Thanks for the reply - my vitamin d is normal and b12 was in the 600's. I used carpal tunnel braces for 2 months without any change. When the very first symptoms came up, I was on vacation. We had rolling carry-ons so I wasn't carrying much. It was pretty hot, but other than that we had a pleasurable time. The sensory loss in my fingertips has been constant and effects all 10 fingers equally. The last two fingers go numb in a different way - paralyzed and totally numb with tingling, not just sensory loss. That happens sporadically and one sided and is temporary and related to compression - like a bent elbow. It started last month. I don't take medications or have exposure to toxins. When I touch my toes with my fingers, I only feel it in my toes, so if there is sensory loss there, it's not as noticeable as my fingers. I do sometimes have a buzzing feeling in my feet, but it's not bothersome to me. My toes will go blue when sitting or in the shower, so but I think I'm too young and active for circulation problems.

I'm going to look into the hereditary pressure problem. I hate being hypochondriacal about this, but I don't know what else to do.

Blue toes does not sound good to me! In the shower with the
warm water?

No one here thinks you are hypochondrical. We are all used to
odd sensations and puzzling things.

Start keeping a journal of when you have the various symptoms.
How long they last, etc. When this happens what you are doing, or not doing, and what you are eating.

Some people are very sensitive to MSG food additive. But I doubt it would affect the motor actions of fingers like you describe.

People do develop compression at the elbow. But that would not really link to your blue toe episodes. Sometimes a journal clarifies things.

My son just had surgery to release the compression at the elbow, his was caused by a car accident and caused the numbness in the last two fingers that you described. The surgery was successful.
I have the same symptom, as well as numbness and weakness in my hands and fingers and an inability to straighten my arm in the morning, but mine is related to the hereditary neuropathy and is not treatable by surgery. I was tested for HNPP, but it was negative, so you can have nerve compressions with CMT, not just HNPP. My EMG at Johns Hopkins showed pinched nerves at wrists, elbows, and the neuro was pretty certain there would be others, which is why he tested for HNPP.
It can be a very complicated process to find a diagnosis, and many seemingly unrelated symptoms can be part of the same disease, then again perhaps your nerve compressions could be treated by surgery and your toes are related to a circulatory problem. There is a test they can do to find out ow the blood flow is to your feet, it involves tiny blood pressure cuffs for each toe.
Age and activity level are not a guarantee against circulatory problems. Does hair grow on your toes? I remember being shocked when my podiatrist remarked on this, but it does give some indication of the state of your circulation.
I hope that you get some answers soon.

I would like to add:

I think it would be a good test to soak those feet in epsom salts baths twice a day in luke warm water for about 30minutes.

The magnesium in them gets thru the skin and opens up small blood vessels that may be spasmed shut. Magnesium relaxes muscles and calcium contracts them. So when magnesium is low or can't get to the peripheral parts of the body, circulation appears poor. This test is easy, and inexpensive and can reveal alot for some people.

If this works, then you can move up to a good oral version in time.

Yes, no hair on my toes or on my calves. Always had plenty. Now I don't have to shave my legs. I'd rather have hair on my legs and not have CMT though.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I am plenty hairy on my toes.

But you're right... it could be all related to one thing -- or several issues. Or it could be a non-issue and just some quirk. I can live with numbness and blue toes. I do want to rule out scary things like MS and spinal tumors so will go back to the neurologist who was going to order a cervical MRI. After that, I think I'll just wait and see. I figure it'll either go away, or it will stay the same, or it'll get worse and some new weird symptom will come up which will make everything obvious.

Anyway, thank you for your advice! I'll come back and post if the numbness is ever figured out.

Returning to report that I had a normal cervical spine MRI. No tumor, sign of MS or syrinx or disc injury.

I have since noticed weakness and achiness in my hands and went back to the neurologist who also noted decreased sensation in my feet as well as decreased temperature sensation (which I had noticed too). I feel like I'm not sure what's normal any more. Is that hot? Does that hurt? Is that normal? I don't know! Anyway, he said it looked like a small fiber sensory neuropathy and we've got a plan to rule out lots of systemic issues with various blood tests and hopefully something will come up. Or maybe, hopefully nothing will come up. Regardless... we've got a plan.

The weakness is kind of surprising to me and I've noticed it when trying to use scissors or tweezers or carry something or unscrew jars (which I used to pride myself on doing). I'm still able to do the task, but I get tired easily or I have to adjust my grip and try it differently.

Anyway, because it's the numbness and weakness is a constant issue, it's hard to ignore, so I'm looking forward to the results of the blood tests.

I have idiopathic polyneuropathy, thought to be hereditary since I was born with congenital foot deformities (probable Charcot-Marie-Tooth). I read on a podiatry board that caffeine can be significant in impairing circulation in the feet. I gave up caffeine about six months ago. I had no hair on my toes at that time, but it is regrowing on the larger toes. I'm concerned about the redness of my toes, and that is how I happened to find this thread.

Have you tried some epsom salt soaks? That really helps the circulation, because it opens up the small blood vessels that may be constricted in the feet. It is also good for pain. (magnesium).

I lost all my arm and leg/feet body hair when my thyroid went south. Some grew back on my lower leg, but only in spots just below the knee.

Thank you. I'm going to try that. Earlier today I came across another link where you had mentioned epsom salt soaks as well. I lost most of my leg/feet hair, correlated with the onset of my polyneuropathy. It seemed to persist behind my knees more so than other places on my lower extremities. I can't see the pattern clearly now because I shaved what leg hair I had prior to a recent gait analysis. Podiatrists say I have strong pulses in my feet, but there seems to be a problem with the microcirculation in my extremities. I've had episodes of very slow wound healing, twice resulting in infections (in a toe and an ear lobe). I still have hair on my arms, though somewhat less than before. However, I'm very prone to dropping things, and my nerve conduction test incidentally discovered carpal tunnel syndrome. Now I realize that I feel occasional, very minimal symptoms of CTS, but it goes mostly un-felt because of the neuropathy. I took 400 mg per day of chelated magnesium aspartate orally for about a year and a half. Unfortunately, I suffered **** leakage while taking that, an appalling symptom! In view of the specific circumstances and a lot of reading, I think I likely have damaged nerves/diminished reflexes in the ****/rectal area, and the oral Mg supplement caused further diminishing of neurological function and/or relaxation of muscles that resulted in the problem. (It took me a long time to become suspicious of the Mg capsules as a causal factor.) Since stopping the Mg capsules, I've been intending to try supplementing Mg via a dermal route (had been thinking of Mg oil). However, though I've read a lot about how important Mg is, I've been procrastinating trying another method of supplementation because that side effect was so disturbing, and I've been so glad to be free of it!