good lord that's kind of scary. while my feet and toes are numb, however, they are not yet numb to the point where i can't feel a thing. for instance, i can't walk on pebbles -- painful in the extreme. also, i can still flex most of my toes and feel pressure on the toe tips, so that's good, i guess.

i don't think i'll be taking your advice to go look at the pix. it'll freak me out and depress me, and -- as long as not looking doesn't do me harm, i don't see what the point of looking would be, other than to freak me out and depress me. in any event, it's not going to change my behavior; your words alone are enuf to make me try to be more careful. (my girlfriend has parkinson's disease and we make a point to never, ever, ever read about the long-term prognosis for those w/ PD ...)

thanks again for your thoughts. and i think i'll start a new thread about the whys and wherefors of getting a lumbar puncture ....