Peripheral neuropathy?

[NobodyLivesHere]

For the last 2 months I’ve had burning pain , pins and needles and just odd feeling feet/lower legs. I went to see my GP who noted slightly high BP, told me to get some blood tests and said ‘we’ll go from there’.
my bloods came back with:
low folate of 2.2 ug/L
increased mean cell haemoglobin of 35
increased mean cell volume of 109
Increased platelet count if 421
low RBC of 3.7

doctor says I’m low in folate and gave me 3 months of them to take. I’ve been taking it for a month and the issues with my legs and feet continue and are more noticeable.

obviously I’ve been google doctoring, and I have all the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. I’ve had quite severe and debilitating low back pain for years and years. I’ve had tests that have never pin pointed a cause.

should I go back to the GP? My worry is that it isn’t the folic acid deficiency causing the foot problems, but something else and it’s going to get worse. I’ve caught my feet on steps and my car door twice today like they’re not doing what they’re supposed to. The heel of my right foot is totally numb

tbh, I’m pretty jaded with doctors who don’t ever seem interested in finding out what’s causing my pain. I feel ignored and like they think I’m just drug seeking and it’s in my head, so I sit here half convinced I’m imagining this problem. I feel like I’m going insane.

Could be arachnoiditis or occult tethered cord. Have you had the vaccine btw

I was told that the serious diseases start with painless loss of function, not with weird feelings. I have a similar issue which the doctors have also failed to diagnose. There are loads of deficiencies which can cause this - iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, vitamin D, vitamin B12. Maybe try some supplements and get your doctor to test for those things?

What vaccine do you mean?

Yeah they tested all that and that’s when they came back with folic acid deficiency. But it’s not getting any better since taking the supplements.

My DM has this and kept being sent around a low blood pressure/cardiac route before someone finally diagnosed her.

Vitamin B12 deficiency will cause this type of symptom. Taking folic acid will make matters worse. You firstly need to fix the B12 problem, and you likely have a B2 (riboflavin) deficiency as well. Don't take a multivitamin to do this but buy separate higher-dose amounts of B2. It will make your urine go a bright yellow but that's fine. Then you can supplement B12.

There's a great FB group called 'Understanding B12 Deficiency) that can untangle all the biochemistry and explain this. It's not always visible as the group gets archived for a few days of the week, but keep searching for it.

Doctors will be of little help to you as they don't understand the biochemistry, so best to direct your searches elsewhere, sadly.

My b12 level was 228 which is in the normal range according to my test results. How will folic acid make it worse? I don’t understand.

What was your Hb1ac levels like?

With my foot and leg numbness/burning etc it was my spine, which showed up on MRI. I, too, had years of back pain. I had surgery, which helped a bit but I still have problems and need further treatment. You need an MRI to rule out spinal issues. I was also getting calf pain when walking, which prompted the investigations, as it could have been circulatory.

That was fine. Not even close to diabetic levels.

I had a low back MRI a few years ago, it showed ‘minor degenerative disk disease’ and an out of line coccyx, but nothing they thought needed surgery. Referred to physio which was helpful for my coccyx pain, but did nothing for my back.
i woke up today with a totally numb big toe on my left foot, so I’m going back tomorrow. This isn’t normal.

thanks for everyone’s help

I have peripheral neuropathy as a side effect of chemotherapy. In my case the drugs damaged my nerves. It presents as numbness and pins and needles in my hands and feet. I’ve nearly fully recovered now a year after finishing chemo. Acupuncture has helped. I’ve only ever heard of it in cancer patients - what causes it in other people?

Really weird question, any chance you could be pregnant?
I had this, I couldn't wear shoes my feet were so painful.
All of a sudden it did disappear. Hasn't returned since I had my baby.

Uncontrolled diabetes can cause it.

This is timely for me.

I've had a weird stinging pain, tingling and numbness in both feet for roughly 2 weeks now. Blisters on back prompted a call to NHS 24 and a visit to GP on Thursday - the blisters diagnosed as shingles - but extremely mild, not painful and almost gone now.

BUT - my main worry is what is going on with my feet. I've also been googling and peripheral neuropathy seems to fit. GP said foot issue not connected to shingles and I've to go back next week to get bloods done. She also recommended I make an appointment to see her again a week after the bloods - so she's following up.

It's definitely a nerve thing, and now I'm worrying that it's also affecting my hands as over the past year I've occasionally had random cramping in my hands - not often but it's a relatively new thing.

Both feet are affected pretty much the same - the right foot maybe slightly worse as when I point my toes up, I get a pain in my heel - as if there's a cut there being pulled open by the movement, but the skin isn't damaged. It's mostly affecting my big toe, and the top of my foot in a line from my ankle to my big toe. Last Monday I noticed that if I stroke the top of my foot, my big toe and side of my foot go numb. The first thing I noticed was pain when walking and I put it down to my boots pressing on my foot in a way that pressed a nerve - but did think it was odd as boots very comfortable and no previous issues. And it also happens when wearing minimalist sandals so nothing pressing on my foot. It feels like a nettle sting.

Am now googling like crazy and am going to try changing my diet to see if that helps. This past month - when it started - my diet hasn't been great (dealing with elderly parents problems so grazing and comfort eating more sugary stuff than usual).

Sorry - this turned into a lengthy ramble

OP, did this start suddenly and get steadily worse?

My dp has this, started mid 40's. Just one of those things alas. It's not getting significantly worse thankfully 15 years later

I have numbness in my toes and feet. No pain but uncomfortable. I saw a consultant who said it’s connected with diabetes or pre-diabetes. However I wasn’t pre-diabetic when it started although I am now.

Definitely not. I’m very single and I also don’t have a uterus anymore 😂 so we can rule that out.

Tons of things: medications, autoimmune diseases, thyroid issues, spinal stenosis and other back issues. All kinds.

Don’t be sorry! Please let me know how you get on!

I would suggest you request another mri. Sounds like it could be nerve damage from degenerative disc disease which has progressed. I have this issue.

Slowly I’d say, i was putting my shoes on one morning and touched the back of my heel in a specific spot and it REALLY hurt, so I took my shoe back off and was looking to see what was wrong, then I noticed that a patch the size of small egg was numb, and if I pressed just above it, it really hurt and on that spot and down into my foot. That’s the first I noticed. Over the next couple of days I started noticing more and more. I woke up a few days later and I had pins and needles in my feet, I got up thinking I’d slept funny and it would wear off but that’s been how they are all the time since. That was a couple of months ago now. Since the burning and pins and needles and numbness have got worse slowly. Today my big toe was totally numb.

I went to see the GP who has referred me to neurology urgently and organised some x rays and an mri asap.

Sorry crossed posted, I’ve done that today. Thank you!

Vitamin d deficiency