Small blood vessels will contract in response to poor diet.

High sugar and high carb intake, increases insulin which then causes inflammatory and constrictive effects on blood vessels.
This is a Cox-2 process.

Low magnesium intake also will cause small blood vessels to
clamp down. You can fix that with supplements of quality magnesium (not OXIDE) and soaks in epsom salts.
This is my magnesium thread: Products with magnesium oxide in them are not appreciably absorbed in the GI tract.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread1138.html

Certain supplements also help blood flow. L-Arginine is one.

Inflamed blood vessels can be due to autoimmune disorders, and there are blood tests for that. Also certain antibodies made in the bone marrow impede blood flow in the periphery. These can be tested for in blood tests as well.

Hi Mike, welcome. I'm sorry to hear what you're going thru, but you've found a great forum with some really good folks.

MrsD, in Mikes case could his doctors consider using a blood thinner, like Warfarin, to prevent the occlusions he's encountering?

Hang in there, Mike - I've had Peripheral Neuropathy for only 4 months and between the doctors who dont know, the tests, the time stuck in a chair, the frustration and hopelesness have at times seemed overwhelming. But these great folks here have had lots of answers, and always have an ear.

Peace and joy

/Bob

Thanks for all the advice
I have been given gabaptin by the doctor to take have try blood thinners made the pain just ache more.
I enjoy the hospital vist ( joking) where doctor I see has to send me for the same tests will they read the medical notes I'm not dietetic nor do I smoke or drink but still get given the blood test forms lol

Why use a toxic drug like coumadin (warfarin) if something else could work better?
If there is no evidence of increased blood clotting from testing, I can't see using warfarin.

Some people have posted here who were taking warfarin, and they were much worse with neuropathy than before.
Warfarin is only for blood clotting. Not for constricted blood vessels per se.

Yep, you're right now that i think about it. Clearly I need to leave the advising to you because you know a helluva lot more than I

Ignore what I said, Mike.

/Bob

There are all sorts of vascular problems with PN.

Some can cause PN, and some are the RESULT of PN.

When nerves become damaged, they no longer can control the
diameter of blood vessels.

But then there are autoimmune diseases, that cause inflammation of the lining of vessels..this is called vasculitis and often treated with drugs to suppress the immune system.

Thick blood from bone marrow disorders can make the blood too thick to get thru small vessels. This is called gammopathy.
Blood tests are used for this.

Eating very high carb and fat foods often will raise triglycerides in the blood and also cause sluggish circulation. So watching diet is important.

So there are many factors that affect circulation in small vessels. A careful diagnostic workup is needed to determine exactly which problem is present.

For some reason warfarin seems to bring people here with PN complaints. I don't know if it is because of its "poisonous" attributes or what, but we have had posters taking it and having worse PN, or new PN developing. I have not found it on lists of drugs that may cause PN... but every list I HAVE found is different from others! So it remains unexplained at this time.