Living with Neuropathy - Welcome to the group

New to group. I have peripheral neuropathy in both feet and posterior left leg due to L5 S1 disc rupture in 2010. Wear and tear due to heavy athletic background. Had a partial discectomy but the damage was already done to my sciatic nerve on left side. Actually heard/felt it rupture followed by “scalding water” going down the back of my leg. When they were in there they discovered a cyst on the right side nerve root at the same level. They decided to leave it since I had no right-side symptoms at the time (2010). Now the right foot is almost worse than the left, but no leg involvement on that side, just foot.
Also had an ACDF at C3 C4 prior to that, but no permanent damage.
Shoes and socks are my enemy, which is obviously a problem, lol.
Any advice? The ice-pick heel jabs, which result in labor-breathing to get through it, along with numbness, inability to feel heat/cold/water on bottom of feet, are impacting my ability to do shit. It just continues to get worse. At 56, I am quite concerned about mobility down the road. I’ve always been active. I have also had the same bruise on bottom of my left foot for at least a year, right in the middle. WTH?
Neurologist? Podiatrist? I refuse to go on gabapentin.

Welcome @kellygreen, It's understandable to be worried about your future mobility given what you have already been through with the disc rupture and a partial discectomy and prior to that ACDF surgery and now having more pain. Have you thought about seeing a neurosurgeon or orthopedic spine surgeon to see if new symptoms are spine related and if there is anything that might help?

Looking forward to learning from the group. Have had this problem for better thsn twenty years but mobility is getting worse. Using a wrist crutch for walking, a walker chair in the shop at work, hand controls to drive. Have been doing acupuncher for two years every other week. Took gabi for twenty years but quit them a couple years ago, they were not doing anything to help.

Welcome @timcow3155, I'm glad you found Connect. It is a great place to connect with other members living the best they can with neuropathy. There are quite a few discussions in the Neuropathy Support Group. You might find it helpful just to scan through the list of discussions to see if there are others you think could be helpful. Here's the list of discussions - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/neuropathy/.

A couple of other resources that will help you learn more are the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy - https://www.foundationforpn.org/ and their YouTube channel where they keep all of their webinars on the many different aspects and treatments for neuropathy - https://www.youtube.com/@foundationforperipheralneu4122.

I wrote an introduction about me to the group about my PN and with questions about others similar experiences. Did it get to the group? I can't find a record of it anywhere. RogerW

Welcome @roger1005, Sorry, I think your first post must have not been saved here on Connect. Your profile doesn't show any comments posted other than this one - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/member/00-ea3814882a2cba78518690/activity/comments/.
I shared my neuropathy journey in another discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/310341/.

The Neuropathy Support Group has many different discussions and I'm sure there are some that will be helpful for finding more information on your symptoms or questions. Here's a list of the discussions in the group - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/neuropathy/. You can also use search at the top to find something specific to what you are looking for.

Are you looking for more information on a specific neuropathy diagnosis or just trying to connect with others with similar symptoms?

Is anyone exploring the relationship between diet and peripheral neuropathy discomfort. For example I have found that wine increases my discomfort significantly and it takes a few days to calm down. It’s as though the alcohol irritates the nerves and it takes them a few days to recover. Comments?

@roger1005 - There is a connection between neuropathy and alcohol. Here's a short explanation from the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy - https://www.foundationforpn.org/causes/alcohol/. After I was diagnosed in 2016 I started looking into possible causes and what might help. Diet and lifestyle were on my radar because I had always been in the pre-diabetes category so I started focusing on losing weight and eating healthier including limiting sugar intake. I also stopped drinking when I learned alcohol can make it worse although I don't think a drink once in awhile will effect most folks with neuropathy...just my own personal opinion.

Here's more information on Peripheral Neuropathy Nutrition - https://www.foundationforpn.org/lifestyles/peripheral-neuropathy-nutrition/. You might want to scan through the other discussions and comments on Connect about neuropathy and diet - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/?search=neuropathy+diet.

roger1005

@roger1005
I had issues with alcohol, particularly wine, when going through menopause so I no longer drink it. As for diet, I have peripheral neuropathy, confirmed by an EMG test and my neurologist. I also tested positive for celiac disease which is an autoimmune condition. Going on a strict gluten diet helped somewhat as I no longer have trouble breathing but I do have body aches in my glutes and hips. I also have spinal arthritis. Perhaps you can see a gastrointerologist or consult a dietician--I did. Remember, knowledge is power. Also, notice what your body feels like when weather changes. I believe that neuropathy makes one supersensitive--as it did in my case--however, we are all different. Wishing you well. Laura