Exercise and PN

@birdman518 my mother had neuropathy in both arms. Turns out it was due to her arthritis in her shoulders. Have you followed up for the cause of your neuropathy?

Actually tomorrow is my first real appt with a neurologist. So essentially I am starting my journey now. I definitely have arthritis..... already had a left hip replacement at 61...Thanks for suggesting this!

@birdman518 I just want to add she complained to her PCP of her burning sensation in both arms. He tried to help her by thinking it was neuropathy due to a lack of B12 so for many months he told her to take the supplement. She was very hopeful. She took it for almost a year before deciding it wasn’t helping. After a year of dealing with her burning pain her new PCP ordered an orthopedic consult. It was her orthopedic doctor who found the problems stemming from her shoulder joints due to the arthritis. My mother decided against the surgery to replace her joints because of her age. She is now almost 91 and still remains independent in her own apartment. I help with finding ways for her to complete tasks using devices for the lack of shoulder movement. She never did see a neurologist. Not sure if a neurologist would have been able to help her. I wish you well in finding the right answers. Good luck. Toni

I think sometimes our choice of exercise is experimental. We try things and see what works. Personally, the last time I was on a recumbent bike, my neuropathy flared up all over my body. I have a cruiser bike that I ride outside all of the time without this happening. There's just something about the position of the recumbent bike. I find that the elliptical fits my body needs better. Trial and error. 🙂

Birdman, I hope you'll let us know how that first appointment went. I had my first appointment with a neurology RN last Monday. She sent me off to get blood drawn, and arranged for me to get a brain MRI (next Monday). Where all this is leading, I don't know. That's why I've added interest in your journey. ––Ray

My personal trainer had me start out on the elliptical, rowing machine, etc. using the lowest settings and for no more than five to ten minutes. I wanted to do more but followed her instructions and slowly built up to higher settings and for longer periods of time. You might want to try that… Good luck!

Hello @ray666 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It is great to hear you've started the journey to getting answers for your symptoms.

I see you are interested in connecting with @birdman518 so would like to help you by showing you that if you include a "@" + the member's handle (birdman518), that will trigger a notification to them. Feel free to use it whenever you want to flag someone on Connect.

Will you come back and share more as you progress with your MRI?

Hello, @amandajro! That's for that tip. Oh, you betcha, I'll be back. As I mentioned in my note to birdman, I've no idea what's in store for me. In a nutshell, I've been dealing with worsening balance for a long, long time. I'd been through a good half dozen "standard" physical therapy workshops, but with only questionable success. Finally, I asked my primary doc if she'd refer me to a neurologist –– and that's the juncture I'm at. So, most definitely, I'll be back! ––Ray

Whoops! @amandajro, my typo! I didn't mean to say "That's for that tip." I had meant to say "THANKS for that tip!" Silly me.

My apologies to all for resending this. I hadn't realized that I needed to add "@" if @birdman518 were to receive my note:

"@birdman518, I hope you'll let us know how that first appointment went. I had my first appointment with a neurology RN last Monday. She sent me off to get blood drawn, and arranged for me to get a brain MRI (next Monday). Where all this is leading, I don't know. That's why I've added interest in your journey. ––Ray"