Thanks for the anti-boredom tips, glenntaj. A good book or interesting programming (I'm an NPR fan too--Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and This American Life are my favorites) can sure help!

And yes, mrsD, that's what I was trying to say about the high BUN/Creatinine, that it was probably just dehydration. But I thought in my Googling I read that it could be associated with renal failure, which scared me. I think that maybe it would be easiest to get it tested again when I'm sufficiently hydrated, and if turns out normal, I'd have one less thing on my list to worry about.

And glenntaj, thanks for the link. I will look at it right now and learn what I can.

I really appreciate everyone's input!

I looked at your link, glenntaj, and noticed that throughout that list, I saw "asymmetric". I always characterized my PN as symmetric. My question is, do your symptoms have to be perfectly symmetric to be considered so, or do you just have to have both feet/hands affected in some way? I thought that the latter was the case, and that even though my left big toe might be burning, the side of my right foot is what's hurting at that moment. And this can all change in 15 minutes or less.

Very few people that have neuropathy, from any cause, have truly symmetric neuropathy at all times. Even people who have toxic neuropathy, such as from chemotherapy, may have one part of the body affected more than others--and that part may switch over time, and go back and forth.

Symmetric in the end just means both sides of the body midline have expereinced some effects. Symptoms in just one part of the body consistently imply a mononeuropathy, often becasue some nerve area is particularly vulnerable to compressive effects. Often, what seems to start our asymmetric can affect both sides of the body midline over time, though in different places.