Hi there Joy (if I can call you by your name?), I understand. It is frustrating. I guess you can wait on the skin biopsy........it is just that a confirmed diagnosis tells other medical entities and professional clinicians what they are dealing with in order to help you. You can have multiple punches, e.g. ankle, leg, etc. They are hardly invasive. It takes about 3 seconds and a small bandaid. As long as your neurologist is the only clinician you have and he treats you for SFN, you should be fine. However, if you want to seek help at another facility like Mayo Clinic, you will need the skin biopsy results. And if you want to take advantage of MFR or other therapies, your insurance may require confirmation of the diagnosis.

Now....let's focus on something else.......medical cannabis. Do you live in a state in which medical marijuana is legal? Have you had any experience with medical cannabis? I have managed to control my SFN pain and discomfort without any other pain medicine. I happen to be highly sensitive to medications so this is perfect for me.

I do have GAD.....general anxiety disorder as a result of my SFN and so I use Duloxetine (Cymbalta). Since anxiety creates pain and pain creates anxiety, this helps me avoid that whole merry-go-round.

I see that you are learning a lot from John Bishop about the supplements which help him tremendously.

We are here for you..........no questions or thoughts are ever unwelcome.

Chris

I also have little feeling in my hands, feet and lower legs, but no pain. I had to give up golfing and bowling because of the balance problem and stopped driving when I couldn't feel the gas and brake pedals. I also tried acupuncture, but it did not help. My father and one sister had the same problems so I am convinced mine are genetic.

A skin punch biopsy is 88% accurate in diagnosing small fiber neuropathy. The question is do you have idiopathic SFN? I have been dealing with it for 6 years now. I take Cymbalta, And Lyrica, which help very little. Next will be medical cannabis when they get the dispensaries set up. I have tried a SCS and a Dorsal Root Ganglion stimulator and not didn’t help. I spent a week at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester last June to confirm the diagnosis.

I would love to find a clinical trial that looks at ISFN, but they are very rare. Most neuropathy trials are for Type 2 diabetics and chemo induced neuropathy, which is very frustrating.

I would have the test done for sure. Good luck to you!