Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Smith
That may be one of the most confounding and infuriating circumstances with this... condition. I recently read (once again) that there are somewhere in the range of 50 to 100 known causes of PN, some of which are treatable, and some of which resist treatment. Yet after evaluations for all those etiologies are performed, somewhere in the range of 30-70% (guesstimates vary) of all peripheral neuropathies remain idiopathic.
Knowing the cause does not guarantee a cure, arrest, or even a treatment, yet... some people with PN whose cause is never found have still been able to find some relief/improvement.
I'm trying to be a little philosophical about it. I'm going at it kind of backwards, like... reverse diagnosis. Since my cause hasn't been found, I'm looking for/trying things that help/improve my symptoms, thinking/hoping that that may lead to clues in figuring out a cause. If it doesn't, I'll still have improved a bit, and IME, that's easier to live with than the alternatives. I guess for me, getting better is more important than knowing the cause, even if I knew what that cause was.
I don't know if this can help anyone else; it helps me to cope.
Doc
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In your readings, did it enumerate the list of 50-100 known causes of neuropathy, just additional information.
I like your philosophy in coping with the pain. While reading your post, i was trying to relate it to myself. I really dont have extraordinary diet or activities that I could think of knowing which aggravates the pain or gives me relief. I dont smoke nor drink. I eat relatively healthy food. I used to walk 5 miles a day until the onset of my neuropathy in October 2011. My symptoms came suddenly. Now, I do moderate stationary bicycle. I dont know if stationary bicycle will aggravate the nerves.