Puzzled by neuropathy symptoms
 

Does anyone know why it is some nights are unbearable with pain the burning of feet like someone rubbing sandpaper coupled with numbness and other symptoms.

Keeps me up all night took Percocet and a couple hours later motrin nothing helped wanted to sleep so badly but had to get up and walk the floors because feet had needles and pins and only way to get rid of them is walk plus put ice cubes in a plastic bag and alternate putting my feet in it.

Then the next day today Sunday it's like none of that happened. Have some numbness but tolerable none of the other symptoms

Why is that does anyone know that the symptoms change daily from tolerable to good and good to intolerable.

Please share your experiences with Neuropathy pain.

I'm probably not typical because mine was triggered by high doses of COPD meds, so I hope other people will chime in tomorrow, Sundays can be slow.

For me it had something to do with how much I was on my feet during the day but more than that from the heat from wearing shoes and the blankets at night. I got some relief from always going barefoot in the house and from sleeping with my feet outside of the covers, it seemed to be cumulative and add up if they got hot. That probably wouldn't work for everyone as some people are triggered by any temperature change.

I hope you get some responses from the gurus and find some relief.

judi

In many cases, triggers. Triggers are stimuli and/or lack of stimuli and/or changes in stimuli/status quo; anything the body—and sometimes the mind—is subjected to or deprived of.

The list of potentials is long: foods, supplements, medications, exercise & physical stimuli, environmental conditions (inside/outside the home), mental/psychological stimuli... In short, anything (that we do/don't do—or are exposed to/not exposed to) can be a trigger.

Identifying our individual triggers can be deceptively challenging (especially when we think we have identified all our triggers, yet symptom flares still occur), and requires many skills of a detective—among them attentiveness, diligence, observation, and perseverence. Good record-keeping in a diary/journal/log can be of benefit, as can listening to our bodies, and input of those around us.

Identifying triggers is not (always) easy, but the effort can be worthwhile. It (probably) won't cure neuropathy, but can make it less intolerable, and restore a modicum of control.

Doc

Yes, there are food triggers galore. ;)

But one reason that I think night time is more painful for some is that during the day, walking around, you are predominately using the proprioception fibers, which are the fastest of the 4 types of afferent cells in the feet. They get priority in the brain because you need to move and know where to move to and from.

When you lie down, they stop for the most part, so the slower fibers then become more noticeable.

Here is a link explaining the types of fibers and their speed...
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/cv.html
Our Subforum has many informational threads that can help you understand PN better.

Try using the Biofreeze or the new Salonpas Deep Relieving gel...at night. They have menthol in them, which blocks the heat fibers by stimulating the cold ones. This can reduce your burning and pain considerably. Salonpas Deep Relieving Gel is at WalMart now (new) and Biofreeze is at Amazon or iherb. Use the gel and not the roll on...as it works better.

Another thing about triggers...
 

Some triggers can have a range, which can make them all the more insidious, and difficult to identify and pin down.

It's similar to blood sugar/insulin. Blood sugar is best kept within a certain range; either too much or too little can be detrimental. Some PN (and other pain/symptom triggers) can similarly work in ranges; too much or too little can trigger a flare. Or conversely, being within a range might trigger a flare.

Doc