Hi Filipe, this is in response to your PM to me, I thought I would post it here also.

I understand how scared you are as I am going through the same feelings. I think it sounds more likely that you are feeling the burning from withdrawing from benzodiazepines (that been suggested to you several times) This should be the good news you are looking for. I do not know nearly as much as the other people on this forum so I am probably the wrong person to answer your questions, but I truly understand how you are feeling. It is very scary and you just want someone to tell you that it is going to get better. The truth is, nobody on this forum is going to make you that promise because they don't truly know what is happening to you, at least without more of a diagnosis from doctors/neurologists testing. I think it is clear people are getting frustrated with so many questions they have answered but then you ask it again in a different way looking for hope. I understand that you only want (positive) answers, but with this complex and variable problem it seems nothing is certain, and time is the only thing that can give you that answer. You said your pain is decreasing, this is a good sign, (I wish mine was) but in my humble opinion I think you need to make a decision to slowly withdraw/taper off 'all' medication under doctor supervision and I think you may be surprised at how your body feels as it detoxifies. As has been said before, you have many answers to digest. Only you can decide which path to potential recovery you are going to take. I wish you the best

boa sorte meu amigo

All - Is it true that only certain docs can properly perform skin biopsies for PN? Or should I assume that most any doc can do it? I found a website, Therapath, that offers kits and instructions for docs. My neurologist mentioned wilingness to do a skin biopsy for me but only after I have some MRIs. It was unclear to me whether he intends to do the skin biopsy himself or if he plans to send me somewhere to have it done.

Thank you.

--in the New Members Introductions section:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread148190.html

FWIW, my dermatologist did mine and sent the samples off to Johns Hopkins, as my neurologist at that time was out of town and even then, he said that they (neuro) don't do it. Johns Hopkins sent the dermatologist a kit with all the stuff and instructions to perform it to their specs.

My impression is that any qualified doc or tech
can take the samples OK
Its the testing and procedure as well as the interpretation
of the results that takes a specialist.
There's where the qualifications of a dept
like the one at Hopkins comes into play.