What a strange 2 days - neuropathy or just stress?
 

Wow what a strange 2 days it has been. I was feeling pretty frustrated about the fact that I need to use a cane to get around so I tried to use it as little as possible at work, I think I over stressed my legs and feet. I got home and was in so much pain all I could do was go to bed, I slept from 4 pm to 6am. Then the next day my hands and feet were very numb and just burned. Way more than normal. My hands were very stiff and clumsy. And I felt very off balance, It was like the ground I was standing on was made of soft mud. It was really upsetting. I could barely keep on my feet even using my cane.

Today was better, more or less normal but I took it easy. All I can think of was that stress and anxiety about the fact that I get fitted for a leg brace tomorrow aggravated things. But the lack of feeling and loss of balance was more extreme than I have felt before.

I am guessing this was more or less stress? Can stress aggravate PN this bad? I didnt check my blood sugars but I didnt eat anything out of my normal diet. So it doesnt seem it like it could have been high Blood sugar.

I would test your sugars when you feel so poorly like this.

Other factors can change them, up or down, besides food.

Do you have someone that you live with, who can help you
if you crash blood sugar wise?

Really high sugars can make you sleepy like that..and are a warning of ketoacidosis forming. You should really test, when you feel this tired.

hi there

you may like to invest in a crutch - I started out with a cane, but quickly moved on to crutches. They offer much better support than a cane when balance is off. I find canes very wobbly.

These days I use two crutches (or more usually my walker) which offers a lot more support for the wobbles.

feel better soon

raglet

Well hopefully I wont have many more days that wobbly for a while. Using a cane is difficult enough at work when I need both hands and need to get around on my feet all day but If I had to, its good to know what works and what doesnt.

I got fitted for my ankle brace today, I will be getting it in about 4 weeks, Given that it fully encloses my foot and fastens just under my knee, I hate to think ahead to when I will need one for both, but hopefully it will make getting around a little easier.

hi there

I think I wear similar things on my legs - they fasten with velcro just below my knees. On one hand I love them as I can walk in them without tripping over my feet, but they are very sweaty in the summer. It is autumn down under, so it is definitely getting better on that score. Like you I started out with one, but within about 6 months I got the other one as well.

Regarding the crutches/ cane debate - one of the things that I like about crutches is that they have cuffs that goes around my arms, so they hang on to me. I can actually walk short distances without them (across a room for instance), so I can just let them drag if I need to carry something a short distance. Canes don't hang on, which I found tricky, and I very quickly ran out of hands.

Ok Ok, I confess, I am an orthotics / disability aids geek - I love to get to talk about this stuff as it's become a such big part of my mobility and obviously that is important to me ...... actually I am waiting to trial a reverse walker, but I won't bore you about that ....

cheers

raglet

I told my dad last night that sometimes I feel like I am a toddler again, the way I walk around the house when things are wobbly. I got fitted for my ankle brace on Friday, and should have it in 4 weeks. Then I can get out of this dam boot cast. I know it will help with stability on the left side and hopefully because it will be in a shoe, I wont have one leg standing higher than the other like I do now wich may help with balance on my right side.

I am trying not to get worked up about using a cane at this point. I was talking with a guy at church, a close friend who is in his early 90's he has suffered from Polio for decades and it was eventually hard for him to accept a wheel chair, he told me that in the beginning it was hard to accept braces but its like false teeth, you just need to put em on and use em :winky:

I dont know if/when I will need a brace on the other leg, I suspect a year or less, I have some of the same symptoms presenting on the right side, that I had on the left side about 8 months ago. But that could just be my neurotic mind playing tricks on me. People at work are supportive, and my students have been really good about helping me out when I need something. I struggle most with my first class of the day, a computer class because when I help students I have to lean over the back of their computer chair to reach and point at what they need to do and it leaves me off balance. I tend to be pretty sore after about 30 minutes of that and then I have to sit for the next period and teach. By the end of the day my legs are pretty fatigued and feel wobbly.

A suggestion for your Computer class...
 

Hi Kreink, have you thought about using a pointer tool? Then you don't have to bend over so far and jeopardize your balance. You're going to think this is funny, but what came to mind for me was a knitting needle, it's about the right length, and pointy. But you may find something more applicable... like a ruler, I don't know. I work in an office and I find myself wanting to use a chair when I'm working with a co-worker on a shared computer.


Let us know how you do !

I might try that, thanks for the tip.