Living with Neuropathy - Welcome to the group

To Steeldove and my fellow PN friends:

What the article by Jane Brody really fired me up, what she stated is basically a reflection of a mostly American European problem called Big Pharma marketing engine and unfortunately slowly feeding (in my opinion) and moving towards a very constipated medical system.

If you as a person do not work and seek a better life medically you will not get any better. If you look back at our own medical history, as a nation there was a huge legal movement in the early 1900's when Rockefeller and others moved this nation towards the worship another god called "modern science" and natural medication was demonized and so were doctors and those who practiced a more natural approach.

As one example, in the early to mid 1900's, many advances were made with people who were battling Cancer, even with 4th stage Cancer were being treated with different approaches other than the new approved methods, many good physicians were jailed, professionally and publicly ridiculed and many lost their licenses. Many of those cancer patients became survivors as they lived many productive years afterwards with the then "illegal treatments".

With a few exceptions my friends with stage 4 Cancer including my very own son live only a about 8 to 9 months and a very miserable life using Chemo prescribed and sold directly by the doctor. That's true and correct sold directly from the doctor to the patient. Something is very wrong about that and a chemo drug is killing even good healthy cells!! Again from my viewpoint is that it would have been far better to live productive and live 6 to 7 months without any chemo drugs. That is a very high price to pay for two months!

Now there are some great breakthroughs like sulfur drugs and a few others, which were a great asset to modern medicine. If you look at today's prescription drugs they are a single molecule synthetic drug (the ones you are taking now here in the US and most used in Europe) and they are all are modeled directly from 100% natural flowers, roots and leaves. There is no other model to follow except our own God given Nature. There are a few exceptions to the like sulfur based drugs. The list is very short of non organic substances used in the medical field. Silver is the great exception to natural organics as it is very beneficial.

While writing this little rant, I looked at the medications that I take right now for my issues that I have, I must admit I personally take several synthetic medications. However, with that being said I am slowly moving ever towards a more natural approach and my blood work shows that it is working. If any physician would look at my blood work lab tests after the past 10 years and not knowing who I am or about my story, many would ask many questions about what is making the improvements, as there is a dramatic difference. In the past 3 years and I am stronger and better each month. Yes I still have SFN, however my Opioid (50mg) intake is 4 a day and nearing 3 a day instead of 6 a day and no more Lyrica or Gabapentin. As I stated before I am sure that for some Lyrica or Gabapentin and 100's of other big Pharma wonder medications and I am sure that some help those who suffer and I am very grateful for that. But the fact remains that there are many secondary issues using prescription drugs as they are are made from natural gas and oil based synthetics.

Anyway I have been using a topical pain lotion for several years now and after looking at the ingredients closely, it seems to to me, they bring more blood flow and oxygen to my feet. If anyone thinks that my SFN is rather a small issue after a fall accident, I could not walk expect on the edge of my feet for quite awhile. My wonderful wife had to help me around a lot and then after several years I was able, with using topical pain lotions and Opioids I was able to walk thru CostCo and back to the car. Now I an driving a car mainly during the daytime and back to a more physical and fairly productive life even at 72.

Many physicians are trying to bring a change for the better in their patients lives and do not have any other offering except what they have been taught in school, BTW nutrition is a one day subject for most of them. From my viewpoint, your food intake is the most important link you will have with nature. We now are eating mainly none live foods and foods with a lot of preservatives that come from a factory.

Many of us do not eat with others like in a family situation around a dinner table like I did as a kid, and most of us on this PN blog are older now. It seems to me that if we share food and fellowship more with others, we will have a much better life to live. My wife and I usually have a few friends over for dinner each and almost every week and each one shares in bringing the main course. We try and outreach to help others in this way and it is a lot of fun as well and brings a positive change as well to us and hopefully for them.

While traveling abroad which I used to do a lot, I have been treated by different medical approaches. One of the a main differences is they spent about 30-45 minutes with me instead of 5 minutes. The other grip that I have is this, I have noticed that many times the doctor already has their mind made up before seeing me and almost will not listen to what I have to say or how I am doing, they just write out and sign another script and say come back in a week if it does not work. That is very sad indeed!

