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Living with Neuropathy - Welcome to the group

Neuropathy | Last Active: Oct 27 5:51pm | Replies (6152)

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@jenniferhunter

@venki Something I can suggest is a pair of books written by a Mayo doctor with a mind/body practice. I purchased both of them and they are excellent in explaining how to achieve resilience and reduce stress and anxiety. I had considerable anxiety about having spine surgery before I came to Mayo that was started by a comment by one of the surgeons who saw me previously. I had always had fear since childhood about medical procedures and I decided to use all my life skills and creativity to defeat the fear and I succeeded. I'm an artist and I was using my art and music with deep breathing and I taught myself how to lower my blood pressure. I would start the day thinking about surgery and I felt like I was going to get hit by a train and I couldn't get off railroad tracks. I did lots of other things too, and talked to a counselor to make sure I was on the right track. I had a few years working through this and by the time I came to Mayo, I was relaxed and ready with my mind and body for the help I needed. I got the books a year after my surgery at a follow up, and the books explained why my methods had worked to deprogram the anxiety.

You do need good sleep for good health. Sleep apnea is going to interfere and a friend of mine who has sleep apnea told me it is a source of anxiety because her body is in fight or flight mode all night because of not getting enough oxygen. You should still follow up with a doctor about that. You don't want to assume that sleep apnea is the only reason for your fatigue. There are overlapping symptoms for many different conditions, and even though you and I might think we know why, it's very easy to make a mistake. I did that myself and missed a problem with an infection from a tooth with an old root canal because I thought it was sinus problems which I commonly have with my allergies. When I recognized the real problem, the infection had spread in my jawbone and I had oral surgery to clear the infection and a bone graft to replace the bone that had been destroyed.

I agree with @johnbishop that another opinion would benefit you and if you can do that at Mayo, that is what I would recommend. I was amazed by the comprehensive evaluation they gave me and they checked everything that was an issue for me at the time of my surgical evaluation. I have never experienced that degree of expertise and efficiency anywhere else and they didn't waste time. They did more in 2 days than any of the 5 surgeons I saw in the 3 years previously, and my Mayo surgeon got it right. The others had missed the diagnosis and would not help me. In my case, surgery was necessary because of spinal cord compression that would have disabled me.

If you have not seen the recent documentary about Mayo and why it is so successful in treating patients, you can see it online for the next week on the PBS website. They cover the history of Mayo and also several patient stories about their treatments. Here is the link:
https://www.pbs.org/video/the-mayo-clinic-faith-hope-science-czhdtb/
I'm not really sure from your description if you have an injury from a fall or physical problems affecting your work. I know that sometimes problems seem overwhelming, but every journey begins with a single step. You need to advocate for yourself and ask questions of your medical providers about what is best for your treatment. I always try to prevent a medical problem rather than treat the symptoms later. I do see an evironmental medicine doctor or functional medicine doctor outside of Mayo (because I don't live near Mayo).

Here are the books I suggested and they are used in teaching programs at Mayo . The Guide to Stress Free Living is more indepth, and the Handbook for Happiness is like a work book. I bought them and recommend both.
https://marketplace.mayoclinic.com/shop/healthy-lifestyle/book/mayo-clinic-stress-management-combo_752700

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Replies to "@venki Something I can suggest is a pair of books written by a Mayo doctor with..."

I would just like to add that Dr. Amit Sood has a lot of great short videos on his website also.
https://www.resilientoption.com/

Finally got to watch the Ken Burns special about Mayo clinic last evening - after watching that, if you weren't a patient, you would want to be one!!!! Agree with the others, that's the place to get a second opinion.