Hi guys, I've been browsing along the forums for a couple of days and I figured I should get involved. As it stands right now I have (potentially) neuropathy with (at this point) unknown cause in my feet and possibly my hands. I'm just going to throw a lot of information down in hopes you guys can help me make of it what you will...

I am a 19 year old male. I have been tested and have normal results in/with:

-B12
-Thyroid
-Diabetes
-Lyme Diasease

MRI:
-C-Spine
-Brain
-Lower Back

I've also had a normal EMG.

Currently I'm awaiting the results of this test from Athena Diagnostics. My Neuro says it should help, but I can only hope.

Inititally, my feet felt like they were tingling a bit and I felt the same in my pinky and index finger in each hand. This started in mid January and was on and off. I saw a neuro at home the 2nd week of March who told me I was fine and not to worry.

In the third week of March, my foot pain turned into a burning sensation. It was then while back at school that I saw a second neurologist. She put me on Gabapentin. I started on 100mg 3 times a day and quickly moved up to 300 3 times a day. Although, to be honest I'm not sure if I notice any changes.

This all brings us to present day. While awaiting the Athena test, no one quite knows what's wrong with me although I feel like I'm starting to feel something in my calves. Would this be too soon for the spread? I'm going to assume no. (I must note that to this point all my sensations have been symetrical...is that odd?)

I also feel like I have something interesting to ask as well as note. Is neuropathy ever caused by stress? I looked online and didn't find much, but I ask only because I had what I thought was a high risk HIV exposure (it wasn't) and I started doing a lot of reading online about HIV before I got any of my symptoms. I didn't understand that PN was a symptom of late stage HIV/AIDS and I thought that my foot feelings were that. I obsessed over having HIV for 2 straight months.

Now I've since been tested (and I'm fine!) but it my feeling that maybe I caused these problems by thinking about them too much. I mean it's just too strange to me that I never had these problems at all and then I thought I had something that caused them and all of a sudden I got them for real. Strange thing is, I haven't been scared of HIV for weeks yet my problems persist.

I just don't know what to do. It's awful having these symptoms period, but having them so young is the worst. I look forward to any advice.

Sorry if this was confusing.