It sound like you had a rough day Echos, I your read post last night but it was late and I'm on Pacific time so waited until today to respond. It is hard to accept what has happened to us, the only solution I've found is to continue to try to make your life as much better as you can, and that can get discouraging too. Its difficult for me to be so powerless, I used to work in a nursing home and advocate for the residents, now some of the same things are happening to me and there isn't anything I can do about it. I also get tired of medical procedures, its hard not to be able to do what you used to and to have it replaced by a seemingly endless round of medical tests. Last spring I just wanted to go live in the woods.

Are you having much pain from your back? I have a friend with similar problems. I have some arthritis, disc issues, etc. in my neck. I had PT which helped some but towards the end discovered lowering Flovent dose helped more. The package insert says it can cause muscle rigidity, stiffness etc. but I didn't realize it sometimes tended to 'target' the neck until I replaced my computer and saw complaints in asthma sites. I think my pulmo knew that and decided it was something I didn't need to know. I'm probably going to have to change Drs, I've been going to him for over 10 years and its a little scarey to change. I think Advair is a little different because its a combo.

My cancer started in a scar/nodule but the info I had said it was rare for that to occur. I have a couple more they watch too nothing has happened with them.

Don't be too embarassed because you didn't like the MRI, I don't think you are the only person that has happened to. I had one last spring, I didn't expect it to bother me but I sort of felt like I was buried alive and had to keep my eyes closed the whole time. It wouldn't be so bad of they didn't take so long. I'm probably becoming known as 'that person who blames everything on meds' and I don't know if it is happening to you, but Advair can kind of intensify those kind of negative feelings. I'm partially O2 dependent, I wasn't supposed to be and I used to have a little panic attack every time I had to go in and be tested to see if I could wean off it, I thought I was just upset but it quit when I stopped the drug. It was just enough to make the anxiety a little worse. I can't remember exactly how it works, I think Salmeteral ramps up the same part of the brain involved in the 'fight or flight' response. Fluticasone make me crabby. Its kind of funny now, I like animals but there is an individual in my apartment complex with an obnoxious little dog that looks like a cross between a chihuahua and a pot bellied pig (really). He lets her run loose around the complex and she barks and wakes me up when I try to nap. I still don't like it but don't feel like I want to go out and wring her neck anymore since I dropped Flovent dose.
So try not to be so hard on yourself, blame the meds. lol Thats a joke but they could be making you feel a little worse, even if you can't fix that part of it consider that there might be a little brain chemistry involved rather than a character flaw. I don't know if they give people a little tranquilizer sometimes to help them tolerate the procedure? I'd have taken one if it had been offered.

I'm never sure if I'm too far off topic, there are so many hassles involved in being disabled...Zygo

I too am going thru another round w/ENT types in the upcoming weeks.
But... Back to your original question about neurologists? First start off with this GP paper [while dated a bit? Still applies as to how docs generally approach neuropathies]
http://www.aafp.org/afp/980215ap/poncelet.html
Then, tackle this one about what neuros are, do and look/test for:
http://www.neuroexam.com/neuroexam/
This last site is a bit harder to get to? But worth reading:
Click on this site and in the left index is 'Diabetes in Skin Disease' -even if you don't have diabetes? it's still good to read the Abstract and the Introduction before going into any of the details. It helps explain what is happening physically and chemically to your body and the nerves in their deteriorating processes and why many here have tried to find nutrition and supplements methods to ease those chemical/physical imbalances a bit.
Knowing what is happening helps so much in dealing with the issues then addressing the problems in the best way one can for ones' self!
Yes, we ARE each different, and how we learn and then decide what to do to help ease it all is key to living with it all. Good luck! 's!!! - j