i was diagnosed w/ idiopathic pn about 10 years ago and it's been pretty stable all that time. no pain to speak of but very numb toes with subsequent loss of balance. 4 years ago, i took up stand-up paddle board surfing. it took me two of those years to even be able to balance on the board. now i can ride waves pretty well, and i was even starting to be able to walk the board toward the nose, with hanging ten not too far off.

but in the past month, my PN has worsened. for one thing, my right big toe is locked in place and i can't flex it even a minimal amount any more. but the bigger issue is my right foot is beginning to drop, and it's causing me major problems trying to walk my paddleboard. because of the PN, I was never graceful; it was always clomp clomp clomp, but now it's clomp ... splash. very upsetting. plus, i'm getting more pins and needles, which i never had before. and my lower leg muscles have atrophied to frightening degree. And, while my ankles have felt like rolling for years, i never actually rolled one until a month ago, in the surf, tiny waves, and now it feels like it's going to reroll all the time, so i've started to wear a brace both in the water and out.

so, i guess my question is basically, what now? i've never done anything specifically for my PN (my dr says there's nothing to be done) but i think it's time to try, despite what my dr says.

do ya'll follow any pn-specific exercise protocols that i might copy? i like riding a bike because i feel like i'm working out my toes; on the other hand, maybe i shouldn't be stressing them at all.

as to vitamins, i'm going to start with Vit D and B12 asap. in 2009, the last time i was tested, my b 12 was 543 and my vit D, 25-dh, was 19, which is odd given how much time i spend in the sun. in any event, i never did anything about the D and I gathered my b12 level was okay. think i should start up with vitamins for both?

i've got more to say but i'll end it here. thanks for any help you care to offer!

(p.s., i also have hypothyroidism, which i take synthroid & cytomel for ...)