Hello! Since last September I have felt tingling and numbness in my feet and yesterday I have finally had my appointment with my neurologist after having done a MRI and EMG test. I was diagnosed with neuropathy in my feet. I'm 31 and I've been very frustrated with all this pain. I feel useless. I used to be a very active person before, loving sports. Now I'm barely able to walk. I'm not diabetic. My toes don't go up, neither do my heels. I just want to know if I can get better again, back to 100%!? I started taking Gabapentin 300mg and the doctor said to start physical therapy. Do you recommend any vitamins? Any more recommendations are welcome.

Thank you

I got more relief from vitamins and supplements and diet than any pain meds. I tried to focus on healing the nerves. It was working for awhile until I was feeling good and went back to eating what I shouldn't have been and now I am paying the price. It takes alot to figure out what works for you and also costs alot to find what supplements help. I have bottles and bottles of supplements I can't even use due to side affects from them. If you don't know what is causing it, trying to rid your body of inflammation and boosting antioxidants is not going to hurt. I also began getting nueropathy last september. I have spent many many hours searching and got alot of help from this site. I take the generic of slo mag which is mag 64 and take 2 in the morning and 2 at night. my nerves are worse if I miss a dose. Do some searching to reduce inflammation and boosting antioxidants. Gluten and sugar don't help. Also anything that is toxic to nerves may make things worse. I had to quit all drinking of alcohol and can't have anything supplemented with b6 (Pyridoxine) including breakfast cereals and multivitamins as it made things worse for me. There are more in depth threads that talk about supplements. I can list what I take for you if you need me too. Everyone is different though and take differnet things.

Hi JT,

Just curious ... Do you drink alot of soft drinks?

If so, you might want to look into labeling and search for an ingredient named "sucralose"

It is found in almost everything we eat and drink including flavored waters.

It is usually under the name splenda.

My chiropractor and neurologist told me to cut out the things that contain this ingredient as it plays with your nerves.

Might want to try B vitimins too. Good for the nerves.

Check first as always with your PCP to get tested for any vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Hope you find relief soon

Str*

The answer to that is finding the root cause of your PN, and that wont be easy, nor will any doctor be very beneficial. You are your own best advocate, so you will have to become a professional on the subject of PN and you will have to dig, dig, dig, to find the root cause.

Once you find the root cause decides if you can heal or not. But finding the root cause is not so easy.

I do believe nerves can heal. There is another post asking this same question from years ago, its a long post, and a good read, use the search engine here to find it.

You want to also avoid MSG, which is in most processed food and chips, to enhance the flavor. This chemical will cause a multitude of problems:
MSG Can Cause These Symptoms

Abdominal pain, achiness, angina, back pain, bone pain, chest pain, cramps, foot pain, fibromyalgia, hand pain, headache, jaw pain, joint pain, migraine, neck pain, numbness, stiffness, swelling, tightness, more.

Do you mean that you cannot move your toes nor walk on your heels? Have you investigated hereditary neuropathy? If there is muscle involvement it could be CMT. Does anyone in your family have neuropathy?

I agree with Susanne's post. It could be. More testing such as DNA blood testing and family history could be of help.

This is how my hypothyroidism affected my hands and feet.
I'd really get that thyroid checked. In my case I was hypo, with borderline testing results for many years, until I had a radioactive uptake and my right sided goiter manifested.

If you took in the past or are taking RX prescribed drugs that are on the PN list as causers, then you will have to stop them.

Fluoroquinolones like Cipro, Levaquin and Avelox damage people after the fact...and recovery is not expected. Macrodantin may reverse according to studies. Flagyl also causes grief, and even white spots on the brain resembling MS!

Vaccines also may cause problems in people with hereditary links to developing autoimmune issues.

Foods can be a trigger...and gluten from wheat is the most common.

Have you been to a good podiatrist, and have had Xrays of the ankles, and feet including the sesamoids? Sesamoid damage is common in athletes and people who hike, or wear high heels.

Vegans may become low in B12 and many people are low in Vit D so getting those tested, and getting your numbers of the results to compare with the new guidelines for both nutrients, is important. Magnesium is the 3rd most common problem and many people are low in this also, due to poor dietary habits.
Fixing these nutrients which I call the Big Three often help many people.

Thanks Lewie! I'm going to watch what I eat more careful, but I don't eat junk food. My husband and I cook everyday at home. I probably drink soda once a month, alcohol just casual on the weekends. It is just hard to find the reason for this. It is just frustrated to know that last summer I was able to play sand volleyball, play tennis, lift weights and now I can't do anything...

Thank you Strhuntrss but I probably drink soft drink once a month. I drink water, juices and tee sometimes. But I will check for sucralose on the labels of the things that I eat. When the doctor told me that it have neuropathy my reaction was just cry and cry. I couldn't make many questions