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Living with Neuropathy - Welcome to the group
Neuropathy | Last Active: Oct 27 5:51pm | Replies (6152)Comment receiving replies
I have peripheral neuropathy in my feet that came on all of a sudden in May 2019. It is gradually getting worse. Symptoms are numbness -- not really any pain or tinging just straight numbness. I feel it mainly when standing not sitting. It is worst first thing in the morning when standing when getting out of bed.
My frustration is not being able to find a cause.
Possible causes:
1) Low B12 - while I have low B12, I take shots and B12 is fine with the shots.
2) Blood sugar - fasting glucose is usually around 104, which is a bit high, but A1C is within range.
3) Alcohol - I do not drink at all since 1995
4) Circulation - my doctor says it is fine.
5) Lower back - I do have some issues in my lower back, but people examining MRIs cannot see a major problem.
None of the above is a "smoking gun".
I don't know what else to do to try to find a cause.
Replies to "I have peripheral neuropathy in my feet that came on all of a sudden in May..."
My neuropathy in my feet came about with having chemotherapy for breast cancer. I only had two treatments, but caused alot of nerve damage. I also only have the numbness, mostly in my left foot, because of having a little nerve damage mostly on the top of my big toe area due to a sciatic nerve problem many years ago. My daughter gave me some roll on salve to try. It is helping with the hot sensations I get mostly at night. And with the numbness. It's called Dragon deep tissue salve. It contains camphor oil plus menthol, 300mg THC + 300MG CBD + 20mg CBN It is a roll up stick; 3.4oz. It is legal in Washington state, so it must be also legal in other states as well. It sells under the name of Nano emulsified cannabinoids. Roll - up dragon balm. It helps me, so it could help others with the numbness as well.
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Hi Rick @rickhood, Welcome to Connect. Your symptoms sound pretty much like the situation I was in 20+ years ago. I had the numbness that started in the toes of both feet and gradually worked it's way up into my legs before I decided to get a diagnosis which was disappointing to say the least when I was diagnosed with idiopathic small fiber peripheral neuropathy. I shared my neuropathy story and what has helped me in another discussion here - Member Neuropathy Journey Stories: What's Yours?-- https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/310341/
As far as getting a diagnosis, my own personal feeling is the getting the diagnosis is just the beginning of your journey. Unless you have nerve damage or compression that can be corrected by surgery or therapy of some sort there is no cure for neuropathy. You can find treatments and therapies to manage the symptoms and provide relief for any associated pain but that's kind of a downer for all of us when we start our journey and are looking for that one magic pill or treatment that will fix us and make us normal again. I would recommend learning as much as you can about your condition and what questions to ask when discussing treatments with your doctor.
Here are a few good sources for learning about neuropathy:
-- Peripheral Neuropathy Fact Sheet: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Peripheral-Neuropathy-Fact-Sheet
-- Foundation for Peripheral Neuropady: https://www.foundationforpn.org/
-- Neuropathy Commons: https://neuropathycommons.org/neuropathy/neuropathy-overview
Have you been seen by a neurologist or had any tests like an electromyography (EMG), nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test, or a skin punch biopsy?