Hello all. The following below is part of what a friend of mine has written to describe his condition, likely some variation of Polyneuropathy, idiopathic neuropathy, Autonomic Neuropathy or all of the above. His condition has morphed into two distinct fields of 1) extremity pain and numbness and 2) dizziness and blackouts. As all of you who have suffered or continue to suffer know well, every day not knowing what is wrong or how to minimize symptoms just adds fuel to the fire, more anxiety, pain and suffering.

Please let me know if you have a clue for him about what might be the diagnosis and where to go for help.

Many thanks in advance.


General Symptom Review: My symptoms started 1 year ago as sudden, violent shocks to my inner thigh. The shocks seem to come in pairs with about 1 second between their vicious bites. The pain seems to strike the same inner thigh position in my left leg. The pain very much resembles being shocked by a live, 110V electrical wire. At first only 1 pair a day. This early symptom lasted a week then went away, returning every few weeks with 1 to 2 pairs of shocks per day. At about the same time, I noticed my hands were always getting numb. Mostly my left hand. Recent symptoms: Over the past 3 months the symptoms have evolved considerably. The violent shock pairs disappeared and have been replaced by a broader set of conditions. The pain is still centered in my left thigh but almost continuous. It starts as ‘hot’ pain that pours down my entire left leg like hot lead and then random courses of 3-15 second pain that start from a single point then seem to diffuse to larger areas. As the pain gets greater in the left thigh area, the same pain pattern migrates to my inner left arm area and low levels in my right inner thigh. As the pain increases, numbness and shakiness take over my hands. My entire legs and arms become completely numb. I feel extremely sensitive to slight variations to both heat and cold, which causes pain. I drool from numb lips. The pain increases with emotional stress. The pain is least when walking or riding a bike and worst when sitting or under mental stress. Under the stress of deep pain, shaking makes reading impossible and even talking difficult. In the last few weeks I have started to experience severe dizziness and have blacked out three times. In the worst instance, I blacked out for two hours and tried for three hours to stand after waking up. The dizziness does not stay in phase with my body pain and is usually worse at night. During dizziness I suffer blurred vision and ringing in my ears. My dizziness is worst when my head is tilted back. f I hold my head back for a full minute, I am nauseous and vomit. After blacking out I have had little to no vision for several hours. I do not recall any smells or taste sensations leading up to these episodes. The dizziness however creates significant anxiety that amplifies pain in my limbs. Extreme fatigue, loss of memory, and confusion are taking over most of my waking hours. My legs feel like lead and I am sure it's getting worse every day. I dropped all medications (see below) for the past 5 days but the conditions are persisting.