Intro and SFSN Diagnosis
 

Greetings. My name is CJ. Nice to (virtually) meet you all. For the last eight months, I have had a variety of issues that appeared to come out of nowhere. I had burning feet and hands, my skin changed on my arms and legs and was dizzy when I sat down or stood up. After seeing several doctors. MRI's, CT scans, ER visits, and no clue as to what was going on with me, I was finally diagnosed with small fiber sensory neuropathy day. That is, the results from the three-point skin biopsy came back positive today. After scanning Google for the symptoms over the last many months I was hopeful that it was not going to be this, but here I am.

I'm a bit dumbfounded to be blunt. I am in good shape, my A1C is good, my blood tests were all normal, and there are no autoimmune issues that they can find.....and they have looked hard. Idiopathic is Latin for "we have no idea how you acquired this illness." ;-)

My mother recently told me that she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia at the same age. I tend to think she also has SFSN but didn't want to go through the tests to verify it. I'm not sure. Be that as it may, on one hand I'm happy to know what this is, as the autonomic side effects were a bit concerning initially (brian fog, heat intolerance, and lightheadedness)...on the other hand, I'm 52!!!

I recognize this isn't going to kill me and it's something that requires routine, common sense, balanced diet, and exercise...but it makes doing many of the things I like to do less enjoyable or downright out of the question. I travel a lot for work and the idea of standing in a suit and tight black shoes with this thing is dreadful. Again, I will figure it out...it's just something I never would have expected. I guess I am still processing this new reality. Thank you for listening.

CJ

Hi, CJ, and welcome!

You seem to have diabetes since you mention the A1C--and my impression is that some of the complications of diabetes might catch up with a person even if the person has had tight blood glucose control all along.

It happened to me anyway. I have Type 2 diabetes and have had really great A1Cs for over 30 years but a few years ago was found to have PAD (peripheral artery disease) and have signs of peripheral neuropathy.

If you do a search on this board for "small fiber sensory neuropathy," you'll find quite a number of discussions of it here.

I also have MS and realize that many adjustments have to be made sometimes. When it comes to how you dress for work, maybe you'll find that you can modify your clothes to some extent so that you'll be more comfortable--unless you work for people with a strict dress code. If there is a dress code, you might be able to have a discussion with someone who is in charge of rules and make arrangements for an exception to be made for you. It's worth a try!

Welcome YorkBeach68. :Wave-Hello: