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I am new here and just recently found out I have neuropathy.
Neuropathy | Last Active: Jun 17 4:23pm | Replies (49)Comment receiving replies
@arcuri24 Regarding the pain. Everything I've read is that it actually isn't 'pain' from, say, a traumatic wound but instead your brain misidentifying what the nerve signals mean. Your feet arent actually torn or on fire.
That's the rationale behind using electrostimulus to 'calm and redirect' the interpretation of the signals. I am thinking why swimming and walking around in the pool helps because it sort of 'averages' the pressure sensitivity throughout my skin so that my toes and feet don't feel so different than the rest of my body. Same with wearing compression socks. My numbness already feels like my feet are encased in socks, or like wearing snow shoes, that actually "seeing" the socks helps my brain remember what my feet normally would feel like once I take them off.
It is like touching an ice cube and feeling it burn as if it is too hot. But you can briefly redirect that feeling by remembering that it is actually cold. During the transition from being 'on fire' to 'freezing ', the pain sensation disappears. Just a thought.
Replies to "@arcuri24 Regarding the pain. Everything I've read is that it actually isn't 'pain' from, say, a..."
In a way that is what my lidocaine pain patch is doing--it creates a numbing sensation and the pain sensation is greatly reduced. Maybe I am getting better as the pain would radiate down my shin toward my ankle in past months but does not do so anymore. I am also able to avoid the heel burning pain I was getting by staying in highly cushioned sneakers and not doing too many heel raises. You are lucky to have access to a pool. In NYC it is mostly a concrete jungle and very very warm right now. I do not get numbness in feet , I am mostly getting tingling and the PN varies for many reasons like diet, exercise, stress, environment etc. Like the shin healing, it may take several years of being on a gluten free diet to reduce sensations of neuropathy. I am always reading food labels these days and cooking my own meals. Thanks for letting me know about the power of the brain in dealing with our nerves. Happy swimming!
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@deanhobart - There's a lot of good books out about neuroplasticity and rewiring the brain for neuropathy and other pain, really interesting topic but not sure how easily it's mastered. I just have the numbness and no pain with my idiopathic small fiber PN. @user_che214927 started a discussion on it and I think it has helped with his neuropathy - Neuropathy and Brain Neuroplasticity: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/barry-sheales-australia/