@johnbishop thank you for your story. Question: Isn't Omega 3 just fish oil. I believe I will eventually follow some regiment like yours to see if it helps. Years'n years ago a doctor said I have pre diabetes. Then I didn't go to a doctor for anything for 10 years and went recently (last year). Doctor said I had a A1C of 14 I think it was and a blood glucose level of 290 I think. He was flabberghasted. Mind you, I'm 5'5" tall and not overweight, at about 150 lbs. So I left his office and completely cut sugar and carbs out for 3 months. When I went back my A1C was 5 and blood sugar at 30 or something. He said they've never seen that much improvement in 3 months and the neuropathy I was feeling in my toe also improved by 50%. Oh and I had started exercising in the gym at work.

But I stopped exercising and introduced some carbs and sugar into my diet and my neuropathy worsened again. I've had it for about 3 years total and the progression is obvious and the worst it's been John like you I too have back issues. I had a major back surgery at T9-10 which I've read is really rare. They normally cut a rib out permanently and temporarily remove your intestines to do a laminectomy on the thoracic vertebre to relieve pressure on the nerve. But this doctor, fancy as he was, decided to go through my back. Well guess what? At that spine level in your back EVERYTHING comes together there. Ribs, strong, fibrous latisimus dorsi muscles, carteledge... that's why they never use to go through the back. the surgery was not successul and I've been going to the pain clinic for a decade now. I recently asked for a medicine change from Norco to Tramadol. Norco wipes out the pain if you take a lot of it but it's short acting and a lot of side effects like groginess and of course addiction. So since a family member was using Tramadol I decided to ask the pain doctor for a medicine change to Tramadol. For me, that stuff works. it's not a narcotic per se although it may be listed as in that family. Along with the Gabapentin, the Tramadol actually makes the neuropathy bearable for sleeping at night As for surgeries I also had a major knee surgery some 20 years ago where the doctor cut a tendon or something by 1/3rd and stretched it across the knee cap to reposition it. Major, major surgery. It worked for the knee cap pain but regular arthritis on the joint took over and I have been limping for 20 years. Which gives a person all kinds of referred pain due to uneven gait and body usage. Combined with unrelenting back surgery pain and now, lower back pain, the neuropathy just seems to jump on the pain bandwagon and have a hey day. I'm 63 by the way. I've been a construction or factory maintenance worker my whole life and come from a family of severe arthritis sufferers. Then add it 45 years of hard labor and you get the arthritis picture. Planning to retire in 2023 and I'm sure doing things on MY terms and timeline will ease a lot of "overuse" as one doctor described my back, knee, and body. Well you're welcome America, as I've "overused" my body to build steel mills, power plants, oil refineries, hospitals, schools, homes, and factories. I mention this because I view it as "building America" for all of us and that has inspired me to go past the "handicapped" status like most of my family has been. Not one to collect unemployment or disability, they'll have to peel me off the factory floor before I would quit early. So I've done some if not all of this to myself, for Family, Country, and God.