Today I was trying to explain to a friend the types of pains and sensations I experience with neuropathy. Her husband was recently diagnosed with the same, and she was having a difficult time understanding what he was describing to her. This is quite common, as neuropathy brings about manifestations that are unique.
Thankfully medication (Cymbalta) keeps most of the symptoms under control, as I’ve found that after missing a dose, the pain can be quite intense. The colder than normal weather lately has been aggravating the condition, which primarily affects my feet/toes and fingers.
Here are some of the common issues I deal with:
- Cold sensitivity. Cold temperatures in the air increase the pain in my feet and fingertips. It causes a burning feeling in my fingertips, and sharp, stabbing pains in my feet. It also causes my feet to feel ice cold, even under several blankets.
- Sensitivity in fingertips. This is mostly noticeable when I am using the laptop. My fingers are especially sensitive when using the touchpad. Lately this has kept me away from sites like Facebook more, because things like app requests require a lot of “clicking.”
- Pain in feet and toes. The pain varies and is not at all consistent. It ranges from knife-like stabbing pains, to feelings of “electric shocks”. There’s also occasional pins and needles feelings, or the feeling that I am walking on rocks even when on a flat, carpeted surface.
- Loss of sensation in feet. Believe it or not, with neuropathy you can have both pain and loss of sensation at the same time! My feet feel like there is a stocking on them when there is not-this is called “stocking-glove sensation.” I’ve also almost scalded myself in the past in hot bathwater, not realizing the actual temp.
The symptoms increase when I am tired, sick, or there is a drastic change in the weather. Earlier this week, for example, we went again from milder temps to bitter cold in a day, and I was in agony as a result. I am also finding that the symptoms increase after I eat-especially if I eat sweets. I am not diabetic, but it’s possible my neuropathy is due to a diet-related condition. At this point, it’s considered “idiopathic” – cause not known.
Hopefully this will be of help to someone who is dealing with a friend of family member diagnosed with neuropathy. I’ll post more in a day or two about care and how to keep the patient more comfortable.
