Welcome @aquamarine4220, You hit the nail on the head. No one has a clue unless they walk in your shoes so to speak. I think my idiopathic small fiber PN may be genetic but I really don't know. One of my sisters who has passed away was a diabetic and struggled with her feet and pain. At one point the doctors told her she may lose her feet due to diabetes. I just have numbness with mine which I guess is a blessing that I don't have pain. I shared my story along with other members in another discussion here - Member Neuropathy Journey Stories: What's Yours?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/member-neuoropathy-journey-stories-whats-yours/.

I noticed in your previous post that you are on a mission to find solve this neuropathy problem. We've all been there and it really helps to learn as much as you can about your condition and become your own best advocate. Here are a few sites to hopefully help you on your journey:

-- Neuropathy Commons: https://neuropathycommons.org/index.php/neuropathy/neuropathy-overview
-- Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy: https://www.foundationforpn.org/treatments/
-- NIH's National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) which offers guidance about integrative health and how to evaluate it.: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/

Oh boy, is that true! I do not know of anyone else that has what I have and I've said to my wife many times that unless you have PN, you just don't know what it is like. Prior to PN, if you feel asleep in a chair and woke up.... sometimes, your foot would be "asleep".....I tell family members and friends, that's what many of us with PN have all the time. Both of my feet are always asleep with the feeling of tight socks. Best way for me to describe to other who are fortunate not to be impacted by PN. Ed