I was diagnosed by my PCP. I had no idea of what it might be. My symptoms were and still are tingling. He said I have idiopathic PN. He did a short explanation and start me out on 100 mg daily. Over the years I was worked up to 1200 mg.
I have the PN in my toes on both feet and if it gets very irritated, I can feel the tingling into the balls of my feet.
After reading comments on Mayo Clinic website for PN, I got a better understanding of what i was up against. I saw where a few people said going gluten free helped them. In the past I was GF for about 8 years because I broke out in a painful skin rash. So I tried it and I was then able to wear shoes and socks. I counted that as a big win. For some odd reason it didn't decrease the pain and I still had to take 1200 mg of gabapentin. I don't understand the logic behind that.
I then decided to go to a Muscular Neurologist to see if I could learn more. I had one visit with the Dr and will go back mid January for the 6 month followup. Then I will see his nurse practitioner. In the meantime I had an EMG to rule out large fiber neuropathy.
Since my symptoms are comparatively mild, I'm not expecting to learn anything new. There maybe a nugget of information that could be of help to me. Just like the GF diet. One never knows where things might lead.
I am very grateful for the progress I have made especially when I read about so many people suffering.