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Neuropathy: Numbness only, no pain

Neuropathy | Last Active: 17 hours ago | Replies (660)

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hello, I'm new to this group, but relieved to find others who have no pain, only increasing numbness. I'm an active 78 y.o. woman. Numbness started in two outside toes on right foot. I thought it was due to arthritis, but then it spread to my other foot and then started progressing up both legs. I've had MRIs of my entire spine that show no nerve impingement, 3 nerve conduction tests that confirm neuropathy. I've tried low dose naltrexone, alpha lipoic acid in 600mg doses, nortriptyline, acupuncture, sound wave therapy, etc. Nothing helps. Numbness confined to the rear of my legs and inner thighs, but now includes buttocks. At first I had some sensation in the soles of my feet, but I continue to lose more and more feeling. My blood tests have been normal. No pain or tingling. Dr assures me I will not end up in a wheelchair, but I am concerned at the degree of numbness in my feet and whether my legs will also reach that degree of numbness. I'm concerned drs have missed something but limiting diagnosis to idiopathic small fiber neuropathy. My skin biopsy was only slightly above the number for conclusive SFN. Does any of this sound familiar? Thanks for any and all advice or feedback.

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Replies to "hello, I'm new to this group, but relieved to find others who have no pain, only..."

Welcome @jrsal, Your neuropathy journey sounds very similar to mine except mine started in my mid to late 40s. I'm 82 now, still no pain with the neuropathy but do have some numbness and a little tingling. I also wear compression socks up to the knees which make it a little hard to gauge between the squeezing of the legs and the numbness. I shared my neuropathy journey in another discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/310341/.

Probably the best thing you can do is just keep moving and live as healthy as you can. The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy has a lot of great information to help you learn more - https://www.foundationforpn.org/lifestyles/.

I think my neuropathy might be due to my fitting into the prediabetes and metabolic syndrome which non of my doctors ever talked about or mentioned.
-- The Metabolic Syndrome and Neuropathy: Therapeutic Challenges and Opportunities: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3881591/.

I think staying active like you are is a great plus. Does your neuropathy cause you any balance problems?