Oh, I know this. I always watch old movies (in various parts). But how come some of them are all in one part. Some movies are 90 minutes. Up on youtube. I wonder how they did that?

Mel

Google: reversible peripheral neuropathy
Some neuropathies (e.g. B12 deficiency) are reversible. I think it's definitely worth screening for the causes that are reversible, or in which progression can be halted, or in a very few other instances.

Beyond that I tend to agree that resources/efforts are better utilized in finding ways to reduce the sense of suffering and improve quality of life. Obsession with finding a cause can be as/more detrimental than the PN itself.

Doc

Knowing a cause is important, to decide to use IVIG for example, in autoimmune cases, or those caused by bacteria from foods, or fish toxins.

Also if the cause can be removed from the environment, then that will help prevent progression. If one is getting PN from vaccines, then avoidance of vaccines is the answer. IVIG may help

Gluten? --go gluten free

drugs? --stop the offending drug-- mito support may help

pesticides, solvents-- avoid avoid

diabetes--- control diet and carbs

thyroid? -- fix that

dietary deficiencies-- fix B12 or other vitamins/minerals

But the hereditary causes? still there is no definitive treatment for these.
This is only a partial list... but it can be very helpful to find a trigger for many. But one should not lose sight of enabling healing to take place...healing I think is the key to PN.

Mrs.D,

How high/low should be the TSH to determine its the cause of the PN? My doctors seem to be not concerned about the numbers. Is thyroid problem affects the small fiber or large fiber or is it both?

As I read some posts, I write the list of vitamins/minerals that one can be tested. So far, I have the following list to bring to my primary care physician:

1. manganese; 2. Zinc; 3. VitD; 4.Vit B1, B2, B3 and B5.

I hope I could still encounter other vitamins/minerals that I would need for testing as I read more posts.

I stopped taking the Glucosamine today....

Thank you.

I think hypothyroid causes compressive issues. This is not totally relieved by vitamins (except maybe zinc and selenium which convert T4 to T3)

Each person is really unique in how they respond to thyroid treatment. Some need some T3 extra, and others don't.
Most doctors will not give T3, but some will. Some use dessicated thyroid from pigs, instead.

I will say this: regarding the glucosamine products. Historically these could be contaminated by manganese. Cosamin DS was a large brand name that had this problem at one time. I don't know if others test for heavy metals or not. So testing for heavy metals may be useful if you have used a glucosamine product for so long. Often we use something, a long time and then take it for granted. Overlooking a flaw in it or a mild slow moving reaction that builds for months/years. So stopping the glucosamine for at least a month or more, may show you something over time.

dont forget vitamin b12


i think that testing for a cause is important up to the point that it becomes an obsession. To Mrs D's list i would add testing for diseases such as lyme, and testing for paraneoplastic cancers are important because of the ongoing damage that would result from those causes. Testing for diabetes or insulin resistance also.

At some point you may have to accept that you dont and probably wont know exactly the process that caused your PN. If there are breakthroughs in testing, or something new develops in scientific knowldge of causation i see nothing wrong with finding out if the new developements may relate to yourself.


It is perfectly understandable for most people to want to know what caused the illness which changed their lives.

I cringe when i read new people that come here reading that testing for a cause isnt important and then saying im not going to do testing about what caused it, i just want to treat the pain because that is all you can do anyway. Those were the attitudes of the medical profession that many posted about ten years ago and that had to be struggled against and fought tooth and nail to get the testing for a cause that should have been done in the first place.