I've been dealing with PN for about a year with gabapentin succesfully most of the burning sensations for the last 4 months or so. I'm still currently labeled "idopathic", but I'm seeing my neuro on Monday with results of my latest tests.

It's been steadily progressing and in the last month, it's progressed into my hands along with muscle weakness -- most notable in arms and shoulders.

Has anyone found anything that can help deal with the muscle weakness and associated fatigue?

Thanks,

Ed

to ask your doctor.

Most (but not all) PNs are sensory. Once they become motor,
you need more aggressive medical advice.

Plasmapharesis is sometimes used to treat motor issues, if immune complexes are the cause.

Your weakness could also be a manifestation of type II diabetes. Muscle weakness is one symptom of increasing insulin resistance. Also your neck should be evaluated for any stenosis there.
Hereditary neuropathies may also affect motor functions.

Very interesting feedback for a couple reasons:

1. Although my glucose levels and A1c numbers have been normal, I just had a 2-hour glucose intolerance test done since I read about a number of cases where they had "normal" numbers for their everyday tests, but failed a later glucose tolerance test. I find out the results on Monday with my next visit to my neuro. In a strange way, I'm hoping I've failed and can be labeled "pre-diabetic" so that I have something definitive to work on.

2. Your "neck stenosis" suggestion is, again, spot on. Even before the muscle weakness became more noticeable, my neuro and I were talking about getting an MRI done of my neck because.... 5 years ago, I had two discs removed in my neck. During the surgery, he did a lot of a lot of clean-up of arthritis. Based on what I'm experiencing now, if I didn't have the PN feelings in my feet/legs first, I would be immediately guessing that I'm having another issue with my neck.

Keep the suggestions coming.

Ed

Ed, you can have a fasting INSULIN run. It is easier than the GTT. Elevated levels indicate you are insulin resistant.

In some ways this is a more valuable test as it does not require so much interpretation.

My glucose tolerance test was quite normal. My blood sugar levels were well back to normal (80's) in short order after drinking the glucose.

Neck MRI is next, but I'm starting to run out of options and am dangerously approaching permanent joining the "idopathic" camp.

Ed

Ed, when insulin levels are going up on a daily basis, you clear sugar quickly for a while. Then all of a sudden the system fails, and the sugars go up.
Your test does not show elevated sugars YET, but your insulin levels may be high already....and this is what you need to know. Interpretation of GTT can be pretty fuzzy...or outdated.

This link may be helpful for you:
http://lightning.prohosting.com/~hyp...20Hypoglycemia

Many people show reactive hypoglycemia as a prelude to real diabetes.

Mrs D,

Do some Peripheral Neuropathies become Motor? Can that be seen on EMG?
Just curious.

Lynn

Lyn - my neuropathy has been sensori-motor from the get go, so it hasn't been a case of sensory progressing to motor. My motor issues definitely cause more problems for me than the sensory issues and are treated aggressively with limited success.

cheers

raglet

may be combined, and progress this way.

Also acute toxin poisoning will affect many nerves.

But the vast majority of PNs remain sensory.

For example poisoning with arsenic affects both systems.

But diabetic neuropathy typically does not. But some people with diabetes progress to autonomic and gastroparesis, when others do not.

So it might be a matter of overwhelming the systems suddenly,
or genetic failure of the nerve cells (something within them
fails and the cells die).

Neuropathies are very complicated. This is why we don't see more progress with their treatment by the medical community.
Each person presents with different symptoms and degree.

From what I have seen, the more aggressive treatments are offered (IVIG and plasmaphariesis) when motor elements become affected.

I know this is kinda an older post, but I haven't been on neuropathy boards in a long while.

I was diagnosed with a "sensory greater than motor" peripheral neuropathy this last summer.

I think sometime around Christmas I started noticing that I was depending on shopping carts to get me around the store.
And now I have increasing problems to the point that I can not go to the gym.

My Dr. said I probably have a "foot drop" which is muscle weakness of the ankle.

So now its back to neurology to me, and I am on Gabapentin to try to get some sensation back in my feet. (I don't have pain)

Hope that helped a bit?