Last post Sun, Apr 27 2008 10:19 PM by Bailey. 18 replies.
I can walk about 10 - 15 minutes on a good day and then my leg and/or foot get the needle pain, goes numb ( except for the pain ) feels very heavy and weak - I flat out can't stand on it when it does that.
If I must keep standing ( like in a check out row or something ) I stand on my good leg and hold the other one off the floor - I call it my pelican look lol
I get why it hurts - but why does it go weak?
The pain I could stand ( with meds ) but the weakness I think will soon force me into a chair some day soon - as it happens more and more. The Dr's say my MRI has not changed though.
FYI - in case info is needed : All my L disks are destroyed - so I can still walk short distances with out my cane. I go up steps by dragging my left leg.
My back injury - I can live with its limits but this neuropathy is really taking me down FAST!
Oh yeah - why does clothing "bug" me so much on the leg & foot with the neuropathy? I hate sox's & shoes on that foot - hate them ! They always feel so tight - yet I really don't have that much feeling left there - does this make sense?
In case you think these are silly questions - 3 yrs after my back injury and complaining of this numbness and such my Drs finally told me last week, I have neuropathy - so I have suffered with it for 3 yrs but still am just learning about it.
Thanks :)
Neuropathy usually affects nerves after they have left the spinal cord. Some of the nerves transmit feeling from the body to the brain, like heat or cold or pain. Neuropathy can cause either a loss of these feelings or too much of some of them.
Other nerves send messages from the brain to the muscles. If a nerve is damaged on the way to the muscles, it doesn't send the message as effectively. Then the muscle doesn't move as well and is weaker than it was before.
and that can happen within a few minutes of walking ?
I only get it when I walk or stand for ( each time is different ) but usually if I use my cane I can go 1/2 an hr or more without it happening - no cane a few minutes and it happens.
staniding still with or without my cane and it happens within 2 - 3 minutes every time.
Hi Butterfly...
butterflylady:Oh yeah - why does clothing "bug" me so much on the leg & foot with the neuropathy? I hate sox's & shoes on that foot - hate them ! They always feel so tight - yet I really don't have that much feeling left there - does this make sense?
I feel the tightness also...though not as bad as it once was...or maybe I've just become used to it
butterflylady: can walk about 10 - 15 minutes on a good day and then my leg and/or foot get the needle pain, goes numb ( except for the pain ) feels very heavy and weak - I flat out can't stand on it when it does that. If I must keep standing ( like in a check out row or something ) I stand on my good leg and hold the other one off the floor - I call it my pelican look lol
can walk about 10 - 15 minutes on a good day and then my leg and/or foot get the needle pain, goes numb ( except for the pain ) feels very heavy and weak - I flat out can't stand on it when it does that.
You are doing better than me...I can't walk any distance without my crutches...If I try, my lower legs just won't move. I also wear braces for drop foot. If I do get some movement my right foot turns inward
Joe
sorry to hear this Joe.
If I try to walk without my cane right after I stand up I would fall down.
But once I get going I can walk a little bit.
so the tightness is common huh?
Yeah...tightness, cramping, burning
I hace the exact same symptoms, only able to walk a few minutes and receive burning and tingling that drives me crazy. I can walk on plain dirt, ground, longer before it hits, but on concrete, I become crippled and can't walk at all after 10 minutes. I suffered this way for years, now it is worse. I have the burning go from my toes to my knees and parts of my thighs. I take Pamelor to ease the pain and burning so I can sleep, but only sleeo 4-5 hrs at a time now. It has become a permanent part of my life now. Doc says it comes from my Spinal Stenosis. I have had one op. for this, but the damage had become perm. It is apreading and they say ops. won't work. Nothing I can do but l8ive w/ it.
I just got the official diagnosis of polyneuropathy from unknown causes last week. My legs especially the right one have been affected for several years now. the feet only started to bother me recently. The docs say that the severe degenerative disc disease isn't a factor as it appears no nerves are trapped. My thoughts are that maybe its glucose intolerance that leads up to diabetes. Since I already made huge dietary changes to bring down high cholesterol now I will continue on that path to prevent the onset of another family curse, diabetes. My legs also burn when I walk too far and mostly I use a cane but there are days when I have to break out the walker. I haven't taken a fall in more about a year now but the last one was a doozy so I am very careful. I am lucky I do not have foot drop but my brain does loose track of my right foot periodically. There is some fifty thousand dollar word for that but I can never remember it. I was recently increased from 1800 ml Neurontin to 3600 ml and for the most part I have only breakthrough pain. The tingling sensation is there most of the time in my feet though. I have had chronic pain from fibromyalgia and migraines my entire adult life but this neuropathic pain is an entirely different animal. Bless all of you because I know how hard it has been to deal with.
