Hi everyone, I'm a new member here but I've actually been lurking around in the forums for awhile trying to put a finger on my symptoms. I'm a 23 year old male, not diabetic, that's having a lot of trouble getting help. The main reason is because I'm actually living in south korea due to work, and this makes it almost impossible for me to see a good doctor and get a clear diagnosis. I am Korean-American, but I'm not fluent in Korean at all and I feel very stupid sometimes trying to explain my symptoms to a doctor. Korea is lucky because they have national health insurance, but it seems like doctors tend to brush off many things because I guess tests are expensive and they don't want to do it unless they really have to. Also, with how the health system is set up here, I can't just go to a neurologist, I have to be referred by a GP or else insurance won't cover it at all. I've visited several GP's, and all of them say, "no, it's not PN, you're just on your feet all the time, that's why". It's been really frustrating for me the past couple of months because I really have no one to turn to for my problems, except the internet. This is probably the best place to go for answers because it seems like many of you have so much knowledge about this disease. I was hoping that someone out there could hear me out and give me some opinions or feedback, because no one (ever doctors) can here. So I'll just list out my symptoms and just lemme know what you think, if you could take the time to do so.

First of all, I have a herniated disk from 2004 that I never got surgery on. I believe the l4/l5 has degenerative disk disease, and the l5/s1 was moderately herniated. I had 3 epidural injections for this back then and it really hasn't bothered me since. There were days when it ached, but nothing major.

Around late june 2007, I bought a new pair of shoes. I had been wearing the old ones for about 2 years, so it was about time. They were pretty cheap, but not uncomfortable at all. Also around this time, I went whitewater rafting. I didn't sustain any injuries, but my back was very sore, probably from having to sit in a certain position and row constantly. That soreness went away in about a few days. A week after that, I had food from a local restaurant that made me pretty sick. I had a horrible stomach ache and diarrhea all night long. Funny thing it, the food didn't phase my girlfriend (we shared from the same plate). Ever since then, my stool hasn't been the same. It's either diarrhea, or really really soft stool that falls apart after flushing (sorry for the details!)

About a week later, I had a pretty bad headache, but nothing really out of the norm. I took 3 excedrin (not two), and then BAM! my feet started to tingle. I thought it would go away but it didn't. It tingled for about a week, and then was replaced by a mild stinging and burning pain. The burning pain only happened when I was wearing shoes, when I took them off, the relief was almost instant. I thought maybe I had Morton's neuroma but the burning was evident all across the soles of the feet, not just the ball. I got an MRI of my brain done (but this was for a different reason which I actually got a referral for) and everything came back clear. It's really hard to tell if it has progressed since the burning but it surely hasn't gotten better. My feet to burn a little more at night, but that's probably because I've been wearing shoes all day and been walking around all day. I've also noticed that my feet fall asleep quicker than it did before, ie. when I cross my ankle over my thigh, my foot falls asleep when it never used to.

I've visited a few GP's, and one said that it was Sciatica. I've had sciatica before, and it was nothing like this. During my bout with Sciatica, my feet were spared. This is the opposite; my legs are spared, but my feet aren't. Anyways, the GP prescribed my valium and ALA, but again, it's hard to tell if it's been effective or not. I've had a general blood test done, and everything came back clear.

So that's where I stand now; I know it seems nothing like what some of you are going through, but I'm too young for this to be happening to me right now. I'm stuck here for another 6 months at least, and I don't want this to progress because all the treatment options seem very scarce.

Have any of you had similar symptoms to mine? If so, what was the diagnosis? Do you think my herniated disk could be causing all of this? Should I request an MRI of my spine? Like, do you maybe think the rafting incident reaggrivated my sciatic nerve? Are my symptoms typical of peripheral neuropathy? Do you think the food incident/consistent diarrhea could be a factor (irritable bowel syndrome, maybe a parasite)... Why does the burning tend to go away when I take off my shoes? Also, regarding my blood test... it was a "general" blood test. Does that look for vitamin deficiencies, and diseases of the blood? Also, I've noticed that my hair started to fall out; I have found 2 bald patches and bits of my facial hair have been falling out. Does this suggest an autoimmune disorder or am I just too stressed out? I'm sorry that I have so many questions, but these are all the questions I have asked my doctors here and all they give me is a blank stare or discard all of the questions. If you have made it to the end of this post, I truly appreciated you having the patience to read through all of it. I would really like some opinions from anyone. God bless you all.