--you would be puzzled.

So many of the conditions you've spoken of could have neuropathy as a secondary or even primary effect.

It does sound, though, as if your neuropathic symptoms have come on gradually, as opposed to acutely. That does tend to make compressive effects, such as from a "pinched nerve in your back" (and I think that's a real hazy/amorphous statement, not worth much), a less likely cause. And, now your neuropathic symptoms are bi-lateral, making "pinched nerve" explanations less likely.

Certainly, autoimmune conditions can lead to neuropathy--and most rheumatologists don't have much of a clue as to those that don't involve some variation of the anti-nuclear antibody. There are many others, ranging from those that result from specific antibodies to peripheral nerve, to celiac/ gluten sensitivity (have you ever been tested for that by any chance?), to those that, unfortunately, are the result of blood disorders and even cancers (I would hope that such testing would have been done early and that possibility eliminated, but we never assume here, having had long experience with uniformed physicians).

On the other hand, those nutritional deficiencies could certainly cause neuropathy. Part of the reason I mentioned celiac/gluten sensitivity is that the conditon is far more common than most doctors assume, and can lead to low B12 and D levels such as you've described. Low nutritional levels can themselves lead to neuropathic symptoms, and celiac itself can through autoimmune antibody cross-reactivity to nerve components.

I realize that money is a concern as far as pursuing testing (why I keep advocating for a single payer system here in the US), but a few things you can do:

Get copies of all the testing you have had done, if you haven't already, and report them to us. (I know you've reported some, but we get very specific here--and can talk about follow-up tests that would be recommended.) There's a lot of knowledge and power on this board--it rivals that of a university medical center. (There are even some physicians hanging around.)

Take a look at the Liza Jane spreadsheets--www.lizajane.org--these were designed as a way to suggest tests for neurological symptoms, and for tracking resutls over time, to see if there are patterns.

And, read, read, read--especially what we have in the Useful Website stickies. There's a lot of good info there. One of the best overall sites, which GanaQ mentioned, is the Washington University at St. Louis neuromuscular site--the follwing link is to the neuropathy differential diagnosis home page, where you can investigate some avenues:

http://neuromuscular.wustl.edu/naltbrain.html

Many of us have been through these mysterious symptoms and extended, and expensive, investigations--and not all of us get answers (too many remain stubbornly idiopathic). But you will certainly get a wealth of knowledge and support here that may enable you to decide what paths you want to pursue.