OH MY goodness!
Reading your post was al,ost as though I had written some of it myself!
I too have been Dx'd with polyneurapathy but most of my symptoms are in the upper extremities and rather than the "right side" it is affecting my left
left foot, left hand, left leg, left arm...
I am still undergoing various tests andinquiries to find out what exactly is wrong but the PN is only "part" of the troubles.
I will come back and post in detail but right now I am suffering with a recent wrist injury and it is a struggle to type.
I just had to post something to share and to thank you for sharing because now I don't feel quite so alone or "weird"
Take care of you!
Opal
Rather then a walker ...I use hand crutces. They work really well for me. I do have foot drop so I use AFO braces. Also take 1800 mg + of neurotin.
PS...For neurotin users...I take the generic Gabapentin. It's much less expensive
Yeah Joe I have a friend who uses those crutches and he gets around well with them but because of my fibromyalgia i think using them would cause me more pain than good. The VA hospital also prescribes the generic gabapentin and it works great. My rehab doctor also said that if my sleep gets real bad again that i can take nortriptyline with the gabapentin. Because of my fibro my sleep disturbance can cause me to hurt worse. Ah life is still good though isn't it Joe. Every morning I wake up and can get up and move on my own I remind myself how much life and love mean to me.
beakerless:Yeah Joe I have a friend who uses those crutches and he gets around well with them but because of my fibromyalgia i think using them would cause me more pain than good. The VA hospital also prescribes the generic gabapentin and it works great. My rehab doctor also said that if my sleep gets real bad again that i can take nortriptyline with the gabapentin. Because of my fibro my sleep disturbance can cause me to hurt worse. Ah life is still good though isn't it Joe. Every morning I wake up and can get up and move on my own I remind myself how much life and love mean to me.
Yeah...I see....my aching is confined to my legs. The crutches work for me because they greatly lessen the weight on my legs...but they put a major workout on my upper body
Neuropathy affects the nerves, the nerves are attached to the muscles. When you get that short circuit between the nerve and the brain it doesn't know to tell the muscle to work properly. Even though the muscles are trying to do their job part of the system isn't working correctly which causes the muscle to go weak. It doesn't know to strengthen those muscles so they quit performing. (does that help?)
I've had peripheral neuropathy for five years. I have lost all sensation in both legs from my knees down to my feet. I now walk with a quad cane due to a bad fall I had back in September. It caused me a lot of problems because I bruised my pancreas and liver when I fell. I was stepping down off a curb and my legs decided to quit working altogether.
I'm lucky if I can get all the way through the grocery store before my legs give out. Most of the time though I use the riding cart when I have a lot to buy. They are a wonderful tool. At first I was reluctant to use them but now I don't mind. I get tickled at the people who look at me strange when I park in the handicap spot. I have a handicap permit but it seems with some people if they don't see you using any kind of prosthetic device/tool they think you shouldn't be parking there! Oh well, lol
I take Lyrica for the neuropathy which has greatly reduced the tingling, stabbing pains. I used to take Topamax but had the doctor change my medication due to memory loss caused by the Topamax.
I was diagnosed with the same but only neuropathy. Mine was caudes from a virus settling in my spine and destroying the covering over the lower part of my spine. I use both a cane and somedays can't walk across my floor without a walker. I have a very weak left side and if I try to walk for say 30 mins. my legs stiffen up and feet feel like wood. I have no sense of direction in the dark, so therfore am confined to the inside at dark. My feet burn to the point I have to keep a wet towel on them or socks wet with alcohol . I can't even go out in summer. The burning never stops. I also have been on Lyrica for a couple of yrs. It helps with pain but nothing stops the burning. I have lost alot of sensation in my legs and feet. So have to be very careful. Anybody else have these problems. I cant even wear shoes longer than a few minutes at a time. My knees are a problem too. They just lock up and I can't move...
I cant wear shoes or pants either. Only when I go out and they have to come off. My feet and legs get so hot and I dont have a clue why.
