@yojimbob Hello, and thanks for your reply. I am so very sorry that you are going through this mysterious and painful illness. I used to live in Austin but moved away several years ago and am now about 30 miles NW of there, although the doctor I am currently seeing, Dr. Pokala, is in the heart of Austin. I think you nailed it when you said that most neurologists just have no idea what to do with neuropathy. They pretty much do hand you a prescription for gabapentin and say good luck! Or at least that has been my experience.
All I am asking for is a little guidance from my doctor about when and how often to increase the dosage. I've been dealing with this since last summer and the pain and discomfort is getting worse instead of better. My doctor basically said, well, just increase it gradually. That's it? That's why you get paid the big bucks? I finally messaged him through the "portal" and told him I felt like I was flying blind, that I needed some guidance, and that was his job as my doctor to provide it, was it not? Imagine my shock when he actually picked up his little cell phone and called me the next morning instead of just answering thought the portal! Of course, he did let me know that it was extremely rare that he actually called patients because he is just so busy. Not my problem! I am old enough to be this kid's mother and I talked to him just like I would if he were my son who had been behaving badly which is exactly what he'd been doing. I generally research my doctors very thoroughly, but the first neurologist I went to was one recommended by my PCP. She couldn't be bothered to even explain what some of the tests meant. Before going to Dr. Pokala I really dug in and did my usual research. I don't really care where they went to school, as they long as they went, and I don't care about the accolades or awards they have received. What I look for are reviews by actual patients, and this guy had some amazing reviews. It took forever to get an appointment, which is pretty much the norm with specialists of any kind, but in my naivety I thought he might actually be pretty good. So much for going by good patient reviews. During my phone conversation with him he did at last lay out exactly how much gabapentin to take at each of my three daily dosages, and it's an odd combination, and not one I could have come up with on my own, flying blindly as I was. There is much more to the story, but we've all got one, right? Thanks for listening to a little of mine and letting me vent.
You are indeed correct about having to do our own research, otherwise we'd never know anything about what we are dealing with because the doctors I've seen certainly aren't going to take the time to discuss it with you.
It's my guess that the John you are referring to is @johnbishop. He's been at this a long time, bless his heart, and has a wealth of information.
I hope all goes well with Dr. Reddy and that he is able to help. Please let me know. Good luck to you as you navigate this strange thing called neuropathy. Bless you, and take care of yourself.