Any hints as what could cause my Neuropathy?

Posted by hamiducla @hamiducla, 7 hours ago

I have been to multiple neurologists but have not been able to determine a root-cause for my neuropathy condition. Any clues as what could be causing my condition? Here is a quick summary:

- 63 years old, male
- Tingling, pins and needles, sock feeling, and occasional numbing started on left foot one year ago, but within a few weeks spread to my both legs and hands. Left leg condition is continuous all day, whereas for the other limbs, they come and go.
- No pain
- No major illness; no surgery; generally healthy prior to this condition
- Neurological exams have been quite normal.
- Neck Xray showed a minor narrowing of the nerve pathways. Also, MRI from my back showed a similar minor narrowing.
- Nerve test showed no major issue. (one nerve response on the left foot was weak, but within normal range.)
- A1c has been about 5.7% for the last several years.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuropathy Support Group.

John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | 6 hours ago

Welcome @hamiducla, I have idiopathic small fiber peripheral neuropathy that my Mayo neurologist thought might be genetic but didn't find any other cause. I shared my neuropathy journey in another discussion here - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/310341/.

Neuropathy Commons has a good list of the different things that can cause neuropathy that may be helpful to scan through to see if something jumps out at you - https://neuropathycommons.org/neuropathy/causes-neuropathy.

You mentioned an A1C of 5.7. I had similar numbers most of my adult life and the doctors warned me I was in the pre-diabetic category but I really wasn't concerned because I didn't fully understand what it means. Then I learned about the metabolic syndrome and started working on getting a little healthier. Still not sure it's what caused my neuropathy but it has helped me change my lifestyle and eating habits. It sound's like you are already living a healthy lifestyle but just thought I would mention it. Here's more information on the metabolic syndrome:
The Metabolic Syndrome and Neuropathy: Therapeutic Challenges and Opportunities: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3881591/

Have any of your doctors mentioned pre-diabetes or the metabolic syndrome?

Ray Kemble | @ray666 | 5 hours ago

Hello, hamiducla (@hamiducla)

Welcome to Connect! You've come not only to the right place but to a good place. I'm 81. I have chronic idiopathic large-fiber polyneuropathy. The 'large-fiber' means I've no pain. (A blessing!) The 'idiopathic' means there's no known cause, and it's likely I'll never be told a cause. That frustrated me at first, but after meeting with and being examined by several neurologists, I've learned to accept the meaning of 'idiopathic.'

Accepting that I may never know the cause of neuropathy doesn't mean I've given up. Far from it! I've managed to prove to myself––with the help of a number of physical therapists––that my one & only symptom––poor balance––can be helped by exercise. Exercise and practicing balance may not cure my poor balance (in fact, that's highly unlikely), but it can go a long way to stop it from getting any worse.

That's enough about me. 🙂 I really just wanted to say hello, and to invite you to pull up a comfy chair and make yourself at home!

Cheers!
Ray (@ray666)