--and they'll probbaly run the immunofixation electrophoresis again along with the test to check for the presence of cryoglobulins.

The diffuse elevated IgG polyclonal proteins they found, as Liza Jane mentioned, might not be from the presence of cryoglobulins; they can be the result of a past antibody response to infection. (The IgG response tends to linger around longer than the IgA or IgM, which the body produces more acutely to infectious agents.)

However, cryoglobulins HAVE been associated with neuropathy--evidently something in those antibodies cross reacts with certain proteins of peripheral nerves.

If they did find cryoglobulins, the probable treatment, other than symptomatic ones, would be immune modulating medications (steroids are often used, and their are other anti-blood-cancer chemo drugs that have been adapted for use if the problem is severe, which it sounds like it isn't). The idea would be to reduce the autoimmune response in order to arrest nerve damage and allow (slow) regeneration.

If no cryoglobulins are found, they may want to perform a polymerase chian reaction (PCR) series on Alan to check for certain viral or bacterial invaders, to see if those may be present, or, given the bodies antibody patterns for certain pathogens, to see if there might have been a molecular mimicry process at some point. This is thought to be behind many "idiopathic" neuropathies. The body fights off an invading "germ", but the "germ's" structure was similar enough to some part of nerve tissue that the now-activated immune system cannot distinguish one's own nerve tissue from the invader and attacks the nerve. (In fact, pathogenic "triggers" and this process may be behind the start of many autoimmune diseases, including Type I diabetes and autoimmune thyroid conditions.)

I'd just want to see if he has any cryoglobulins first, and go from there.