New neuropathy consult

please share as to which doctor you will be seeing -- AND what does a consultation look like -- thanks

@lois6524 iryna Muzyka

Hi - I'd like to also bring in @johnbishop, who may be able to tell you about a typical consult and also bring in some others who can tell what you typical Mayo Clinic neuropathy consult would look like.

@jordanabrams30 and @lois6524 -- my appointment/consultation was with a Mayo Clinic Rochester neurologist and to me was like most other doctors appointments. I had to have several tests before my consult - EMG, MRI and a blood test if I remember correctly. The neurologist talked with me about my symptoms which were mostly numbness in both of my feet and legs. He examined my feet and legs and asked me if he could take a picture of my hammer toes which he said were typical of small fiber peripheral neuropathy patients and he wanted to use them for a paper or session he was putting together. He also had me do a couple of walking tests that I expect were to show balance or gait problems. I'm sure each consult is different due to patient symptoms that might call for different checks/exams/tests. He was pretty thorough but I still left a little depressed because there were no treatments for numbness.

Hey, but now we have Mayo Clinic Connect and we have other members with similar symptoms to share, compare and learn what helps. I'm hoping you give us an update after your consultation.

@johnbishop thanks for the information. I am curious with how knowledgeable you are on the subject of SFN, have you heard any information or success on the Facebook group solutions to peripheral neuropathy or solutions2pnpd.com? Thanks

@jordanabrams30 I am a member of the Facebook group and have been on the full protocol since Sept 2016. I found it after my diagnosis of idiopathic small fiber peripheral neuropathy in March of 2016 and doing a lot of searching. Although it hasn't completely gotten rid of the numbness it has helped and seems to have stopped the progression which is a little subjective on my part. When I started taking the protocol of supplements the numbness was just below the knees and by Dec 2016 it felt to be just above the ankles which is where it feels like it is today. So I consider it a new normal for me. Members who have had the pain associated with their neuropathy have been able to taper off the pain drugs and replace them with the over the counter supplements. When/if you join you really need to read all of their material and documents which explains what the supplements do and how they help.

Since I joined the group back in 2016 they have become a 501c3 organization and have setup a Help Another Member program for members who are not able to afford the cost of the supplements. You can read my story here if you want to know how I found the group:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/anyone-here-dealing-with-peripheral-neuropathy/?pg=42#comment-65985

@johnbishop great information John! Appreciate having people like you in the group and your wealth of knowledge