My experience was pretty much the same after 20+ years of living with numbness that started in my toes and finally deciding to see a Rochester Mayo neurologist for a diagnosis which was idiopathic small fiber PN. That's what brought me to Connect where I started my journey on learning as much as I can about my condition and what possible treatments are available. I wish the research focus was on healing/repairing the damaged nerves vs treating the symptoms. Just my two cents.