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Peripheral neuropathy - Anyone had a Fat Pad biopsy?
Hi everyone, hoping everyone has a bit of relief today on this beautiful Sunday.
I have long nerve damage along with SFN. I was always active and now can barely walk, it feels as if I am walking on rocks. My knees feel locked and the nerves sometimes affect my stomach. Some days I don’t want to go on, it’s been three years on gabapentin which just takes the edge off. My Dr. wants to do a Fat Pad biopsy to see where the neuropathy is coming from. Has anyone else had this procedure done? Also is there live meetings on line?
Thank you,
Judy Eccles
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Yes i had a back surgery that left me with drop foot and bad neuropathy need help painful
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1 ReactionMGUS is monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance.
When seeing a neurologist at Mayo for Restless Leg Syndrome, blood work showed I had abnormal gamma globulin levels (blood proteins), so a full work up for multiple myeloma was done. The Fat Pad test was one of those tests. It turned out that I do not have active multiple myeloma. But I will continue to have blood work done once a year to monitor these since there is a low possibility that some day it could develop into multiple myeloma. Since it’s uncertain at this time what, if anything, could eventually develop from it, they simply call it monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance or MGUS.
I was diagnosed with MGUS 18 years ago, which first started as numbness in my throat. The Neurologist ruled out any demyelinating conditions and through the bloodwork found the MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance). I have been followed by a hematologist since then and recently, with increasing numbness/neuropathy in my legs, toes, and face, and my increased Lambda free light chain count, he is suggesting I too get the fat-pad biopsy. So we will see what comes of that. for the most part it has all been a process of elimination. I am thankful my neuropathy is only numbness and not the pain that so many have encountered.
Regarding the poor situation with docs (at least in the U.S.) twice now my neurologist's referral to a more specialized provider has been denied. And not by my insurance, by the neurology department itself! "We have no further treatment to offer you" their denials say. What the heck? They've never even seen me and at this point I am on no "treatment" at all so what does that mean? How am I supposed to get a diagnosis and therapy if providers refuse to even see me? Shaking my head.
I get it’s frustrating, but neuropathy can also be hard to diagnose and sometimes I feel there is no cure. I have not had any real diagnosis for my neuropathy bc it’s a rare one and I’m starting to think there’s no hope just bc they have never seen this before. My neurologist said I had a rare disease. There seems to be a lot of new cases of new disease lately that I feel they have no experience with bc it’s new. Just my opinion 🤷