Thanks to you all for posting on this board with so many encouraging suggestions and ideas and experiences with PN and associated issues.
I started noticing numbness in the soles of my feet back in the year 2000. In 2001 I started training for a marathon, running from 3 to 8 miles a day, and then late that year, running the Baltimore Comcast 26.3 mile marathon.
I guess I shouldn't have done all that running, because my numbness progressed through those months to include numbness and tingling in both feet and up the ankles, and the fingers of both hands. There was no pain, just numbness and tingling. My VA Medical Center doctor ordered an MRI and a multitude of tests, only to finally determine no cause. I am not diabetic, not anemic, no other deficiences, etc. Neurological testing showed some deterioration of the nerve endings. They diagnosed me, finally in 2005, with idiopathic small fiber peripheral neuropathy and told me there was nothing they could do for me. Without determining a cause, they could offer no treatment. Later that year, I sent samples of my blood to a California lab and was diagnosed with Lyme disease. I took these findings to the VA and they ordered more tests, including a spinal tap. The infectious disease doctor then told me, in a very impatient tone, that I had absolutely "no Lyme disease, and no infectious disease of any kind!" She added that there was "no such thing as chronic Lyme disease," and anyone who said there was, was just "in it for the money." And that was that!

Since then I have always felt that chronic Lyme might be the underlying problem causing my peripheral neuropathy, but before I could investigate further, at age 78, I had a heart attack. The cadiologist diagnosed me with coronary artery disease, with 40% blockage in the left artery, and 100% blockage in the right artery. He put one stent in the left artery He told me that, normally, he would advise by-pass surgery for the right artery, but I had established a collateral artery, sort of a natural by-pass, which although small and fragile, would serve me now and I should exercise to build up its strength. So from that time on I have been focused on recovering from this arterial plaque issue, regaining my strength and stamina slowly. And letting go of my concern over peripheral neuropathy for several intervening years. Now, at age 80, I find this forum and consider it a godsend to have available this information just as I am preparing to return to the VA for annual testing.

I am following the protocol, in part, suggested here for PN, but following it for my arterial condition. These supplements are recommended for the heart and other cardiological issues as well as for PN. So now I think I understand what I need to do going forward: focus on refining my supplement regimen, which has served so well in my coronary artery recovery. I am convinced that the supplements I am taking, and the diet I am following (mostly raw foods), with some refinements, will also bear the chance of alleviating the PN as well.

I have never had any pain associated with the PN, just numbness and tingling. The numbness has advanced to encompass my entire periphery, including my scalp, my face, my buttocks, my legs, my arms and fingers. Everything tingles. So now I have discontinued my Plavix in favor of a natural protocol which is working well, or so it seems. I am anxious to see what my test results will reveal in month or so. I am using flaxseed oil blended with organic, low fat cottage cheese (known as the Budwig protocol) which has given me a big increase in energy; cayenne pepper and fresh lemon juice in warm water every morning; raw honey and cinnamon powder before bedtime; and lots of supplements and exercise. I lift weights and walk a lot, no more running. The supplements are: Vitamin B-100 Complex, Vitamin C (8000 mg daily), Vitamin D-3 (5000 IU daily), Vitamin E (400 IU daily), Co Q-10 (600 mg), R-Lipoic Acid, Serrapeptase, Nattokinase, Saw Palmetto Berry(450 mg), Fennugreek, Kelp powder, Spirolina powder, Aged Garlic, L-Tauralin, L-Arginine, L-Carnitine, and a few others. I have fruit smoothies for breakfast, raw carrots, apples, grapes, etc during the day, then at night I'll have a dinner of salad, maybe some chicken breast or salmon, and a vegetable like asparagus, broccoli, green beans, cabbage, or sprouts. I eat no red meat, no sugar, no dairy (except the cottage cheese), no cheese, no white flour, no white rice, no white pasta, no wheat, no gluten. I feel 100% better. But I'm still numb! Thanks to you all, now I will start working on that issue, using your generous suggestions and advice to see what works.
Thanks for bein' there!
legsdickson
Washington, DC