Want to know what amazes me? That I understand most of what you wrote. And Alan's neuro (yesterday), told him "you have autoimmune stuff going on and OTHER stuff". I don't know how she worded it but that's the jist of what she said.

Alan seems to think that the pain between the two toes on his left foot, and the two toes on his right foot, well he believes that this pain (there is no buttock pain, there is no leg pain, no calf pain, NO OTHER PAIN. Just the burning, buzzing and tingling between the toes. He has said "I know this comes from my back because when Dr Theirl does his thing, I feel great".

So I have no idea if he's right or wrong, but he's determined to FIND SOMEONE who will do some minimally invasive procedure on his back, TO UNPINGE THE COMPRESSION and he feels this will stop the toe pain stuff that's going on.

I asked him last night "did you ask your neuro if this warrants an operation?" and he said "That's the first thing I asked her" and I said "so what did she say".

She said "don't know yet, I have to see the other Films".

Then he took a nap and I said 'do you want a massage?" and he said "oh yeah". So I did my thing, (I've been doing this for years and he loves it, and his Dr. Theirl told me to keep doing this". I just massage his shoulders, his back, his spine, his thighs, his legs, I take my elbow and I dig it in his spine and I go up and down his back. He goes "Oh my god, all my pain is going away, all the pain in the toes goes away when you do this".

So obviously I'm doing SOMETHING. I guess we jus wish there was a doctor, who would put him on table, take some micro tool, go into his spine and say "AHA, here's the little bugger that pressing on those nerves and once we make them loose Alan's buzzing in his toes will go away".

After 20 years of this, I really don't think this is going to happen, but I'm not telling him this. We'll continue the IVIG, the massages, ..he goes back to Dr. Theirl in January.

I guess he'll do the best he can do. He rarely complains. And the worst of all this was way back 7 years ago when he had to go on Fentanyl. Whatever Dr. Theirl did for him way back then, well it got him off of that patch.

Alan did feel better when he went to the gym. Now we just have to get him motivated to do this. He was a different person went he went to the gym. But in the cold weather it's not so easy.

Thanks Glenn. and all who responded.

Hope you are all having a nice day.

Melody