I have had foot pain for years but no pain anywhere else. I had back surgery in 2004 for spinal stenosis L4,L5 were opened up. This did help a certain type of pain I had but not the rest of it. From the reading I have done I fit the peripheral neuropathy related to diabetes but I'm not diabetic. Who do I see for help? This fall already the cold is causing pain moreso than previous years and it's only October. You can't touch my feet - it's a painful sensation, burning, shooting pain, the "ice pick" pain in both big toes just out of the blue etc. I take a minor amt of vicodin on bad nights sothat I can sleep.
Q: peripheral neuropathy in my feet but not diabetic, who do I see for help?
Answers (3)
3/ 5/09 8:53am
I have the exact same thing. I've been dealing with it for 3 years now and I've finally been diagnosed after extensive testing. I can tell you from my experience that Cymbalta is a miracle drug. It works like nothing else! Only problem, there's no cure for peripheral neuropathy and I don't like the idea of being on Cymbalta or anything else for that matter, for the rest of my life, I'm only 42. So just yesterday my podiatrist gave me samples of a non-drug med which he called a medical food/super vitamin. It's called Metanx and it's used to treat peripheral neuropathy. It's a combination of B-6, B-12 and high potency folic acids. It does require a prescription but it's all natural without the side effects of long term usage as with Cymbalta! I'm excited to try it. However, he warned that I wouldn't feel immediate results. It'll take up to 3 months to get the full effects. If it doesn't work for me, I'll be back on Cymbalta because I can't live with this excrusiating pain.
Anyway, hope this helps you out. I really can relate with your pain and feel for you!
Email me if you'd like to.
Take care,
10/26/08 2:13pm
I am in the same boat, but have not had my herniation repaired yet. I know exactly what you are talking about and the best bet is to call one of the hospital physician referral programs and they will give you the name of a couple of podiatrists who can help you. My mom did and she is feeling much better as you could NEVER come even near her toes. The MD put her on Lyrica and Metanx and the combination has really helped her. I am an RN and do a great deal of research on pain as I have not worked in over 3 years now. There are a number of good meds to take to help this problem and my mom and I are not diabetic. So, ask your neurosurgeon or get a podiatrist who can tell you about Metanx. It is not cheap, but it works.
Hope this helps you.
Nece
5/ 1/09 11:33am
I've been on Metanx for a couple of years and it works really well. However in order for it to have maximum effect I had to cut down my coffee consumption to not more than two cups as this has an affect on the histamines your body produces. You can get a script from your podiatrist.
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