Like many others, I find myself reflecting on my symptom status. It occurred to me today that earlier in my neuropathy I had periods in which I felt my knees were weak and possibly giving way. I also recall that I would touch furniture when passing so as to insure my balance. This seemed to be an unconcious action. At sometime during this eight month span , this has fallen to the wayside and I had completely forgotten. I would be interested in hearing from other veterans concerning this ,and your own experiences of progress and postive signs. ( hopefully)--tom

Hi, I did have an incident a few months ago where I got out of my vehicle and felt my left leg/knee buckle underneath me. I did catch myself, but it was the strangest feeling. I do have weak knees anyway. I think I have osteoarthritis in those as well as my whole spine. My left knee always hurts.

I am "kind of" undiagnosed at this point. I mean, I guess I do have some kind of neuropathy, but we don't know what kind, or what it's caused from. Otherwise, I can feel my feet and my legs, I do know however, I do have a lack of sensation from the knees down. My biggest complaint is the burning feet/ankles.

PN is insidious....it can progress very slowly and we adapt without realizing how much we are compensating. It is remarkable how much we can do by compensating! The human body is a magical thing.

I have found it doesn't pay to dwell on these things, but you make a mental note of it. I lived with this condition for 15 years without even a thought it could be neuropathy....I knew something was wrong, but never, ever thought some one capable of the kind of compensation I was, could have PN.

Know I remember comments people would make, 'You do that funny'. or PTs would comment, "Put your arm here, or there"...it was like I did not always know my body position.

Knees buckled, ankles turned, bones broke, fingers sprained, discs herniated, but I never but two and two together....because....MY feet didn't burn. I simply didn't realize, that I didn't feel much below the knee until my joint proprioception got so bad, it was evident.......and I also had episodes that mimicked TIAs. It was the TIA thing that got my whole medical process going. Forutnately, I got prompt care when I felt I was having a TIA...and it was NOT a TIA, but it was evident, that something was NOT RIGHT with me.

I still compensate, but now it is more conscious to me...and compensation if fine. Big thing is keeping the body aligned properly to minimize damage and injury. Keeping movement going is critical.

So many years of this did i put it together no,and yet my mom had pn.
But she walked with a duck like walk ,I did'nt..She fell down I crabbed chairs the wall burning,acking,tingling started in different places..There was 26
yrs. difference in age. She could sleep on any bed as long as her feet
were hanging out from undersheets aand blackets..I sleep in chair,
take Pills to sleep..When you touched her feet ice cold to everyone but
her..I feel my ice cold hands and feet others say they feel warm.
She could walk until her 80's and do well,also drive. At 61 with the atrophy
in wheelchair ,wouldn't think of driving. I don't know why until last few
yrs.,I didn't know or didn't want PN..IT goes on and on. Sue Today
I cry she never did,or I don't remember.oh sheets or anything on
my hand hurt,don't think she did.

Hi Tom, in my experience, small positives seem to happen very slowly, hardly noticeable at that time, but over a period all those little positives really do add up.
If you are looking back now thinking i couldn't do this a few months back without very noticeable weakness, but can do it now, then that does sound very promising to me.
Nerve healing is very slow, but not impossible, 3 years back i wouldn't have dreamed that i could be sitting at this computor without any very irritating burning in my feet and up my legs, but i fortunate enough to say i am.
good luck, i hope it is all positive signs for you.

Brian

I have to comment. I had an appointment yesterday with my neurologist. He has been pushing me to see an orthopedic doc for my neck and shoulders and also has written me a RX for PT on my neck and shoulders. I do have a herniated disc in my neck, yet at this time, I look at the cost of PT, against the pain for now and don't feel I can, nor want it yet, it's just an option still. He has me on Topamax and just increased it to 125 mg, which I do feel has helped with my headaches and the shoulder pain. He can feel the bunches in my shoulders.

I worry more about the small fiber neuropathy in my feet and legs and I guess he can't understand why. When I got to his office yesterday, my right foot started cramping, and cramping bad. While I was waiting for him, I couldn't take it anymore, I removed my shoe, the cramping was so bad, and it continued to cramp. As he is talking to me about my shoulders, and my foot had relaxed, it cramped again and I rubbed it. He says, "Well, you seem more worried about your foot!" Then I said, "Well Dr. Mehbratu, I take care of me and I have to worry about my feet, I have to work every day, I have to pay my bills, I have to work so I can come to you, I HAVE TO WORRY MORE ABOUT MY FEET THAN MY SHOULDERS, THEY ARE IMPORTANT, if I can't walk, my shoulders won't matter!" I was listening to him and rubbed my foot without thinking, he is suppose to be taking care of the whole person. I went to him specifically because of my feet and legs to begin with and he pretty muck ignores the small fiber neuropathy!

I have recently increased my B12 and the soles of my feet have started burning, I am hoping this is a sign of some small positives. The cramping, I think was because of the wrong shoes the day before! Also, I was glutened by a medicine for a UTI this week, so I could still be getting side effects from that too.

Thanks for listening to my rant. Tis over!!!!!