Thank you for your prompt reply and the links to related articles, John. I look forward to reading them.

My symptoms started at the end of August this year. I tried my best to convince my primary doc and the neurologist that my symptoms were from the spider bite (only the bitten leg exhibited any symptoms), but they said the myelogram proved otherwise. The skin on my leg in the neuropathy area is oddly red and mottled, and somewhat dry. It looks like I'm wearing a weird red sock. I've been applying BioFreeze (4% menthol in a roll-on, 10% menthol in a spray) to alleviate some of the pain, and the neurologist prescribed Gabapentin 100 3 times a day. I take a naproxen 200 as needed at bedtime. <sigh> Another day, another new experience....