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Hi Mike, I am new to this group and everyone has such detailed descriptions about medication’s and different methods and doctors that they have gone through. I was diagnosed with neuropathy about four years ago, started out as a neuroma in the foot way before that, all of it on my right side. It has now entered the left side. I also do not have pain just a lot of numbness, tingling and weakness. I now take B12, niacin and magnesium. They’re all supposed to work on the nervous system and I will say I feel as though it helps me sleep better. I also take two 100 mg of gabapentin nightly.
My main concern is how much worse will this get? I am seeing an upper cervical specialist as I suffered a Vertigo a year ago this past August, which when I would have an episode, large or small, my neuropathy would flare up. He has helped me with the vertigo and I’m going to put my neuropathy ailment in his hands. I just finished laser therapy for neuropathy with no results.
So many of the comments mention pain even chronic pain, and it is scary! I appreciate any comments that you would have! Nancy
Replies to "Hi Mike, I am new to this group and everyone has such detailed descriptions about medication’s..."
Hi, Nancy @nct12 I spent a half hour writing a long detailed reply.... then it failed to go through. Note to self: Always copy the text before hitting send.... so. it won't be lost if there is some glitch with the site. I was diagnosed with lumbar stenosis in 2021. I jumped through all the hoops required by insurance.... I had steroid injections.... I did PT.... As nothing helped, I had a laminectomy in Nov. 2022 (L2-S1). Immediately following that surgery, I could WALK again, which was great! But I also began to notice the burning and tingling and numbness in my feet. I went through several months of PT but I was still have problems with balance. The surgeon suggested an MRI of my Cervical spine. There he found a disc pressing against my spinal cord. He felt this was causing the trouble with balance.... and I had a fusion of C4-5 in May of 2023. That did NOT resolve the balance issues. If I'm out walking in the neighborhood or on a track in a straight direction, not much problem. The balance issues are worse inside my home or in a store setting where I have to maneuver around corners or furniture. So far, no major falls, and I often use a cane or hiking sticks just to insure balance. I have found that Barefoot shoes (I ordered mine on Amazon for around $40... brand Grand Attack) give my toes more width to spread out and their thin soles allow me to feel the floor/ground better.... thus helping proprioception... and balance. I do have steroid injections in my lumbar spine several times a year.... and those help for a short while. I took Gabapentin (made me loopy) and Lyrica (gained 30 pounds) and neither one was really a help. As I said, I don't have real "pain" .... rather just numbness, tingling, burning.... and I am thankful I don't suffer from the excrutiating pain so many describe. I began taking RALA and Benfotiamine.... and also Acetyl L-Carnitine and Magnesium supplements shortly after learning about the neuropathy. I did finally see a neurologist in February, and after a number of exams in his office he concluded that I more likely had radiculopathy rather than neuropathy. Radiculopathy is compression of the nerves in the back "after" they exit the spinal column... and radiculopathy can mimic the same symtoms of numbness and tingling as with neuropathy. The neurologist had no solution to offer. At 73 years old, I'm not ready to stop living.... and I know I need to keep moving. I try to exercise each day, either in the pool, or by walking. I need to keep moving. I did have my PCP check my B6 levels and they were HIGH.... and B6 toxicity can also cause these same symptoms.... so I do not take any supplements that contain B6. I do take B12, just as you do. Through several different health issues during my lifetime, I have learned that I have to be my own advocate for my health care. I don't hesitate to read and research and ask my doctors about new treatments or techniques. I am more than happy to answer ANY questions you may have. Connect is a great place to find others who truly UNDERSTAND. You are NOT ALONE!!! Hang in there... My best wishes! Mike
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So interesting that you said your started out as a neuroma in the foot. I started developing PN about 2 months ago, and what started as tingling in my right foot eventually spread to the left foot...and then to the back of my hand and arms. Now, the tingling is mostly gone but in its place is a constant burning sensation.
What baffles me is what triggered this. All these symptoms started about 48-72 hours after a podiatrist shot my right big toe with liquid nitrogen to try to address what he said was a plantar wart at the bottom of my right big toe. I had gone to see him because it felt like there was a splinter under that toe and I could not see it (or any evidence of anything else), but he quickly said it was a plantar wart. Within a day of the liquid nitrogen, that spot under the toe turned into a neuroma...and from there the tingling experience that spread to the other foot and arms followed.
The podiatrist disclaims any linkage between the liquid nitrogen treatment and the onset of the PN, but the timing is simply too crazy for me to dismiss it as a coincidence. Until your comment, I'd never heard of anyone whose symptoms started with a neuroma....