But, Mrs D is right that testing other aspects is key to finding out what is 'going on' and also why things are so hard to diagnose.

At my onset? over a three week period-first it was the toes, then the soles, then the fingertips.. but it got above the ankle bone and the palms of my hands and all of my fingers being affected [the searing burning and electrical stuff] before I called my GP who said: Go to the ER. During my 13 hour 'wait' the numbness in my hands progressed to above my wrists and the legs progressed to just below the knee. Something was WRONG! I had a very hard time even holding a spoon to feed myself...messy and embarassing for sure. Numbness kept progressing so I kept searching for answers. I was a hurting and unhappy camper.

It took me over a year to ultimately get diagnosed with an autoimmune neuropathy and treated. I was lucky that I WAS diagnosed so quickly and then treated! I have improved a lot? IN that I can type now, and walk and only use a cane when going out to places I'm not familiar with. 'Pain' is now only a serious humm rather than a roar.

Right now, tho, I am on other medications for other med issues and they are causing havoc with my hands. Please pay attention to the fine print available under the 'prescribing information' of any meds that you take-look closely at the 'side effects' waaay down near the end..not the info about s/e's during clinical trials. There is often some underplayed 'rare' side effects that are listed. Look at this aspect if you are on several medications, as some things can aggravate each other or you. Because of my own research I am now only down to 3 prescription medications on a daily basis, rather than the 7 I was on before.

I hope this helps to any degree. Hope and good things! - j