I have had peripheral neuropathy for 30 years (I'm 71). It started from excessive bleeding caused by adenomyosis which was only discovered when I had a partial hysterectomy. It was described to me as having fibrous growths inside of my uterus tissue (as opposed to endometriosis but similar). Prior to the surgery I had extreme bleeding which caused anemia and my B12 tanked to near zero. My doctor didn't think to check for the B12 after the hysterectomy and it wasn't till later when I moved and had a new doctor that discovered the very low B12. I probably had this low B12 for awhile. I had B12 shots to bring the levels up and a naturopathic doctor set me up to give myself B12 shots from home. It took a long time to get my levels to stabilize on their own. I have written the rest of my story after my current efforts trying different things to help. It's been a long journey for sure.

CURRENT EFFORTS
My PN has progressed slowly. After a bit I had tingling in my hands and body trunk. These areas haven't really progressed but my feet have and I have some numbness. I work to keep my muscles strong and sometimes rub my feet to increase stimulation. I have to apply moisturizer as they do feel dry. I don't seem to have balance issues if I keep up aerobic and strengthening / stretching exercise. I also recently dropped 12 pounds as part of avoiding my pre-diabetes developing into diabetes. My diet is high in vegetables, beans, grains, some animal protein and eggs plus a little good fat and carbs. Sugar to a minimum--100 calories or less a day. I have about 6 oz of wine sometimes every night but sometimes only once or twice a week. I may cut that out too.

ALPHA LIPOIC ACID
I'm becoming concerned about increasing numbness and looking for alternative treatments. My neurologist suggested ALA which I have done for 6 months. It hasn't seemed to help me although it has really helped a friend. I've stopped it as most research suggests taking it for only 6 months though they don't indicate it's bad to take it longer. After the first bottle I starting taking the R version as that is more stable and therefore more effective in the body. I avoided any that contained Biotin. As a note, I recently had mouth sores--very unusual for me-- and wondered if the ALA was causing that. Research doesn't show it as a side effect. That's when I decided to stop the ALA though.

LOOKING FOR ALTERNATIVES
I think I'm experiencing a lack of blood supply to my feet as well as more dying nerves and am trying to find ways to help this. I do some self-massage of my legs and feet --- many years ago I went to Chinese foot massage practitioners and am considering that again. I may not have kept it up long enough when I tried it before. Has anyone tried this with success?

I'm curious about TENS or some kind of electrical stimulation. Research suggests it's for pain but I wonder if that kind of electrical stimulation might encourage neural growth. The neurologists have said that sometimes nerves can regrow--though very slowly. Anyone experience improvement with TENS or other electrical stimulation methods?

I'm willing to experiment.

THE REST OF MY PN STORY
Somewhere after the excessive bleeding/low B12 incident I started getting PN symptoms and later I was given a prescription for gabapentin. I started at 300 mg but have worked it down to 200. My diabetic mother took over 1000mg a day and I watched as she went from a small dose to this large dose without it really helping much. She took a dozen different meds and, though she lived to 96, her last years were not very good. I'm trying to keep from repeating that process.

My GP did send me to a neurologist who did testing and discovered I did have some nerve and feeling loss in my feet. That neurologist moved and the new one called it idiopathic neuropathy and said there was nothing to be done and it wasn't a very serious problem and he focused on people with more challenging issues. I never went back to him but 3 or 4 years later told my GP about the experience and she sent me to someone else. They did a lot of blood tests and ruled out any of the diseases that could cause my PN. My B12 and D seem fine now.

I am prediabetic but don't want to start any meds for that. Instead I have lost 12 pounds and am 135 at 5'3". For the last 6 months I have upped my exercise though I have generally been a hiker and have done Zumba off and on so would get some exercise. I do Zumba and a stretching class weekly as best I can and walk regularly.

Despite these efforts my feet are becoming more numb, more dry, less feeling. I do have very light tingling sometimes in my hands, legs, trunk. Time to up my game so I can enjoy my last few years! Thanks for any ideas.