Sudden Onset of Peripheral Neuropathy
 

I'm not sure how this works but I am hoping someone might recognize my symptoms and have some advise. 6-7 weeks ago I developed a sudden onset of severe pain in my feet and lower legs. I have not had any numbness but intense burning along with sharp pains. It has spread to my wrists and hands and as strange as it sounds, my lips and tongue. I feel tinging sensations as if myfeet and lower legs are waking up. My feet feel swollen but are not.The sensation in my feet is different. Does this sound like actual Neuropathy?

You need to get to the doctor and get this checked out immediately. Do not leave without blood work and what not. I am not an expert at this, but it could be related to many metabolic problems such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, metal toxicities, side effects of meds or drugs, etc, or even some type of trauma. Act now, the sooner you get it figured out, the sooner you can start to heal.

It is certainly possible--
 

--to have an acute onset of peripheral neuropathy that is body-wide and spreads rapidly. My story as regards that is pretty well known.

Guillain Barre syndrome is the most well-known clinical entity in which this happens, but there are others--some autoimmune variants of Guillain Barre, some related to toxic causes, some metabolic, some infectous.

Take a look at:

http://neuromuscular.wustl.edu/time/...htm#neuropathy

GBS is primarily a motor process that affect to the lower extremities first and ascends. GBS would be rare to present with just burning.

True--
 

--that classic Guillain Barre is primarily motor in symptomology, but there are sensory variants and clinical entities that involve rapidly progressing sensory symptoms:

http://neuromuscular.wustl.edu/antibody/gbs.htm#sens

Sudden onset of PN
 

I too had that "sudden" onset of PN, but at the time, it was confined to my feet. Just started hurting one morning when I got up. Felt like I was standing on crushed shell.
Several tries with different foot doctors produced a variety of conclusions, none of which worked.
Finally went to a neuro, and he diagnosed it as PN, but said that he wanted to sent me to a hematologist. Kind of surprised, but went anyway.
After some testing, and a bone biopsy, he told me that I had CANCER. Yup, kinda threw me for a loop.
Turned out that I had what is called Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia. I have a hard time even trying to remember how to spell the darn thing.
Anyway, I have a bad white blood cell that refuses to die, and keeps reproducing itself. You're supposed to have about 350 in your bloodstream at any given time, and I had over 8,000. No more room for red blood cells, so I was also anemic at the same time. The WM is not curable, but thankfully it is treatable. Life expectancy is 5 to 7 years, but some have lived for 10, and even 15 years. Only the Good Lord knows, but that's good enough for me.
I have been on Rituxan infusion every three months now for about two years, and the bad cell count is now down to about 2,000, and falling.
As was hoped, the PN is sort of tracking the WM. As the bad cell count falls, the PM backs off as well. It still gives my feel hell, and there's one finger that still fells like it is always asleep, but the majority of the real pain has diminished quite a lot. I still have trouble if I walk too much, but my neuro has put me on a locally formulated product to use as a foot rub. It contains several products, all of which are geared to reducing PN pain.
I hope you find the answers you seek, and that they lead you in a direction that corrals all your fears. Semper Fi

I'm sorry for all your troubles, but I'm happy you found the problem and you are staying on top of it. I would be interested to know what the foot rub product is that you are using. Stay positive and God bless.....:hug:

WOW, You must be a strong person to be keeping it all together. I hope they find a treatment to rid your body of this cancer before it is too late. Don't give up hope.

Sudden Onset Pain Feet
 

I had a similar nerve problems starting in my feet and then my fingers and hands. It started suddenly when I was perscribed I was prescribed Venlafaxine Generic Effexor
When I would wake up my feet were still asleep. In a few seconds or a minute they would wake up. It moved up my leg and my findgers and hands tingled and sometimes felt like pins.
I quit taking it and the symptoms stopped except for my 3 middle toes on both feet which remain numb.
Get to a GOOD Doctor ASAP and write a list of all recent changes in: meds, vitamin intake, eating, stress, illness, rashes, bug bites and recently visited locations etc.
good Luck
Bob

Hello,

I'm so sorry to hear that you've been dx with WM.

I had a sudden onset of peripheral neuropathy in both feet in Oct 2010 and was also diagnosed with cancer (Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia) 6 weeks later. My PN is severe. I can't wear shoes and I can only be on my feet for an hour a day.

1) Would you be able to clarify somewhat ... "bad white blood cell that refuses to die, and keeps reproducing itself". What kind of "blood cell"? You had over 8,000 of something (?). What something? What is the unit? Are you talking about IgM? Was your IgM level 8,000 mg/dl??

2) I suppose you, like me, had chemotherapy first and then Ritux maintenance (you say every 3 months). This is important to me: at what point in time did the PN get a bit better. Was it during chemotherapy or much later??

By the way, the life expectancy of WM is now 12 years - it was 5-7 years a few years ago. New treatments (e.g. using Rituximab in the chemo combo) has extended the life expectancy.

Take care,
Grete