Hi everyone. I am a 25 year old female and I haven't been diagnosed with anything yet, but I think I probably will be soon.

About three months ago I had an episode where both of my hands went totally numb from the wrist down. At first I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel, since I work on a computer all day, and was given wrist splints, which helped, but not totally. I saw a neurologist and an EMG ruled out carpal tunnel entirely. The doctor said I was too young for carpal tunnel anyway, it was all due to anxiety and sent me home. His nurse practioner mentioned in passing the possibility of small fiber neuropathy. I do have a history of anxiety, I went home, kept wearing the splints just in case, and eventually the numbness went completely away. I felt great.

At the end of June, I started having terrible headaches and I eventually figured out my neck was the cause of the pain. I wound up with a pretty stiff neck, but by sleeping with a pillow the neck has healed almost entirely. The 4th of July was my last day of really bad neck pain. Since then it's been OK.

Then, just a few days ago, on Wednesday, I was going to work and noticed a burning in both of my hands... not really pain but that a prickly, needle like sensation. It went away but kept coming back... Every five to ten minutes I would have a little wave of tingliness. It has not stopped since then, and I have since developed little shots of pain, like I am being zapped with something in my hands. It helps me to take warm baths, and yesterday I tried exercise and that helped briefly... it's not in my legs at all, just my arms. When it first started it hurt me to comb my hair out in the morning. The last couple days I have not noticed any problem. Is it normal for the pain triggers to change like that? I am not overweight. I don't have good nutrition, I admit - I don't eat much, probably two small meals a day - but I don't think it could possibly be diabetes! Could it all be due to my neck?

Remembering what the nurse said I did some research online and found out about PN. Everything I read says that it is progressive, debilitating, you have to be on heavy, heavy pain meds, it gets worse and worse, there is nothing they can do. It doesn't hurt so bad right now, and it's not constant, but I am terrified and feel so hopeless... I am 25 years old. Everyone I find who has this seems to be middle-aged or older and while I feel for them, it's not the same. Before 2010 I was healthy as a horse and I don't understand why this is happening to me. Do I really have to look forward to fifty+ years of being on powerful drugs? What I want most in life is to have a family and I'm engaged to be married, but you can't be pregnant and taking all those pills can you?

I know I should go see a doctor but it seems pointless. It seems like the doctor can do nothing but help me "manage my pain" and at this point there is not much pain to manage... I have read "don't leave it go, it will get worse if you don't do anything about it" but does treating the pain slow down the disease? It will get worse, regardless. I know this is a lousy attitude to have since I have had only 5 days of symptoms... but I can't help it. I'm sitting here at the computer crying... is there any hope at all? Do young people get idiopathic PN? I'm so sorry for this post which must seem like a rant. I just don't know what to do.

Hi Maggyie
Welcome to our forum and I must say so sorry for your symptoms, it is early days for you and you really must take medical advice on this, SF PN is a weird disorder, I have had this since 31yrs old so no it doesnt just happen to older folks(although it is the same for everyone regardless of age) - in my case it has been a progression from one little toe to both feet and climbing over a period of 13 years - I have only been on pain meds for the past 3 years and most of the time i am able to function normally - I hold down a full time responsible job and am a busy wife and mother.
I cant stress enough you need to go back to the medics so that your anxiety can be alleviated, it cant be good for you - I always find distraction is better than a cure
Best wishes

Maggyie--check into gluten intolerance. You shouldn't have carpal tunnel at your age, is definitely correct. One of my sons, will be 29 in a few weeks, he had carpal tunnel surgery on one hand a few months ago, he is too young too. Gluten can cause neuropathy type symptoms, some times, once a person goes gluten free, the neuropathy goes away too. I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel before I knew what gluten was. Yet, because of my intolerance, I was not absorbing vitamins and minerals as I should, which caused the nerves to start dying.

Check into it, you might be surprised.

Yes, please follow Deb's suggestion.

There are many potential causes of your early sensations.
Low thyroid functions is one possibility. My hands and feet started up when I was 30 or so.

Diet, or low nutrient status are main players of PN, and the easiest to fix.

