Welcome to NeuroTalk.

It sounds like this might be a hereditary neuropathy, with it starting when you were a teen ager?

Did the doctor suggest that or diagnose that?

Welcome to Neuro Talk. So sorry to hear you have this condition. There are compassionate people on this site. Feel at ease here with any dicussion. Glad you found this site, you may make a few friends too. ginnie

Hi mrsd hi ginnie
No mrsd the doctors have been as helpfull as a chocolate teapot, for years I was pasted from one dept to the next getting told sorry we can't help try going here.....
Would say its only in the last year I have had test on it ie Doppler, emg, angiography to try to see how bad it is.

Chocolate teapots may taste good, but they don't do much for the health.
I hope you can find a compassionate doctor, that will listen to you and try to help. I hear so much of doctors, that just brush past the patient, not really doing much at all, them charging an arm and a leg. Please look for another physician, and maybe consider a physiatrist. This type of doctor treats the whole patient, not just parts. This has been who I turned to, and it did me a world of good. Mrs.D has talked alot about B12. This was the first thing she did to help my over all health. If you can google up this kind of doc. maybe you would get better help. I wish you the best. ginnie

Hi Mike!
Is it only one leg that is affected? That would be unusual as it seems like most neuropathies are bi-lateral. Does anyone in your family have similar symptoms?
I love the chocolate teapot line. Useless indeed. I can just picture a messy puddle of tea and chocolate, running all over the table. Most people who post from the UK make me glad that I am here, though we certainly have plenty of useless doctors in the states as well.

Have been told the small vessel diease effects both legs but the nerve damage and loss of feeling is only in the right ( well for the time being anyway) I do get the blurred vision every now and again and have started only in the last few months having the pains and needles pain in my left hand but have never thought any of these are related.
I would give anything to get my mobility back as I use a walking stick because my right is useless somedays it is like I'm pulling it along so I do go outside unless I have to
Hugs to you all
You are really nice people hopeful one day I can call you all friends

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.