Upper Back Neuropathy?
 

Hi,
So I have had the stocking and glove syndrome for a few years now, burning pain in feet and hands, moving up my legs and arms. A couple of years ago, I started to get the needles and pins sensation, like a mild sunburn on my upper back and neck. This sensation has intensified lately, kind of get the shivers, like there is a draft in the room, even though it is 80 degrees... I figured the other symptoms were SFN, but have not gotten a Dx yet on it. I have been having tachycardia since my bout with a staph infection late last year, just wondering if this could be a systemic neuropathy? Also my BP varies quite a bit...
Seeing the Neurologist for a nerve conduction study in late July, by the time he comes up with a Dx it will probably be Christmas! Figure his appointments are set 2 months in advance, he will probably do a skin punch test after this, that will be September...:eek:
I remember my last neurologist saying that the numbness would spread to the other parts, like the face, I will become, uncomfortably numb.
Just wondering if anyone has similar symptoms?

I've certainly had--
 

--tingly, burning, painful sensation in my upper back and across the shoulder blades intermittently through my long years of neuropathy.

The problem, of course, for neuropathic symptoms in those areas are that it's very hard to distinguish those that may come from a systemic cause from those that come from more localized compression. It is very easy to compress nerves in that area, and symptoms can come from the lower cervical and upper thoracic spine, or from the brachial plexus. And, there is always the possibility of double-crush phenomenon--nerves already compromised from a systemic cause are more prone to additive symptoms if any compressive forces are applied to them (and the symptoms often are "greater than the sum of the parts").

I have to wonder what antibiotic you were given for your infection.

Some of them cause nerve damage.

I had a staph infection from a black fly bite, over 30 yrs ago. It was pretty awful with high fever swollen nodes over my ear, and swollen face (it was on my eyelid). I was in Maine where they are common and ended up in the hospital ER. The choices for treatment were much less back then, so I was put on Erythromycin (a penicillin substitute). But today, with MRSa and the more toxic antibiotics, it is possible to have more residual problems after treatment.

After an antibiotic and some improvement, I was left with high blood pressure for life. My doctor believed at the time, that the staph infection was the culprit. So I have been on various blood pressure medications since then.

This is possible, but I have had Neurapthy for almost 30 years, and I have seen some progression of the symptoms. I have had the back needles and pins for at least 6 years. I have had neck, shoulder and upper, middle, and lower back pain for a number of years, too. So it could be double jeapordy. When the neurologist did a MRI of my neck, he saw no cause for neuropathy in that area... But, this was over 10 years ago.

I was given Vancomyicin interveniously twice a day for over a month. This is the second to the strongest antibiotic, and it barely killed the skin folical staph! The tachycardia started at that time, but I already had the high BP, and the shoulder numbness. But in retrospect, I guess the antibiotic was better then the alternative...

Well, Vanco is tough on people. It has a boatload of nasty side effects... Including irregular heart beats.
Nerve damage. But as you say there isn't
Much choice in your situation.

Just in the past few weeks I've noticed a spot near the upper middle of my back that itches a bit. When I scratch it with backscratcher, I've noticed it's numb. No tingling, pain, or pins/needles—just itching & numbness.

Doc

My ISFN came on fast in my feet, legs, arms, hands and right side so my face.
It took I few years but it did reach my chest and back. It does happen according to my neuro.

However, I have never had the shivers with it. That I'm not sure about. One good thing is the the symptoms in my chest and back are no where near as painful as the original sites.

I hope you get some answers soon.

I have what feels like abdominal neuropathy. New symptom for me, thank goodness I have a neuro appt next week. It is hard to localize, but sometimes it feels like a tightening, sometimes hypersensitive. Comes and goes. Heck, what happened to this stuff staying in just feet & hands???

Interesting symptoms... So I guess with sensory SFN, you can eventually have small fiber nerve involvement, anywhere their is small fiber nerves? As far as starting in the feet and working it's way up, I had feet and hand burning pain right away, but I wonder if the years surfing in cold water accelerated the symptoms? I used to surf, until my fingers were frozen open, where I had troublemaking off my wetsuit, as I could not grab the zipper... I have also had problems with some vibrating power tools like jackhammers, my hands would start itching and go numb, this was long before I got PN...
The doctors always seem to jump on the cause of the PN, by saying it was my bloodsugar, even when I tell them of the 5 family members with symptoms, you would think Herditary would come up in the conversation...