Try reading this thread for starters, and Welcome to NeuroTalk.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread121683.html

--and the intermittent nature of symptoms you've mentioned, this doesn't sound like a systemic neuropathy to me (you haven't had symptoms in other parts of the body, right?).

Others have mentioned possibilities, but have you had an MRI of the cervical spine? This sounds suspiciously like a problem there, which can absolutely produce variable symptoms in the hands. You may be a little young for arthritic bone spurs pressing on nerve roots there, but you're certainly not too young for disc bulges/herniations or other conditions that may be pressing on nerve roots or the cord itself, especially if you have a traumatic or athletic history.

Maggyie,
Don't give up the ship.

Only about 1/4 of all PN, (from what I've learned, both in here, and other research as well) is idiopathic. Fully 3/4 is caused by something else. Half is from diabetes, and another 1/4 is from some other cause in your body.

In my case, mine started in my feet, and eventually progressed to my hands. However, mine was caused by something called Waldenstroms. But, that's another story. In any case, as you have read here, get some medical help. If in fact this is PN, regardless of age, you'll need medical supervision, that's for sure. And, don't go "forecasting". I get on my wife for that often. Find out for sure before you go down that "doom" road. Who knows, it might not be anything related to PN at all. Find out for sure. And, good luck to you.

Hi first I am sorry for what you are facing. I got dx at 28 with PN and along the way have developed other conditions where doctors have said they have rarely seen it in someone my age. So when ever I hear that about age now I don't just accept that answer. To me it just means the doctor is not willing to look outside the box and work hard. Right now and I knot it is very hard it is key to stay in the day. Many people do have full lives even with a dx like this with the right pain control and treatment. I know it is hard to get motivated but really I hope you make an appointment with a neurologist. Proper dx and treatment and early is really key to this. Can you ask your family for support? Hang in there.

Thought I would post an update. I'm so glad to hear that many light cases of PN exist. I wish there were statistics somewhere that say "symptoms were tolerable in THIS percentage of patients" or "THIS medication provided satisfactory quality of life for THIS percentage of patients." I am such a control freak, I like to know my odds!

Went to see my PCP today, and he zeroed in on my neck right away. So I've had x-rays done and hopefully he will be able to read them in the next couple days. He thinks I might need physical therapy to get the neck situation straightened out, that I am doing something while I am sleeping to mess it up.

He is also suspicious because my pattern of pain is opposite to many people with PN. It's worse in the mornings/day time, and then almost as soon as I leave work the symptoms start to disappear until they are almost entirely gone before I climb into the the bath for my nightly soak. I fall asleep very easily. Last night I was talking on the phone to my future husband for 45 minutes, cradling the phone in my hand, and at the end of the call I realized I hadn't had any symptoms in that entire time. Has anyone ever heard of that happening with PN? Where it actually gets BETTER as night comes on?

I'm just praying they find something wrong with my neck and that's what it is. It still feels a bit sore so hopefully.... argh.

When my neck went south, the first symptom I had was numbness and tingling down my left arm into my thumb and index fingers. Any work I did with elevated elbows (sorting mail, typing, answering the phone) put a strain on the neck. About the only relief I could get was to lie flat; but my neck was in pretty bad shape at the time (had to have 2 discs removed eventually).

Hopefully with some PT and posture corrections, these symptoms will improve.

You might want to check out the Spinal Disorders board to see if your problem is addressed there.

Good luck.

Well, my x-ray came back totally clean. I don't know whether to be happy or unhappy. Actually I'm pretty unhappy. I just want a diagnosis.

The last couple days my symptoms have backed off big time, though. yesterday I was good from around 11 am onward, today I almost haven't been bothered at all. My hands just feel more... relaxed? And no burning, tingling, pain, nothing. My neck pain also seems to be healing at the same time.I started using hot compresses on my neck/back last night so I wonder if that has something to do with it.

I'm almost afraid to hope that this episode is almost over with. Please, God, don't let it come back over the weekend/next week. I know there is such a thing as relapsing/remitting PN, but I don't think the flare ups last just seven days

I guess I'm going back to the PCP regardless. Maybe physical therapy will get rid of this now that it's knocked back on its heels.