Hello, my first post here. I am a 67 year old male, retired now after a very busy career, married happily, with three kids and four grandkids, all of whom live at quite a distance. I've been basically healthy all of my life, other than a valve problem which is being monitored for an eventual valve replacement.

About 8 months ago, I developed numbness on the toes of one foot, after having had pain for several years in one of those toes. Podiatrists did a couple of procedures to try to relieve the pain, but nothing worked. Then numbness set in. I didn't think it was too big of a deal. Then, after a routine medical test, I developed an infection and was given cipro to counteract it. The cipro knocked out the infection but within days, I noticed that my other foot had gone numb, too, and soon, the typical prickling, burning, crawling sensations of neuropathy started in both of my legs. Over time, that has continued. Now, both legs are superficially numb, right up to my waist, and it is especially so in my inner thighs. Meanwhile, intermittent prickling,burning, throbbing continue.

I also have noted a strange discomfort around by left trunk area, near the heart, front and back, and I have an altered sense of smell. It's not that I can't smell, but I have intermittent sensations of smells that are inaccurate, just not there (so says my wife!). I also seem to have burning eyes, especially when I work on the computer for any length of time. Not sure any of this is related ot the symptoms above.

So a lot of things going on and they are disruptive to my sleep, my mental health, etc. Positively, I do not seem to have any mobility issues, I can walk, ski, do aerobic stuff, lift weights, etc.

I have been to Mayo Rochester MN several times now and have had intensive testing done. All basically normal, other than one autonomic reflex screen that must be redone--but I don't think that is the source of my problems. The neurologist says, "treat the symptoms," but gabapentin doesn't seem to do any good and may be contributing to the sensations I have in my eyes.

I have been spending a lot of time trying to figure this out and get better. i have a lot to live for. So far, not very successful. I have researched all kinds of mind/body stuff and am trying out somatic tracking, journaling, etc. using the curable app.

My worry is that this will just keep progressing and I will make everyone around me miserable with my complaining and anxiety.

What am I asking for? I guess, advice, if anyone has some. And also, anyone who has had similar symptoms but has experienced improvement, slowly or quickly, through whatever means--I am desperate enough to want to learn whatever I can and motivated to get better. Thanks for listening and blessings on this day.

Hi NRivers

Welcome to NeuroTalk .

This is just a thought but your altered sense of smell could indicate a Covid-19 infection; this something that it might be worth getting checked out.

Best wishes.

Welcome NRivers.

[burning eyes, especially when I work on the computer for any length of time.]
Could be a bit of dry eye- and screens, color/contrast/brightness can make it worse, I think I read that we tend to blink less...

Were spine issues/factors ruled out for the other symptoms?
for legs, trunk etc.

I'll mention alternative options that you might want to research for more info about.. may not be specific to your symptoms but overall wellness/health.

acupuncture
chiropractic - eval/tuneup ( prior accidents, falls, sports, injuries)
far infrared - lights, pads or sauna
E stim devices/products
low level laser (aka cold or soft laser)

expert providers of course.. some might be worth a test or trial to see if any positives... If any do help, some of the products /devices can be bought online to use at home long term..

Dry eye symptoms on a computer are typically caused by reduced blink rate. When you remember, just do 5 deliberately exaggerated forced blinks.

Other causes are

Blepharitis, dandruff of the eyelashes, use a medicated lid wipe like Blephaclean or TLC Lid wipes. Good lid hygiene is the key.

or Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) aka Posterior Blepharitis. Blocked meibomian glands prevent the oily layer of the tears from forming allowing evaporation of the 'water' layer. If you have thickened lids this is likely to be the cause. Hot compresses unblock the the meibomian glands. You can make your own with a wet flannel heated in the microwave. You can buy products like an Eyebag. Look on YouTube for instructions.

You'd really need to see an optometrist to find the cause, but these are simple self treatments.

You can of course treat the symptoms with artificial tears. Systane Balance for example will lubricate your eyes and has a duration of action of typically 2 hours though this can vary markedly.

I doubt whether your ocular symptoms are related to anything else. They are common symptoms for a man in his late 60s.

On a side note. If you don't feel Gabapentin is doing you any good don't take it.

Your trunk area. And this is purely speculative. I wonder if you have an intercostal problem? Possibly a low level form of intercostal neuralgia? Nerves can become hypersensitive. I note you are lifting weights. Maybe worth some self investigation.

Welcome, NRivers!

You've probably had every test there is, and it must be frustrating to have no solution yet.

I agree that the eye problem might be due to dry eyes, a problem many people have as we get older. I've been treating mine for years with artificial tears and the lid hygiene measures that Atticus describes.

As for the other problems, it sounds as if you're still active enough not to feel impossibly limited by them.

I have MS, which brings on a variety of bothersome problems, including some that are hard or impossible to get rid of. After 40 years of this vulnerability to infections plus mobility limitations (and hearing and vision problems thrown in), I'm gradually learning that my body is going to do what it wants to do, and all I can do most of the time is let nature take its course.

If there's pain or numbness, there's a good chance that with time it will calm down. The catch here is that the amount of time can be considerable (many months sometimes). It's a waiting game but if a problem isn't making it impossible to sleep or eat, I try to just work around it.

Pain and numbness issues can be connected with your routine activities. If you sit a lot as I do, you might try a different type of seating arrangement or ask yourself if you're in a position too long or if the position involves slumping. All kinds of problems can be solved by just making a conscious effort to do something differently--and that goes for sleeping positions too.

I find it very hard to pick things up off the floor and yet I'm always dropping things. I keep a reacher handy for help with that--and try really hard not to drop things. Sometimes I'll leave something on the floor until I'm ready to pick it up. Not a good idea because of the danger of tripping over it.

My point is that with problems like yours, sometimes it's best to just observe them and try to figure out the cause by looking at what you're doing that might be provoking them. It might even be something you're wearing--garments that are binding or too tight, shoes that fit poorly, etc.

Since the doctors have come up with nothing, maybe you can figure out some solutions on your own.

There might even be a diet issue, or something you're taking --a a prescription or over-the-counter remedy. Even diet supplements can cause strange problems.

Hi and Welcome to the NeuroTalk Support Groups.

Regarding the "cipro" part of your post specifically -

If you use the Advanced Search Feature and type in Cipro and highlight the Peripheral Neuropathy Forum, you will find a large number of older posts concerning both.

https://www.neurotalk.org/search.php

BTW, many medications can have possible chemosensory side effects. Cipro is just one of them.

Influence of medications on taste and smell - PubMed Article

Table 1 from above article

Also, here is the link to the NeuroTalk Peripheral Neuropathy Forum