[QUOTE=mrsD;771443]What it may mean is that your process is not inflammatory and not dependent on acid/base issues.

The AlkaSeltzer response is pretty localized to specific chemical triggers.








Mrs D:

Your above statement suggests that my small-fiber neuropathy is not inflamatory or based on acid / base issues.

With that said, what might your statement then both rule in and rule out as potential causes of my small fiber neuropathy?

Thanks!

David

Yes, I think so.

AlkaSeltzer has aspirin in it which blocks inflammatory cytokines.
The bicarb also sits on histamine receptors and blocks those. Both actions are temporary, but noticeable.

In your case, something else is malfunctioning. Either the mitochondria are damaged, or you have dorsal root issues, or infectious agents...antibodies attacking myelin, toxins, etc.

I think some PNs are the cytokine war...once aroused it feeds on itself. The vaccine cytokine storms which were recently discussed in relation to H1N1 vaccine risks, illustrate how that happens. Blocking them, is what NSAIDs do and aspirin. So those with high production of these inflammatory molecules, do respond to NSAIDs....the AlkaSeltzer is FAST onset and demonstrates it dramatically where oral tablets take more time and don't show the dramatic effect.

So I think it is important to keep a journal of sorts... so you can target your flare triggers, and also how you respond to some supplements. There are over 100 known causes of PN, and maybe more than we even know now, so it is really difficult to figure everyone out.

I've experimented on myself for many years...so I know what works for me. But others don't have my training and experience so it is much harder for them. And doctors too...they see you for what...10-15 minutes? How can they ferret out a complex problem that way? Most of the improvements people get here are because of our discussions, and sharing interventions.
I tend to look around the net almost every day...more so now than before I retired. When I look back on my pre-retirement posts, I can see how time constrained me back then. So what you see today here is more than what I could have shared 5 yrs ago.

Another interesting item of note regarding my case is that I will occasionally have small patches of skin go completely numb on me within hours.

Sensation will then return over several months as if nothing ever happened.

This has happened twice.

The first time was on the back of my hand at the base of my fingers and the second on my big toe.

I don't know... somehow I think numbness is more alarming than pain.

Maybe you should visit the MS forum here? Numbness is more an MS symptom. With PN it come later when the sensory things are over. When my thyroid was so low, I finally got numb feet... but getting there was very painful. I just chalked it up to the long hours with endless standing.