The people of this country and a few physicians are slowly moving towards a more integrative approach using a fewer drugs along with a more natural organic lifestyle in what we eat. This is the approach that my wife and I have taken and one item worth noticing is this: when one uses a synthetic drug that are dozens of (some rather scary) warnings and many side effects. This is very rare to see using any type of organics. "Like almost none!!" It took many years for you to get where you are at right now and it will not go ways with a few pills.

Like others, I got very tired of treating the symptoms and not getting towards solving the main issue or problem. As I was so sick and nearly ready to give up with the pain from PN and I also suffer from age 30 severe daily migraine headaches, I finally found an exceptional physicians, one who after looking at many many doctors within 1 hour distance driving time. It has made a huge difference in my life and very beneficial difference for my wife as well.

You may possibly consider finding a physician who practices with a "Integrative" approach as we have and change your diet and start integrating a more Organic lifestyle and be ready to make some changes as it should be a great benefit to you.

As always, be at peace with the creator and read His Word as he changed this old atheists life and melted my heart of stone and in time brought me a wonderful caring wife (now of 22 years) and gave me far more abundant life than I or this so called modern science could of ever had. Now learning to live with my PN. Eat your Organic Vegetables and help someone who is less fortunate! MicTim

In reply to mictim I have read your very eye opening "Rant" and I agree with you 100%. Right now I will choose just one area from which you spoke. That is doctor /patient relationship. These past 2 years have been very difficult for me both physically and mentally. I have a primary doctor who I think/did think highly of. However she did not pursue any of the issues I brought to her. She basically related most of my ailments to grieve after losing my husband. I bought this until recently when I am diagnosed with idiopathic (at this time) peripheral neuropathy. My leg, foot and toes are so swollen I can barely put weight on my left leg. Other issues coming to light also. She did refer my to a neurologist. I believe her thinking was to rule out neuropathy. Well after nerve conduction tests and physical exam it is found that yes I have it and the neurologist asks why no one had figured this out. I told her I did. I won't go into the ins and outs. Just that yesterday I was seen by my primary physician and for the 1st time I became angry with her. I told her she has not been listening to me at all and now have issues that are serious. Not just neuropathy. What really hurt was that this very lovely lady who could be a poster child for a beautiful doctor, became defensive with me. First time I have seen her lose some of her "Cool" Not professionally at all. I did not attack. I actually was in tears telling her I did not feel she is listening to me. She abruptly ended our 15 min visit. This is not unusual, but yesterday it really hurt. I needed compassion, not sympathy, but a soft ear. I counseled addicts and their families for 30 years before retiring. I know she is a "Doctor", not a counselor, but she could have put her doctor away for a few minutes and given me what I needed most which was some compassion. Thank you mictim for putting your wonderful rant out there. I so needed to vent that and now give it up before it eats me up.

To Steeldove and my fellow PN friends:

What the article by Jane Brody really fired me up, what she stated is basically a reflection of a mostly American European problem called Big Pharma marketing engine and unfortunately slowly feeding (in my opinion) and moving towards a very constipated medical system.

If you as a person do not work and seek a better life medically you will not get any better. If you look back at our own medical history, as a nation there was a huge legal movement in the early 1900's when Rockefeller and others moved this nation towards the worship another god called "modern science" and natural medication was demonized and so were doctors and those who practiced a more natural approach.

As one example, in the early to mid 1900's, many advances were made with people who were battling Cancer, even with 4th stage Cancer were being treated with different approaches other than the new approved methods, many good physicians were jailed, professionally and publicly ridiculed and many lost their licenses. Many of those cancer patients became survivors as they lived many productive years afterwards with the then "illegal treatments".

With a few exceptions my friends with stage 4 Cancer including my very own son live only a about 8 to 9 months and a very miserable life using Chemo prescribed and sold directly by the doctor. That's true and correct sold directly from the doctor to the patient. Something is very wrong about that and a chemo drug is killing even good healthy cells!! Again from my viewpoint is that it would have been far better to live productive and live 6 to 7 months without any chemo drugs. That is a very high price to pay for two months!

Now there are some great breakthroughs like sulfur drugs and a few others, which were a great asset to modern medicine. If you look at today's prescription drugs they are a single molecule synthetic drug (the ones you are taking now here in the US and most used in Europe) and they are all are modeled directly from 100% natural flowers, roots and leaves. There is no other model to follow except our own God given Nature. There are a few exceptions to the like sulfur based drugs. The list is very short of non organic substances used in the medical field. Silver is the great exception to natural organics as it is very beneficial.

