I can't find much online about stress and anxiety making the symptoms of neuropathy worse. Has anyone else?

There are a lot of theories as to why this is so, many of them focusing on the increases in inflammation that stress can bring, when the body's sympathetic nervous system maintains the "fight or flight" reaction for too long without releasing action.

Many of us have reported this--take a look at Wings' postings on the subject, and this one that Melody just posted:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...t=28467&page=3

Amen to that one.

Thanks Glenn

Melody

Don't know about stress and anxiety causing a flare-up of symptoms (yet) but I think the glass of 'white' I had at dinner tonight might have! But then again it could have been the gardening I did today, on this glorious spring day!

I suppose the occasional glass will have to go - or- I might have to test it a couple more times to see if I get the same reaction! Don't want to highjack this thread........but has it happened to others?

Yes me I stopped having any alcohol a while back because just one or two lagers were making things a whole lot worse, smoking was not helping either so that was stopped as well

Stress can be a real flare maker for me too! I start back to work tomorrow and I've been having so much PN pain for the past 4 days it's driving me nuts! My arms and legs are aching, kinda burning and my whole body is buzzing......great way to start back to work!

That was a doctor's appt. day. I had to fast for the blood work. And because the appt was LONG, and I stopped on the way home to get my thyroid refilled because it was convenient, I didn't get to eat until around noon. (no food from 7pm night before).

I only had a little lunch, and then became really tired, had dinner later, but when I went to bed... wowieeee... my feet both burned AND hurt.
I don't know if the stress (hard to get the blood sample) combined with low blood sugar or what...but it was one of my worst days in months.

The visit at the doctor's went pretty well, considering . But the whole thing was physically stressful. I think "stress" is a big issue and affects illness alot.
Those PGE2s...inflammatory cytokines... they have effects.

I like to have a neat double shot of single malt scotch before dinner two or three times a week. It doesn't seem to affect my PN at all. It's a simple pleasure that I'd not give up without cause.

Strong emotion is another matter. One angry episode will give me a three day flareup.

It could be the gardening if you overdid. Exercise is essential in living with PN and in either healing or preventing progression. It's also essential for general health. But, our nerves are damaged and the receptor areas in our brains don't react to stimuli in a normal way. Added stimulation from muscle soreness, joint pain, and lactic acid buildup in the muscles can have unpredictable, painful results.

You gave me, and probably others, a bit of humorous confusion when you mentioned the "glorious spring day". Here in the northern hemisphere, we're having glorious autumn days.

Well that might explain why I get periods where the symptoms almost vanish and periods where it comes back with avengence, then disappears again...

A most definite correlation from first hand experience - walked in to work this AM to find that my entire group was eliminated, we expected some changes but elimination was not one of them. About the worst day ever for my PN, not unlike many that I'm sure others have experienced but right now I'm lost in my own pain - this will take some time for me so I'll sit quietly on the sidelines while I work this out. It too shall pass but then so do kidney stones.
Alkymst