I’m new here, but have been lurking for awhile - great forum with lots of info and insights.

I’m a 51 yo male, overall very healthy until last July. During a gym workout, I experienced a quite strong and unfamiliar occipital headache. That event seemed to trigger a progression of troubling neurological symptoms…

- Occipital headache (mid July), recurring and initially brought on by exertion, over time reduced to occasional, burning recurring surface pain
- Left-side (only) facial numbness (chin to cheek to eyebrow) (onset late July) – this numbing sensation feels as if lying below the skin surface, with normal sensitivity (hot, cold, touch, pressure) on the skin
- Tingling over torso and extremities (onset September), leading to generalized shooting “electric” sensations over entire body and pins/needles in hands/arms/feet
- Tingling/burning tongue/mouth/lips and tingling scalp
- Burning feet/legs, to a lesser extent, hands (onset October)
- Fatigue, mood changes, and overall body ache

After multiple doc and neurologist visits, MRA /MRI, complete physical, labwork, ruled out aneurysm, stroke, MS, tumor, lupus, etc. – basically all dread disease. Neurologist assessed it as idiopathic SFN (no biopsy yet).

Throughout, I’d wondered about a possible B12 deficiency - symptoms seem to match and I’d been a vegetarian for most of the 90’s. I started supplementing oral and sublingual B12 (2-4 mg/day), just in case. Then, I “discovered” online a connection between B12 deficiency and PPI use – I was diagnosed with GERD in 2003 and was on reflux meds (Prevacid and Prilosec) non-stop for 7.5 years. I got off that medication immediately and had temporary relief from the burning pain.

I had my doc order a serum B12 test in late October. This came back @ 1400 (!), though I was well into supplementation by the time of the draw, which I understand can distort results and can’t rule out a deficient condition or resultant damage.

In November I started a very aggressive supplementation regimen advocated on another blog, with sublingual mB-12 (15 mg/day) and adB-12 (3mg/day) and a host of vitamins, etc. Symptoms improved somewhat November-December, but then plateaued and seem to be worsening now – especially the burning feet.

I’m unsure, but I still think this could be a B-12 problem. My docs are less convinced. Would appreciate any thoughts/insights, and hearing of others’ experiences that involve both cranial nerves and feet/legs.

Many thanks!