While writing this little rant, I looked at the medications that I take right now for my issues that I have, I must admit I personally take several synthetic medications. However, with that being said I am slowly moving ever towards a more natural approach and my blood work shows that it is working. If any physician would look at my blood work lab tests after the past 10 years and not knowing who I am or about my story, many would ask many questions about what is making the improvements, as there is a dramatic difference. In the past 3 years and I am stronger and better each month. Yes I still have SFN, however my Opioid (50mg) intake is 4 a day and nearing 3 a day instead of 6 a day and no more Lyrica or Gabapentin. As I stated before I am sure that for some Lyrica or Gabapentin and 100's of other big Pharma wonder medications and I am sure that some help those who suffer and I am very grateful for that. But the fact remains that there are many secondary issues using prescription drugs as they are are made from natural gas and oil based synthetics.

Anyway I have been using a topical pain lotion for several years now and after looking at the ingredients closely, it seems to to me, they bring more blood flow and oxygen to my feet. If anyone thinks that my SFN is rather a small issue after a fall accident, I could not walk expect on the edge of my feet for quite awhile. My wonderful wife had to help me around a lot and then after several years I was able, with using topical pain lotions and Opioids I was able to walk thru CostCo and back to the car. Now I an driving a car mainly during the daytime and back to a more physical and fairly productive life even at 72.

Many physicians are trying to bring a change for the better in their patients lives and do not have any other offering except what they have been taught in school, BTW nutrition is a one day subject for most of them. From my viewpoint, your food intake is the most important link you will have with nature. We now are eating mainly none live foods and foods with a lot of preservatives that come from a factory.

Many of us do not eat with others like in a family situation around a dinner table like I did as a kid, and most of us on this PN blog are older now. It seems to me that if we share food and fellowship more with others, we will have a much better life to live. My wife and I usually have a few friends over for dinner each and almost every week and each one shares in bringing the main course. We try and outreach to help others in this way and it is a lot of fun as well and brings a positive change as well to us and hopefully for them.

While traveling abroad which I used to do a lot, I have been treated by different medical approaches. One of the a main differences is they spent about 30-45 minutes with me instead of 5 minutes. The other grip that I have is this, I have noticed that many times the doctor already has their mind made up before seeing me and almost will not listen to what I have to say or how I am doing, they just write out and sign another script and say come back in a week if it does not work. That is very sad indeed!

The people of this country and a few physicians are slowly moving towards a more integrative approach using a fewer drugs along with a more natural organic lifestyle in what we eat. This is the approach that my wife and I have taken and one item worth noticing is this: when one uses a synthetic drug that are dozens of (some rather scary) warnings and many side effects. This is very rare to see using any type of organics. "Like almost none!!" It took many years for you to get where you are at right now and it will not go ways with a few pills.

Like others, I got very tired of treating the symptoms and not getting towards solving the main issue or problem. As I was so sick and nearly ready to give up with the pain from PN and I also suffer from age 30 severe daily migraine headaches, I finally found an exceptional physicians, one who after looking at many many doctors within 1 hour distance driving time. It has made a huge difference in my life and very beneficial difference for my wife as well.

You may possibly consider finding a physician who practices with a "Integrative" approach as we have and change your diet and start integrating a more Organic lifestyle and be ready to make some changes as it should be a great benefit to you.

As always, be at peace with the creator and read His Word as he changed this old atheists life and melted my heart of stone and in time brought me a wonderful caring wife (now of 22 years) and gave me far more abundant life than I or this so called modern science could of ever had. Now learning to live with my PN. Eat your Organic Vegetables and help someone who is less fortunate! MicTim

To qball2019 and fellow PN Folks,

It would be very interesting and hopefully a revelation it would be for the modern west to stop watching TV for about 3 months and then re-look at the advertising one more time. It is all emotional based about people in misery, the rich and famous, murder, greed, a lot of fake or at least very slanted politics.

I before I retired my company did work for that the communication and adverting industries. From my prospective most are so very uninformed as a people group and the masses are vastly deceived and duped into thinking into a very narrow viewpoint. I turned off my TV many years ago and now do not even get any news any more, even on my phone. I know this is rather an extreme position, but a more peaceful life style. I guess my wife and I simply exited from the emotion and fear based input. I now enjoy a non advertising based places like Netflix, Prime and others.

