Hello everybody. I last posted here in January when my PN started up. That initial first "flare up" only lasted 3 weeks and then went away, as though it had never happened. I didn't think much of it because I was too happy that it vanished. But it came back with a vengeance (of course!) in the end of April and has been plaguing me ever since.

A few weeks ago I went to a new doctor because I wanted to address my issues: joint pain, anemia, peripheral neuropathy in my feet. I've had joint pain that moves around from joint to joint for a few years and chalked it up to being overweight (which I am working on still) but my glucose numbers were always on the high end of normal and I know that diabetes can cause PN long before you are even diagnosed with it. I am now eating a low carb diet because my doctor refuses to tie the PN to being diabetes related.

She ran blood tests, a lot of them, and my rheumatoid factor was positive at 112 and c-reactive protein and sed levels were elevated. She thinks I have RA (lupus test was negative) and now I am waiting until the end of June to get in to see a rheumy. I also am seeing a neuro in the end of June as well.

But here is my question... what role does an auto-immune disease play in peripheral neuropathy? I honestly can't find much on the internet and I'm desperately hoping that I can do something to reverse what is happening to my feet (although I know the odds are not in my favor) but perhaps getting on the right medication for RA and putting the disease into some kind of remission would help the PN? If they are indeed related. It's the only thing I can now determine would be causing the PN. I've ruled out every other option, unless it truly is a very early stage of diabetes. But of course, my joint pain in the past month has been at an all time high, right along with the PN in my feet. I have to believe the two are somehow related.

I also have stage 2 hypertension and am now on blood pressure medication. I did notice a slight improvement in my feet after taking the blood pressure medication (which is a diuretic - and I lost like 10 pounds in water) so perhaps swelling/being overweight/hypertension and poor circulation is playing a role?

Thank you for your thoughts and support!

Edit: Forgot to mention that my vitamin D was low and I am taking D3 5000 each day. Also, my b12 was through the roof after supplementing it for months (lol) and my doctor told me to lay off of it, it was at 1870. Can I safely keep taking it? I don't want to do anything to impair healing my nerves.