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Severe Breakout Pain in second toe
Hi- I have ideopathic peripheral neuropathy in both feet- for about 10 years. The usual numbness, tingling, hit/cold , cramping. But- for about 4 years I’ve been having severe ice pick stabbing pain in my second toe of left foot. No swelling, no redness, no gout, - had X-rays, MRI , PT - kept a journal to track my habits, footwear, food- there is no pattern. It come about every 7,8 days and lasts a couple days. I’m ready to amputate it. Does anyone else experience anything like this? Help!
Thanks!
Luann
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My Dad has been dealing with toe pain for over a decade! It is his left foot 2nd toe & the pain is on the top. His pain is intermittent, but happens constantly. The only way my dad can find any relief is by walking or pushing his foot hard against something. He hardly sleeps anymore due to the pain constantly waking him & having to get up and walk around. It’s absolutely horrible to hear your Father constantly screaming in pain. He has had every test as mentioned above & all the doctors can come up with is it must be nerves & send him on his way to continue suffering! My Dad has even mentioned that he wants to have his toe amputated, but fearfully the pain may move elsewhere. Docs put him on Gabapentin which has messed him up drastically to the point that he almost acts like he has dementia, but as soon as the Gabapentin wears off he’s bk to himself. The only thing that seems to help my Dad is Xanax which he discovered himself, but doesn’t like to take often as he’s fearful of becoming addicted.
I recently found out from my hairdresser that her father in law was going through the same thing & on his deathbed they finally figured out it was his cholesterol medication causing the pain! I immediately told my dad to have his cholesterol meds & his blood pressure meds switched to something different, but his doctor basically laughed saying that wouldn’t cause it. My dads in amazing health, his mind is sharp as long as he doesn’t have Gabapent in him. If anyone figures this out or has suggestions plz inform me. I want more than anything to help my dad.
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3 ReactionsPgross 530, I had the same type of stabbing pain so I know your pain. The drug nortriptyline solved the problem for me. 75mg once a day and if I miss a dose the stabbing pain comes back right away. Joe
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3 ReactionsA gentle reminder about the Community Guidelines (https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/tab/community-guidelines/). These Community Guidelines offer 12 short rules of conduct that help keep the Mayo Clinic Connect community safe, supportive, inclusive, and respectful.
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4 ReactionsJust a thought…Have your Dad request a EMG which will find out what nerve is involved and where the problem is. Then they can treat it with either injections or ablations…..David
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4 ReactionsDear Joe,
Thank you reaching out to me and sharing the name of the drug that helped control your stabbing pain. I will share that with my doctor. I have suffered with this intermittent (every other day) stabbing pain for many years and desperately need to find an answer.
Thanks again!
Philip
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3 ReactionsI am so sorry to hear about your dad suffering with toe pain I too suffer with intermittent toe pain. When trying to do research on causes of my toe pain nearly everything I read was about pain on the bottom of the foot and toes not the top of the toe like I suffer with. So far none of the doctors I have seen have been able to diagnose the source of my pain therefore no treatment has been able to help me. Unfortunately I am not able to offer any suggestions, but I can share some things that I have tried and while they didn’t help me it might be worth discussing with your dad’s doctor to see if any of these treatments might be worth trying. Medicines that I have tried, gabapentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta. Since none of the nerve pain medicines helped, my family doctor wondered if my brain was firing a pain signal when there wasn’t any physical reason to do so. He put me on a psychotic drug which was terrible, and did nothing to alleviate the pain. My doctor even had me try morphine, but nothing helped. I went to a pain clinic where they injected my toe with Cortizone and later did an ablation (burning the nerves) to the nerves in my second toe, but that too did nothing to help alleviate the pain. Here are three things that gave me a “little” relief, CBD, a physical therapist that specializes in eastern medicine and acupuncture. I also purchased a whole body vibrating platform. I sit in a chair and place my feet on the device and allow it to vibrate my feet which seems to offer some relief for a short period of time. Because I suffer with the same condition as your father I truly can sympathize with what he’s going through. It is extremely frustrating to have a condition that no one seems to be able to diagnose properly. I hope that you find something that can
help your dad, pain is a life robbing condition.
I will pray for your dad.
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5 ReactionsSimilar stabbing & burning pain for me in 2nd toe of left foot, started just 3 days ago. Not able to sleep with a feeling that hot iron rod is piercing. I have had tingling, pins and needles in both feet for few years. Seen neurologists in 3 different hospitals, MRIs, Cscans, SFN tests, all kinds of medications including Gabapentin but of no help. I know of sheep with a disease called SCRAPIE and in cows with Mad cow disease, that start showing jerking in legs, progressing to not able to get and eventually die. I suggested to neurologists if my problem could be sort of similar PRION disease but no response. I may be wrong, but with millions of people like us suffering, CDC and NIH should be involved seriouy to investigate the cause.
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1 ReactionHi
It is terrible to endure such pain from my disturbing experience on .
During worst of my symptoms I decided that in addition to depending on medication, therapy and nutritional intakes etc I shall help myself all alone to get mental rest and thereby physical rest to help the cause. Sounds crazy but I managed though not mitigated fully. I was told that the recovery will be at best 70-80 percent in proportion to age. I was sleepless for days and nights due to disturbances in feet .
I realised I must do something to divert or distract my thoughts away from the symptoms. I felt that if some one can help me it must be the supreme soul . I used to simply close my eyes and focus on some divine and holy chantings believe me non stop . That made me to just ignore the symptoms and get in to sleep. Even during midnight wake-up phase ( due to symptoms) I used to resume the self remedy. Now the severity has reduced though not fully , my sleep is at my will. You can try. You must make it a way of life with out any time frame. Like modifying life style . God bless you .
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2 ReactionsHas anybody in the group tried rubbing Vicks vapor rub on feet in the night befoee going to bed? Sonewhere I read it helped for some people.
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1 ReactionThank you. Will try your kind suggestions.