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Peripheral Neuropathy is life changing: How do you accept it?
Neuropathy | Last Active: 1 hour ago | Replies (112)Comment receiving replies
@lalper - I've often wondered if my degenerative disc disease plays a part in my neuropathy symptoms which is mostly numbness and some tingling in my feet and legs. I'm 83 now but it all started in my toes sometime in my mid to late 40s and gradually worked it's way up into the legs. I shared my neuropathy journey in another discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/310341/. You are so right about it not being easy to keep moving forward. Looking back, I should have seen it coming - my wife used to tell me when I was in my fifties that I walked like an old man then. I just smiled but now that smile has turned into a smirk and on the good days, a smile that breaks into a short lived laugh.
Being proactive is an excellent approach. My gait is not good and I have trouble walking distances and my balance is not very good. I try to keep moving and make a point of exercising 5 or 6 days a week for 30 to 45 minutes on an cross-fit trainer recumbent bike and a few minutes on a new stepper that I recently acquired.
Replies to "@lalper - I've often wondered if my degenerative disc disease plays a part in my neuropathy..."
It is interesting that you said your neuropathy started in your toes. For years I had pain in my right big toe-it felt like someone had banged it with a hammer. But now after neuropathic numbness and tingling had taken over my feet and more recently on and off in my shins, the toe no longer has that bruised feeling. I am wondering if the toe was a precursor to my celiac-induced neuropathy. My walking is pretty good save for the shin shave biopsy that apparently has irritated some nerves with the dermatologist's needle. Balance is okay and I do exercises for that almost daily. I am also working on reducing sugar intake since it is often inflammatory. I am really hoping that if the shave biopsy heals which may take quite some time according to my neurologist, I can hopefully drive the neuropathic pains from shins and deal only with the tingling of feet.
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@johnbishop Thank you for your post. My PN was noticed around 2008. Started with very slight stagger that no one could see but me. Slowly it progressed until around 2013 I started looking for a diagnosis. It took 10 plus years to get it. Oh well, here I am now with numbness in my feet and legs, my balance is not good and use a walker at home when I remember it. Walking any distance tires my legs so I keep a walker in my car. Also use a cane for short walks. I do not have much pain and am thankful. My tests say I have stenosis in my neck and severe stenosis in my lower back. I do some kind of exercises everyday.