neuropathy in my feet

[jagerjoe]

hello. i am new here. i have seen a lot of doctors about my problem. i had to take off work for 6 months to get tests and try to find out what was going on. i believe whatever it is, has been progressing over the years. some of the doctors say i have neuropathy in my feet. it is like no pain i can describe. i also have arthritis in my knees and back to go with all the pain i have in my feet. i cant stand any more than 2 hrs at a time.the pain starts getting really bad. sometimes i wake up and get out of the bed and pain is already beginning. i have to walk slow because i never know when my knee or ankles might give out and make me fall. the pain comes all of a sudden without warning. i need to work..but it is killing me. i have gone back to work for 2/ 4 hrs days. i cant even stand this. by the time i get off work, i go home and go to bed to stop the pain. this have really affected my life tremendously. i just got married 3 yrs ago. everything started about 8 months after we were married. had to have a stent put in my heart. had to have another one put in 2 yrs later. none of this is bothering me right now. i am so consentrating on how to relieve the pain in my feet. i need to be able to do this again. i really cant work with this pain. does anyone have this type of pain in their feet? is there anything out there to help me?

[malawigirl08]

Welcome to our website, you will get lots of advice here.
What medication are you talking for the pain, it is important to get the right meds for you but it will take trial and error as no two people take the same.
Supplements will also help.

[mrsD]

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

We have to have some background on you, to see if some supplements may help you. Some PNs are environmental, meaning you were exposed to something that affected your nerves. So going back to when this started...is important.

I bet you are taking statins for that heart problem! Did this start after you began taking cholesterol lowering drugs? Most stent patients are given statins, and these are known to cause PN.

Have you had an HbA1C test regularly to see if you are becoming insulin resistant, or prediabetic? A glucose tolerance test longer than 2 hours? Have you had thyroid testing? Some PNs are metabolic and secondary to pre-diabetes and diabetes, and low thyroid functions.

Have you been tested for B12 levels and Vit D? Get your numbers and don't accept "normal" as lab ranges in US report lows below 400 (the new suggested lower normal) as normal, when in fact they are low.
Some PNs are due to low B12 and Vit D and other factors, so some supplements may help. Knowing your dietary habits will be a clue here.
Some drugs like metformin and acid blocking drugs lower B12 as side effects.

There are toxins, solvents, and other drugs that can cause PN.

There is a hereditary type of PN also that has no treatment as of yet. It is called Charcot Marie Tooth.

Do your hands bother you too? Or is it only the feet? Are your feet cold, do they change color frequently? Do they hurt when you lie down more or less? Do you have times when they don't hurt? Some PN may be from irritated or compressed nerves in the spine. Some PN can come from poor blood flow and poor circulation to the feet.
If you have blocked arteries in the heart you may have blocked blood flow in the arteries in the legs. Do you smoke?

Have you had tests for inflammation (C-reactive protein and SED rate)? ANA tests? Tests for immune globulin elevations (protein in the blood).

[cjbonifay]

Originally Posted by jagerjoe

hello. i am new here. i have seen a lot of doctors about my problem. i had to take off work for 6 months to get tests and try to find out what was going on. i believe whatever it is, has been progressing over the years. some of the doctors say i have neuropathy in my feet. it is like no pain i can describe. i also have arthritis in my knees and back to go with all the pain i have in my feet. i cant stand any more than 2 hrs at a time.the pain starts getting really bad. sometimes i wake up and get out of the bed and pain is already beginning. i have to walk slow because i never know when my knee or ankles might give out and make me fall. the pain comes all of a sudden without warning. i need to work..but it is killing me. i have gone back to work for 2/ 4 hrs days. i cant even stand this. by the time i get off work, i go home and go to bed to stop the pain. this have really affected my life tremendously. i just got married 3 yrs ago. everything started about 8 months after we were married. had to have a stent put in my heart. had to have another one put in 2 yrs later. none of this is bothering me right now. i am so consentrating on how to relieve the pain in my feet. i need to be able to do this again. i really cant work with this pain. does anyone have this type of pain in their feet? is there anything out there to help me?

I have peripheral neuropathy which is short for nerve damage in feet causinf severe pain. I have had the '"Dellon Procedrue" which is not an answer. I get really good pain relief with 'Lyrica" taken three times a day. Please get an
rx fron your doc. good luck

[ginnie]

Sorry you are in so much pain. I too have PN or RSD in my left foot and ankle. I was prescribed a lotion that really does help. an orthopedic surgeon first suggested it, then my pain specialist did. There are 5 compounds in it. This releaves alot of the pain, not all. KETAMINE/CLONID./GABAP./IMIPR./MEFEN ACID/ TETRACAINE (5) 10/O.2.6/3/3/2% CREAM. It is worth a try. Medicare part D will not cover it however; is very lousy to do. I would rather rub in this lotion than take a narcotic that is covered. I am not sure why medicare part D will not cover this compound and I have written a letter or two. My doctor is going to bat for me too. Ask your physician about it. ginnie

[shawnee injun]

guy my feet hurt me constant i have trouble sleeping wake up in so much pain i have to get up. haven't had a decent nights sleep in 3 years.my toes burn and ache they ar crooked and my right foot goes off a an angle and is flat. the left foots toes are bent downward, burn and hurt me to the point of insanity. i have no help, can't work can't hardly stand.any help from anyone is much appreaciated.

