I have been diagnosed with poly neuropathy several months ago,I have no pain with it and after searching I finally found a neurologist who will see me.My question is this what is the normal progression of the disease...so far my left foot(where it started) left leg left hip and now my left shoulder is affected nothing at all on my right side and still absolutely no pain associated with PN
Does this indicate a certain type of PN or perhaps a pinched nerve or stenosis? I am hoping of all the experience contained on this board someone will be able to better educate me...
Thank you

Steph70,

I'm not an expert, and I'm sure that many people here will be able to tell you more than I can.

But I don't think there is a 'normal progression' of polyneuropathy. It isn't even possible to know what 'might happen' until you know what is causing it.

Poly neuropathy means that several kind of nerves are affected (as opposed to mono neuropathy) which is one kind of nerve damaged.

Most neuropathies are related to an underlying cause (damage, disease or genetic defect).

However, in a fairly high percentage of cases the cause of the neuropathy is unknown. Then it is called idiopathic, which means of unknown cause.

I have idiopathic poly neuropathy, which seems to be limited to my feet and legs.

But since I don't know what caused it, and it was profound when it was diagnosed, I don't know if it will stay where it is, or spread.

However, in the 4 years since it was first diagnosed, it hasn't affected other parts of my body.

I don't know for sure, but for most of us, we learn to live with a fairly high degree of uncertainty about progression, and often even about cause.

The fact that your polyneuropathy is asymmetric seems unusual to me. I look forward to others posting.

Hugs, Elaine

--just means that many nerve are affected.

This may mean one type of nerve in many areas of the body, which is typical of many metabolic and autoimmune neuropathies, or it could mean many types of nerves (sensory and motor, myelinated and unmyelinated) are affected (more typical of toxic neuropathies).

The location can sometimes provide a clue as to cause; as Elaine mentions, asymmetric neuropathies much more prominent on one side of the body than the other imply a less systemic cause and can point to compression or mechanical injury, particularly of the spinal nerve roots. All people with neurological symptoms should probably get spinal MRI's to see if this is where the symptoms stem from, as symptoms from spinal problems can absolutely mimic those of more systemic conditions.

Hi Steph70,
What is normal progression? That's the million dollar question. If only there was an answer. I have asked every doctor I've seen what the future may look like with my neuropathy and all have said they couldn't say with certainty. My neurologist said I can just tell you that you won't end up in a wheelchair. I'm still trying to figure out how he knows that. He didn't say.

I'm glad to hear that you are not in pain with it.

I was just wondering if there is a certain way this attacks you.Never having it till back surgery and having it roar up my left leg,my left hip and now left shoulder in 6 months after surgery seems to me to be a sign that something on my left side is screwy.Now considering my surgery was on the left side of L3.L4 and L5...I am just poking and hoping I can learn more about my problem beffore I see my first neurologist next month.I am learning a lot here about what my prep should be before I see him and I will be ready
Thanks for your answer

Does cold treatment make your pain worse?

If if does you may have a type of neuropathy called RSD. (CRPS)

This is our RSD forum where you can ask the posters there about progression of pain, which sometimes happens with RSD.

In general PNers like cold treatments which will numb pain signals.
But if the nerves are reacting differently, as in RSD, they prefer, heat treatments. So this can be a diagnostic sign.

This is the link to our forum here:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum21.html

I have absolutely no pain in areas affected,warm feels good sometimes ice feels good,but neither of them causes me pain..I just have more and more of the left side of my body going numb.I have been using an interferential unit to run some low voltage through my leg--seems to be giving me tingles in areas that were completely numb..going to keep it up..will see a neurologist on the 9th,anxious to hear his assessment thank you

Saw a neurologist today..he seems to think my neuropathy is not systemic but is coming from a slopped up surgery. He looked at my MRI after surgery and pointed out that I still had a badly bulging disc. He set me up for a bunch of blood work and will schedule more extensive EMG tests soon..The fact that all my symptoms were asymetric points him to a pinched nerve from a disc...It is amazing just how right the members of this group are

Steph, amazing to be on the path for finding the cause!

The sooner you know what is wrong, the sooner you can perhaps address it and stop and even reverse the damage.

It is SO KEY to find the right doctors. And so very very hard to find BOTH the right kind of doctor and a very GOOD one of the right kind.

PLEASE keep us posted on what develops.

Hugs, Elaine