Hi all! Hope you all had a good weekend.

My feet were VERY bad yesterday, lots of numbness from the knees down, then today my feet and legs have been FINE. No numbness at all today.

WHY? Is it the weather, the diet (thinking no because it's only one day)? I can't figure it out because today I walked so much more than usual, paced across my house and tile hundreds of times - I was cleaning and preparing for a Super Bowl party. And my legs are GREAT.

But yesterday I went to a couponing class and had an Italian lunch. Pasta, garlic bread, salad and dessert with whipped cream. After eating my legs immediately went numb. I couldn't concentrate on anything. But a fan was going, so I'm wondering if that caused it. Also wondering how a fan can cause such a huge difference, and why my body feels it immediately. Is this normal? Am I going to dread going anywhere for the rest of eternity because someone might have a fan going? I am NOT cold on the top of my body, only from the knees down. Although sometimes I do feel cold all over for a short while, and that will subside.

Today I have had a diet just as bad and my legs have been fine. Maybe I got more sleep? Or... I increased my elavil to 50mg from 25 two nights ago. Can that have an effect so soon? I'm just very curious. Has anyone experienced such extreme differences like this? Sigh...

Just want to know what's going on. I DO think I have a problem with cream/milk, not sure about wheat/gluten but think it could be carbs. I do not want to do the elimination diet again, much happier eating what I want. Hope you all had a good weekend!

Geraldine

P.S. forgot to mention I also had to clear my throat a lot yesterday...felt like lots going down my throat, and very sore muscles in legs, thighs and calves!

I also take progesterone and Friday was the last night of this cycle. Had numb feet for a few days prior to today. Good today! NO pain!

yes absolutely 25 mg is 100% increase and will make a differance, well it does for me when I dose up.

Don't underestimate the power of brain chemistry. Sometimes when we know we have to perform/get something done, or when we get psyched for something, the brain does whatever it has to to get us through it.

Dairy, carbs are both bad for my PN; I pay for it for a day or two afterward.

Doc

I think what can happen sometimes is that our daily situations, may lead to a "blast of adrenal cortisol" one day here or there,
which may have anti-inflammatory effects and blunt symptoms some if those are inflammation based. (stress mediates cortisol release...good stress can do it as well as negative stress).

It is also possible that distraction, changes the brain that day, perhaps giving you some endorphins that blunt your pain.

I also think that sensory overload on PN affected areas, can cause cramping and other nasties. In summer when I have only the fan on, I put it blowing across another part of the room, where it can bounce off the walls and some can go out the door.
If blowing on my legs at night, I can have terrible cramps.
When it is really hot I put on the portable A/C , but it makes alot of noise and bothers me that way. So I use a fan alot...but very very carefully.

I think we all here have good and bad days/nights. Comes with the chronic nature of the beast.

This is long shot but do you find the progesterone makes it worse? The reason I ask is that in October, I started on bio-identical hormones. First with an estrodial patch for two weeks and then I was to start Prometruim 100 mg at night (oral bio-identical progesterone).

In about four days after starting it, any joint issues I had got worse and my feet would ache. I don't have PN but I do have some joint/tendon/muscle issues and found oral progesterone aggravated it. Once I stopped, I returned to my normal aches and pains.

I switched to a topical bio-identical and that does not have the same effect on me.

I think hormones, bio-ident or not, cause some fluid retention.

Fluid = more pain IMO. Pressure on nerves all over the place.

I got headaches from progesterone, I took for 2 yrs at the end of my monthly cycle for heavy periods (a pre-menopausal common complaint)... I rarely get headaches! I ended up switching to another kind but Prometrium wasn't out yet... I used 1/2 the dose and that was better. I used in the end --Aygestin.

I use a bio-identical cream-based progesterone. My periods were getting more and more irregular. Coming up to 44 days apart. And a lot of my other problems seem related to my cycle. So I went to a hormone doc and my test said I was low in progesterone. However, at the time of the test, day 21, I do not believe I had ovulated yet... as that month I went 40 days. I'm also not on a large dose, but I'm on it from day 6-26, usually used for menopause.

I used the progesterone for the last night Friday. Saturday my legs hurt terribly. Sunday my legs were great. Then today (overnight) I started cycling on time which I really am hoping for. Today I actually went to work with my husband in which I was walking all over up and down on grass, lifting stuff, I couldn't believe how good I felt. However tonight my legs have been bad, and I've had tingling on my face and arms, something I haven't felt for a while. I must have tuckered myself out. It also started raining this evening.

So not sure about the progesterone, seems to be okay? I may need the dose adjusted though.