[mrsD]

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

Sounds like you need to see a good podiatrist.
That foot going off at an angle, can be fixed with bracing.
I don't recall the name of the condition, but it involves the tendon and muscles of the lower leg. Also it sounds like you have hammer toes, and those can be fixed too. Sometimes only wearing proper shoes with a large toe box and also taking some magnesium supplements (but NOT the OXIDE form), will relax the hammer aspect. They happen when the muscles in the lower leg spasm and don't relax properly.

Here is an excellent website with diagrams and tons of information to guide you:
http://www.northcoastfootcare.com/

And here is my magnesium thread:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread1138.html

You can try soaking those feet in epsom salts twice a day.
Use about 2 ounces of salts in a dish pan, with warm water to cover the feet, or 6oz or so in a bath tub for a longer soak. Epsom salts make things slippery so be careful in a bath tub.
This will help magnesium get into your feet more quickly than an oral supplement at first. If you have poor circulation to the feet, soaking will open that up so oral supplements can then get down to them better.

This would be a good start for you.

Originally Posted by shawnee injun

guy my feet hurt me constant i have trouble sleeping wake up in so much pain i have to get up. haven't had a decent nights sleep in 3 years.my toes burn and ache they ar crooked and my right foot goes off a an angle and is flat. the left foots toes are bent downward, burn and hurt me to the point of insanity. i have no help, can't work can't hardly stand.any help from anyone is much appreaciated.

[velma d]

Originally Posted by malawigirl08

Welcome to our website, you will get lots of advice here.
What medication are you talking for the pain, it is important to get the right meds for you but it will take trial and error as no two people take the same.
Supplements will also help.

My doctor prescribed Gabapentin and it works well. I can walk and go shopping. Sometimes after walking around I have to find a place to sit for few and then go again. Only thing is I take it, one three times a day and I can not forget to take one. If I do, I ain't walking verry far and there's withdraw till I take it.

[Don_S]

JagerJoe -- You've had multiple health challenges in 3 years? Two open-chest surgeries to put in stents, then arthritis and nerve pain! That's a lot of woe!

A couple of things about the arthritic back: One of my co-workers has spinal stenosis, narrowing of the channel through which the lower spinal nerves run. He had pretty much constant pain in his back and legs. His neurosurgeon performed an operation to "clean out" the channel, but one of the nerves -- L5 -- was found to be kinked, and after the operation he lost all feeling and control in his left leg below the knee.

The point is, surgery which involves nerves sometimes has unpredictable effects. It's not the fault of a bad doctor or a botched operation, it's just that no one can be certain what the near-microscopic nerves are like inside the body and exactly what will happen when they're disturbed.

Is his disability better than the constant pain? I dunno. He isn't sure either! There are no perfect solutions in this imperfect world...

Your situation is heartbreaking. What kind of work do you do?

[Katie O]

Originally Posted by jagerjoe

hello. i am new here. i have seen a lot of doctors about my problem. i had to take off work for 6 months to get tests and try to find out what was going on. i believe whatever it is, has been progressing over the years. some of the doctors say i have neuropathy in my feet. it is like no pain i can describe. i also have arthritis in my knees and back to go with all the pain i have in my feet. i cant stand any more than 2 hrs at a time.the pain starts getting really bad. sometimes i wake up and get out of the bed and pain is already beginning. i have to walk slow because i never know when my knee or ankles might give out and make me fall. the pain comes all of a sudden without warning. i need to work..but it is killing me. i have gone back to work for 2/ 4 hrs days. i cant even stand this. by the time i get off work, i go home and go to bed to stop the pain. this have really affected my life tremendously. i just got married 3 yrs ago. everything started about 8 months after we were married. had to have a stent put in my heart. had to have another one put in 2 yrs later. none of this is bothering me right now. i am so consentrating on how to relieve the pain in my feet. i need to be able to do this again. i really cant work with this pain. does anyone have this type of pain in their feet? is there anything out there to help me?

Hi I am new here too. I know what you are going through. It started with numbness in my toes and now it feels like I'm walking on bubble wrap and the pain and burning is really bad. I take medication that I started with 200mg but the pain got so much worse that my neuroligist increased to 600mg. Until your body adjusts to the increased doseage it really spaces you out. I increase 100mg each week to try to function everyday. It really helps. I still have some burning but the pain has subsidded for now. If you are trying to work I feel for you. I'm told there is no cure and only pain management with pain killers. I just want you to know you are not alone. No one understands unless they have it. Good luck to you finding a med that helps.