Hi there- I’m not sure why this is, but as with @johnbisjohnbishop, it’s my understanding that samples are taken above the ankle and in the upper leg. My symptoms are worst in my calves, and that’s still where the samples were taken. I think my doctor probably explained this to me, but it was so long ago I just can’t remember why.

The biopsy is considered non-invasive and usually only leaves a tiny scar, but one thing I needed to consider is if I really wanted to do it, as it doesn’t catch every case of small fiber neuropathy. At the time, my neurologist told me that it’s thought that perhaps even around 30% of cases lack a positive skin biopsy test (I’m not sure if that’s the exact number, but it was a sizeable percentage). It also wouldn’t have changed my treatment.

I did it anyway because I decided the potential for having more certainty and being able to confirm my diagnosis as small fiber neuropathy was important enough for me weighed against the drawbacks. In the end, it was still negative. One sample was “low normal” and the other was normal.