for multiple hours - mostly with cruise control.

Turning in a drivers license hit home for me! I have peripheral neuropathy in both feet and shins. It started in December 1999 with just a bit of numbness in the balls of my feet. I am now 73 years old. My numbness and pain have gotten much better. Then, it has gotten worse. It changes. I had three serious falls. I use a rollator to when I go anywhere. At home I don't need it. I was told my numbness and pain would "never get any better". That is not true! Doctors and patients are learning more and patients are sharing their experiences.

About driving. My Brother-in-law is a thoracic surgeon. He lives far away and I don't see him often. He was here recently. I talked about my numb feet. He said "You cannot drive. Period." I still had my license. That was my wakeup call. My License expired on my birthday last week. I let it expire. I am very sad about it. But I cannot drive. My husband does all the driving. He loves to drive. He was in the hospital 3 months ago and I tried to drive the 2 miles to get there. I could not make it out of my driveway. My feet had no feeling. A neighbor had to back my car up and turn it off.

I have a lot of pain in my feet and my lower legs are always ice cold. I take Hydrocodone daily. A pain specialist monitors my meds during a monthly office visit. She does periodic full panel drug tests. I could not drive with the Hydrocodone in my system.

I am so glad to hear from so many people on here. We can share so much and help each other.

About shoes. I always drove barefoot. With neuropathy, even before it was bad, I could not feel the pedals. Barefoot gave me the best sensation and my feet did not slip off the pedals. We have to be so careful about driving.
~Bunny

Hey Chris,
In answer to your question about medication, I take 900mg. of gabapentin at bedtime and 30mg. of cymbalta in the morning. Whether or not theses are helping is a difficult question, since I don’t really know how I would be without them.
Regards, Steve

hey bunny thanks for sharing your difficult journey. I too was told the feet numbness could not be cured. However, I’m still one the lucky ones whose numbness has not yet gotten serious. Yes, my foot was slipping off the brake until I got two new pairs of shoes; Hoka hiking shoes (not boots) and the type of schetchers that have bumps protruding from the bottom. just home from driving in them. No slipping again as long as I’m conentrating more than usual.

Also I had pain in my left toes periodically during the day. It was not pleasant. since last november the pain has disappeared and I don’t know how. I do try research
to research stuff and even before my neurologist recommended 300-600mg daily. I had been on 600 for awhile with no problem. So those of you looking for a product, check out Aphol Lipoic Acid.

Good luck one and all.

Being a neuropathy sufferer for several years, my balance is not improving. I have been through so many shoes trying to find one that helps with balance and comfort. I like a minimalist shoe (https://www.nutritiousmovement.com/shoes-the-list/) and Xero was a try but they were not wide enough for my feet and the soles kept coming apart from the shoe. Vivobarefoot and Lems shoes are good. Wish they made them wider. The diabetic (not) type shoes for wide feet have thick soles and I cannot keep my balance with thick soles. It is Catch 22. Good luck and if anyone knows of a wide shoes with thin soles in a size 14, let me know. Only drive a car with thin soles to feel the pedals. Cruise control is great.

Just ordered some Xerox shoes. Hope they work i typically wear a wide shoe, sometimes 12, mostly 13.