Hello everyone. Found this great site by pure accident while looking for info on PN. I am trying to learn as much as I can as I feel my doctors are just processing me, not treating me. Here's my story.

My primary care doctor thinks I may have PN and says I may have to learn to live with it. (Not a good answer.) I am 63 and otherwise healthy except for my aching back. The full panel of blood tests shows I am not diabetic and do not have any problems with my thyroid, heavy metals, lead, mercury, toxins,etc.

It all started back in Sept. 2006 when I was standing on a step ladder (shoes on) reaching up to do some tree trimming. At that moment a very sharp knife like pain went across the balls of both my feet and a few days later my toes began to tingle and get numb. I thought I had a neuroma in both my feet. Went to a podiatrist who told me it was probably due to my back as I also have some disc problems at L4,L5 and S1. My primary doctor then sent me to PT for 5 weeks and I just finished up with 15 weeks of pain management which included a nerve conduction study which included and an EMG. The results showed no indication of PN. Everythint is working fine except for a delay in my ulnar nerve of my left hand. He also performed 6 nerve block injections (flourescopic) on my back to see if he could help alleviate the tingling in my feet, but they did not work. Yet, the severe tingling and numbness on the balls and toes of both feet got progressively worse. I have tried gabapentan, neurontin, CYMBALTA, and am now taking LYRICA 75 mg, 3 times a day, but sometimes I take 4 or 5, depending on how I feel. It helps a little. LYRICA is the only med I am taking right now aside from Zetia for high chloresterol. I am also taking (for two weeks) a homeopathic solution called "ARTALGIA" which claims to help reduce the tingling sensations. It's advertised on the internet. Still waiting for it to kick in.

So, as I write this the toes and balls of both feet are tingling and the feeling of a sock "balled up" in my shoes predominates as it does all day long. This will continue all day and tonight i will take another LYRICA to dull it down. In the morning we start all over again.

I wonder if I should go see a neurologist and if I should get a skin biopsy to see if I have small fibre neuropathy. I am definitely going to order some Methyl B-12. I have been taking vitamin B 12 but it appears that the methyl is better from what I have learned on this site. I am also considering an accupunturist and if that doesn't help back surgery.

To be honest, I am very frustrated and not a happy camper. Right now this condition is consuming me a little at a time. I can feel it as it occupies my mind 24 hours of every day. I need to work out a plan of action as to what it is I should do to . My wife bought me "the SECRET" cd's and told me it will help.

Well, that's it. Thanks for listening and I pray that each of you on this site feel a little better each day. Thanks for caring.

Welcome to this forum Fordy,
I would certainly go to a neuro but you need a neuro that is an Neuropathy expert, not just a normal neuro, it can make a big differance to the outcome.

The EMG & Nerve conduction test has only tested your large nerves, which doesn't mean you don't have PN, your symptoms are similar to small fibre damage, i wouldn't go for a skin biopsy to confirm small nerve damage, they are time consuming which of course means expensive and normally only done as a last resort to confirm small fibre damage, they good for comparison of damage over time though, they normally will do thermal testing which are only a couple of electrodes placed on your feet and shows how you react to the sensation of heat and cold and another to test vibration reaction, its your small nerve job to interpret & send correct signals when they feel pain, heat, cold & vibration.
In my early days of PN I had an idiot neuro that tested me with a nerve conduction test and wrote back to my GP that i showed no signs of Peripheral Nueropathy, my feet were on fire, tingling, electric zaps, i showed all signs of small nerve damage, see, this is why you need a neuro that is a PN expert, nothing less will do.
Learning as much as you can about PN is a good idea, check out on the front page up top were it says " important links and stickies " there you find a lot of good PN info and Liza Janes spread sheets show all the possible tests for this disease, which is great for keeping a record of all tests performed and also good to see all the tests that are available.
Having Pn in the feet can be possible pressure in the lower back, an MIR should sort that out though.
If your not sure about anything just ask,
good luck
Brian

--and absolutely think, given that you've indicated an acute onset to your symptoms, you should have a full battery of MRI's--cervical spine as well as thoracic and lumbar. Too many doctors assume that lower extremity pain can only come from cord or nerve root impingment in the lumbar spine, but it can also come from impingment at any higher up level.

That is not to say that you might not have an acute onset peripheral neuropathy that has nothing to do with the spine, but more often than not such an acute onset suggests some compressive force involved. There are acute onset peripheral neuropathies that have autoimmune or toxic etiologies--I see you've had a good deal of toxicity testing--but I doubt you've had as complete a testing profile as people with neuro symptoms should; have you seen the spreadsheets at www.lizajane.org yet? Many of us use these to help suggest what kinds of tests might be done and to track our test results over time.

The sad part of this is that many problems of the central nervous system can produce exactly the same symptoms as problems of the peripheral nervous system, making the search for a cause long, elusive, and expensive. But it is doubtful you've had a really full work-up unless you've been seen by a neurologist or at a center that specializes in neuropathy. Can you list all your test results for us (many of us will likely have additonal suggestions)?

Have you had your feet xrayed? Check to see if you damaged the sesamoid bones in the ball of the foot? This is common...and ladders are very hard on
the feet. ( I know this, have this).

Everything that you have written, I have/had experienced. The only difference is....I had the neuroma surgery. I can only say that the zaps have stopped, but I have to come to grips with the residual numbness in my feet. The sock balled up feeling is exactly how my feet felt when it started. I had the EMG plus the skin biopsy. All were negative. I would agree with the MRI testing and I would also get additional blood work done to rule out MGUS. It is a blood disorder that has peripheral neuropathy as a side effect. I also had the back injections...I have the same disk issues as you. Nerve disorders are a strange breed of problems. As many in here know....I've done it all. All you can do is keep on working with your doctors. Find a neurologist that you can trust and are comfortable with.