Neuropathy post-Covid infection: Is there treatment that helps?

Why do you think it is either covid or he vaccine. Did you start to experience the (nerve) pain immediately after one? I.E., usually there is some time between vaccine and covid.

Welcome, @annt100. There are several members who have experienced neuropathy pain after having contracted COVID and others who experienced it from the vaccine. Either way, at 25 years old, this must be very debilitating and frustrating.

I moved your post to this existing discussion:
- - Neuropathy post-Covid infection: Is there treatment that helps?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/neuropathy-in-feet-post-covid/

I did this so you can read the previous posts and connect with others more easily.

@annt100 do you have any other symptoms related to post-COVID or so called longhaul COVID?

After I contracted Covid suddenly I was in severe heart failure, notably heart infection ( cardiomyopathy) My ejection fraction started at 20, and one month later 27. I’m taking a large number of medications hoping for some improvement. After my cardiac angiogram, my surgeon told me they are seeing a lot of heart failure post Covid vaccine and disease. Not much about it in the literature.

I’m a healthy and active person person who used to play tennis every day. My neck swelled up right after I had the booster shot.

Then you think it was the vaccine? It sounded like a reaction? Does your doctor have any thoughts? Good luck.

I have autonomic nerve syndrome from long Covid . That has impacted feet neuropathy . Gabapentin helps -so do compression socks during the day .

@annt100 @erice10
I got mild COVID in Jan 2022 and neuropathy in my feet and lower legs commenced shortly thereafter. Thankfully its not as major as detailed by many on this site who my heart goes out to. To manage neuropathy I have changed a number of things:
- Gave up alcohol
- Gave up caffeine (this had the most impact)
- Taking nerve friendly vitamins and supplements
- increased exercise and make sure I do a walk or exercycle daily

The above has reduced the impact of the neuropathy to about 30% of what it was.

My laymen's interpretation is for some of us COVID causes an inflammatory event (cytokine storm) and this triggers the nerve damage. For me it also caused inflammation in my AC joint - which I damaged in my 20's through sport. Now have arthritis pain in my shoulder. I have hopeful that the nerves repair but know that this may not happen. I had an EMG and only have minor damage on one leg and nerve function at the lower end of normal. But the neuropathy is certainly real!.

I have joint pain daily now and stabbing knee pain a couple days ago.

At age 19, I had a sudden onset of paraesthesia in Dec 2020. I had Covid in previous July. EMG shows bilateral nerve conduction loss (Dec 2020, Jan 2021, Feb 2022). I had to take a leave from college but was able to pull back together and go back. Between the Gabbapentin and nerve pain I finally left college. MRI of head, back, foot show no answers. I am not diabetic. Neurologists said this would likely go away but this December will be 2 years of daily pain. I feel like I am slipping away and frustrated that doctors don't have answers and don't have the urgency. My Neurologist just retired and I feel like I am starting over with no answers. Does anyone have advice for next steps?

Hi @erpikus2020, Welcome to Connect. It's understandable that you are frustrated that no one has any answers for your neuropathy. Sorry to hear your neurologist retired. I can imagine that just doubles the whammy with lack of answers. I don't think you are alone. The one thing I can suggest which I think is what you are doing now, is to keep learning as much as you can about your condition and any treatments available that may offer some relief. Along with the members here on Connect and the discussion in the Neuropathy group here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/neuropathy/, the two following sites are my go to for learning available treatments and finding information about neuropathy.

-- Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy: https://www.foundationforpn.org/
-- Neuropathy Commons: https://neuropathycommons.org/

There's also a couple of other discussions you might find helpful on your journey:
-- Small Fiber Neuropathy: What helps?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/small-fiber-neuropathy/
-- Member Neuropathy Journey Stories: What's Yours?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/member-neuoropathy-journey-stories-whats-yours/

Have you tried any complementary or alternative treatments?