socks and neuropathy please read

Thank you so much for letting me know I will definitely try them

Fay, the sensation of having socks on, was what lead me to my self diagnosis of PN, then confirmed by a neurologist, about 20 years ago. My "treatment" includes balance and muscle strengthening exercises (developed by a physiologist), keeping my feet warm, taking 1000 units of magnesium daily, using a roll on cream called Soodox Active (mainly arnica) for any leg or foot pain during the night - it almost instantly relieves the pain which is usually a cramping.
Disciplining myself to daily exercise is my biggest obstacle; my balance is what limits my lifestyle. I feel very lucky that I am mostly pain free, but I am very aware that this is a degenerative disease and I seem to be in a place of rapid decline as I can do less and less of the household chores and my husband is flat out doing most of it.
Good luck!

Yup have all your symptoms. I now go to sleep wearing bamboo socks. I've tried alot of different types and have not found anything that really helps. BUT I find that the softest of the socks seem to provide some relief while sleeping but not for walking. The types seem to vary with their composition over time. Look on Amazon and buy several different types and experiment with sizes and composition of bamboo. I have experimented with EVERYTHING you can think of. Some help...magnesium creams. Stay away from regular use of lidocaine since this will hurt your kidneys but will provide temporary relief when used generously. Creams with essential oils can sometimes help a bit. I'm experimenting with a TENS unit...BUT this is a big scam area. If you buy the book the Electric Body (I'm away from home right now) it gives you the ranges of electric and magnetic waves. This is a big issue. All the waves generated by TENS units may or may not help/hurt you. I've tried acupuncture for 7 weeks by a well trained person (trained for 7 years to become certified) and it seems to help a bit. Good luck on your journey. It is such an emotional drain to deal with this and what you loose as the disease progresses. I share my sympathies. Steve

PS regular exercise and strength training as mentioned by some posters is a must and I assume that everyone should be doing this. You can find good exercises on the internet. BUT ... don't overdo it. Muscle aches are a warning that you are doing too much and it takes longer to recover from muscle aches. Be kind to yourself.

Early in my "neuropathy career" I was told that neuropathy is also called the "socks disease" Feels like they are on even when they are not. My suggestion: learn to live with this. There is no cure for neuropathy.

My pain just stopped about 6 months ago and I only have occasional pain now. I just started to take fish oil a couple of months ago and I am seeing some good changes with that. I take Res-Q Omega-3 1250 - 2 daily and I have more energy and less inflammation, especially in my feet. Less discomfort with the tight sock feeling and sometimes I can even wiggle my toes up and down and spread them, which I couldn't do for a long time. We'll see how long this all lasts!!!
Res-Q is online and has sales all the time. I bought one to make sure I could take it, then bought more on sale.

I agree that regular exercise and strength training are musts. However, instead of being a warning, muscle aches can be a sign that you have microtears in your muscles and that they are able to grow--something I want desperately since this neuropathy has seemingly robbed me of some muscle. I lost several pounds due to this. So if I ache for two days I know it is probably a positive. Still, like you said we must be kind to ourselves. There is a point of overdoing and causing injury--so I believe supervision as in a pt therapist or gym trainer may be needed especially early on. And, no socks for me. This is a sensory disease that seems to differ among folks. I've got pins and needles as I watch Buzzr TV reruns!

Did the pain stop before or after you started the fish oil?

Exactly-over inflated BP cuff, plus I feel like my socks are wadded up in my shoes. And while I don't feel
off balance, I do think my gait has changed because of the queer sensations and I don't have the same pep to my step.
I'll be getting a neuro workup soon. In the meantime I'm weaning off Gabapentin because I suspect it's not helping my particular symptoms.

I wish you the best. I too am on Gabapentin as well as a couple of other GP recommended over the counter drugs. I don't know how much help they give me, if any. Less pep in the step, yes, but then I'm an old guy so it might be that more than anything. I am only in my 3rd year dealing with neuropathy.