I want to stay positive here on this blog, however many times when returning from abroad, at the airports here in American people look like M&Ms with legs. So I took some action a couple of years ago and lost 65lbs with a goal of 10 more. I think I mainly did this for my heath and less weight on my burning feet.

However, with that being said when I feel like I have too much pain, I always remember a man who again in India was begging for food. Who's whole world and existence was based on a piece of plywood with 4 little wheels. I remember the image with his little mouth looking upward at me, just wanting some food. He had no legs or hands he did have arm stumps that were covered in gray ducktape so he could propel himself along the roadway and it is still emotional for me to think of him and that image. But even with the pain and having SFN, "I am rich" in good health, very nice shelter, my best friend at my side and as much food as I want to eat with heating and air conditioning, two cars, flat screen etc.............. and most importantly a peaceful mind and at peace with The Creator.

I also remember farm road in a small village in India (probably 200k population) where I was walking trying to find a taxi of any sorts and finding away back to the train. Many middle aged Women were picking up the tree branches that have fallen from the wind and the very tall huge green trees over my head. The stack of branches were piled very deep and I thought how can they do that task as there were so many branches and so high a load for them to carry back to there homes. They were all so healthy looking and trim. We as a people group (including myself) are overweight, sit, eat and pay others for services. The women I talked about before were taking a God given natural resource and with a little effort they had warmth and a hot meal for her family.

Shows like you said like "What the Health", "Forks Over Knives", and "Cowspiracy", Big Bucks, Big Pharma: Marketing Disease and Pushing Drugs".

I will take time and look at some of them and they provide innformation, knowledge and a different prospective. It seems that I have been jabbering way too much the last few days, besides I need to see whats in the fridge. MicTim

I had an ACDF surgery in 2014 Level C5-C7, after the surgery I had some improvement, at least the headaches almost went away, but I star having flaring nerve stabbing pain in my legs, my left side was not strong and I have more difficulties to do anything ( until now), Then I start having stabbing pain in the area where I had the surgery, plus tingling and burning sensation in my back and as well in my legs. Because of the pain in my neck, I was recommended to have a breast reduction surgery so I did the last year 2018, it helps in some way, but I have to mention that before the surgery my left arm lost considerable strength and my elbow was hurting in both arms. So, two months after the surgery, my both hand start getting nums and hurting, no strength enough to lift a cup of coffee or open a water bottle, every night my hands are numb, and my fingers aching and stabbing pain in the palm of my hands and my middle finger swells up with enough pain and my arm got weaker than before. I have the same symptoms in my feet and my neck hurts some days that I can't do much and the titanium plate and/or screws, causes pressure in my throat and hurt and it is hard to talk I went through many MRI, CT scans, RX and my surgeon said everything is ok. I'm living or I should say; I'm not living because the pain makes me miserable and I can not have a normal life and I feel afraid to get paralyzed because of nerve damage I don't what to do. I hope every one of you all stays better today than yesterday and tomorrow better than today, a blessing for you all. And Please some advises it will help...

I had an ACDF surgery in 2014 Level C5-C7, after the surgery I had some improvement, at least the headaches almost went away, but I star having flaring nerve stabbing pain in my legs, my left side was not strong and I have more difficulties to do anything ( until now), Then I start having stabbing pain in the area where I had the surgery, plus tingling and burning sensation in my back and as well in my legs. Because of the pain in my neck, I was recommended to have a breast reduction surgery so I did the last year 2018, it helps in some way, but I have to mention that before the surgery my left arm lost considerable strength and my elbow was hurting in both arms. So, two months after the surgery, my both hand start getting nums and hurting, no strength enough to lift a cup of coffee or open a water bottle, every night my hands are numb, and my fingers aching and stabbing pain in the palm of my hands and my middle finger swells up with enough pain and my arm got weaker than before. I have the same symptoms in my feet and my neck hurts some days that I can't do much and the titanium plate and/or screws, causes pressure in my throat and hurt and it is hard to talk I went through many MRI, CT scans, RX and my surgeon said everything is ok. I'm living or I should say; I'm not living because the pain makes me miserable and I can not have a normal life and I feel afraid to get paralyzed because of nerve damage I don't what to do. I hope every one of you all stays better today than yesterday and tomorrow better than today, a blessing for you all. And Please some advises it will help...