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?

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

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 think that stress has quite a bit to do with bad flareups.

I was doing marvelously, Until I got that phone call from my son. Then not only did my feet start to burn, but I felt the hairs on my body standing up straight. I swear to god, this actually happened. I was trying to watch tv, and putting my mind at ease but of course that was not going to happen in 5 minutes or so after hanging up from him.

Then I noticed like a whisper like feeling coming over my arms. I know that feeling. I said to myself "oh my god, here we go again". Like Ants or small things crawling over my arms. I actually had to look at my arm in the light of the tv, just to make sure nothing was crawling on me.

I never do this. Never. My symptoms have all but gone away.

Then one stupid phone call and my body reacts.

I know we have no control on the stress others give us and we have to learn coping strategies and de-stressors. That's why I go to Gam-anon and on their message boards. I have learned much from these people.

And because I run my own Aspergers forum for parents like me and Alan, well it helps to reach out to others. And of course, this forum is the most important one of all.

With this forum, we get to hear about what works for some and not for others. I would have never known about the Methyl B-12.

Oh, I just checked on iherb. They have a methyl b-12 (3000) pill with folic acid and Vitamin C. You get 50 losenges for $6.89. It's called BioChem. I could go from 5000 a day to 3000 a day and get the other supplements in the same pill so it's a bargain. I think 3000 a day would do just fine for me. If not, and I see I get really tired, I'll just double it. No big deal.

iherb is really economical and they ship really fast.

bye for now. Waiting for the big guy to come and meet up with me at Dunkin for our Sunday date. lol

Melody

Stress & alcohol are big factors for me, as well.
Both cause increases in symptoms and/or flare-ups.